Silkscreen Printing

Artist Statement:

For this project, we were meant to create a design that would be turned into a silkscreen for us to make various prints with. I chose a past design that I had already worked with for another project as was recommended to me. For one of the prints, we were required to create a print on a t-shirt (left). For the other print, we had to take the design, print it onto paper, and then extend or add to it. I chose to do a watercolor painting as would be seen in a typical elephant habitat. 

The entire silkscreen process involved a frame with silkscreen stretched across it and our designs (in vinyl) sealed off with duct tape. For the t-shirt specifically, I used only a t-shirt and the ink to create a design. For the extended print, I used watercolor and the ink again on some bristol board.

For this process, I began by transferring my chosen design, through various steps, as a .svg on my computer. Once there, the design was entered into Cricut and cut out on a sheet of vinyl. The vinyl was transferred onto the stretched-out silkscreen, and the remaining screen was sealed with duct tape. After this, to create prints, I would use a palette knife to spread ink onto my screen and then use a tool to press it through onto the surface. This process took some experimentation due to imperfections in some of the prints, which I was eventually able to adjust to. Luckily, for the t-shirt, I was able to use the first print. For the extended print, I used one of my more successful prints and then created a watercolor landscape in the background (allowing time for drying).