Screen Print Workshop

Im really familiar with the screen printing process so I though the workshop was a good chance to try a few new techniques I had been meaning to try.

• I wanted to have a go at screen printing loose pencil outlines. I found a quickly drawn rough sketch from the editorial brief and edited on photoshop. I blackened the outline and left most of the pencil texture, which left it with a natural hand crafted line quality.
• Half tone was something I had never experimented with, so I looked at how it could be included in the design.
• I filled in sections of the drawing with either green, black or half tone. Knowing that all the green will be on one positive, and all the outline, black and halftone will be on the other. 
• I also wanted to see how I could use the paper colour as highlights in the image (by leaving some of the sections blank). 
• I really wanted to try out some overlaying colours but it was difficult to include in this design.
• Making the design digitally (rather than drawing onto printer paper or coda-trace) was beneficial because it made separating the positive layers really easy. 

Digital screen print design:

Screen prints:

I used the new LED light box to expose my positives onto the screen, I think I got the timing slightly wrong and also scrubbed at the screen to hard which resulted in loads of noise and distortion on my screen. Because it was only a workshop I didn't have time to re-expose so I just went with it. Looking at the image now the distortion doesn't completely ruin it, it looks quite interesting, there is just too much on the facial area, you cant see it clear enough.

• Using consistant/flat half tone contained within sections works really well. Although it looks more like a grainy texture rather than a tone when used in this way, I think its interesting. Half tone is a good way to get line/ shape variation within the same layer.
• The main thing I like about the print overall is how it has an experimental and rough feel too it. Compared to my past screen prints where I have tried too make them neat and perfectly crafted, this print has a distorted and hand generated feel that gives it a more characterful aesthetic.
• One other thing that I want to capitalise on is screen printing sketched line work. Ive been struggling to let my natural drawing style show through more in finished designs for  while, this technique could be a good way. I will consider this within future work.