The Art of Silk Screen Printing
For Screen printing you need a roller or block of wood with a rubber blade attached down through the length of its center. These are used for pressing the inks through the fabric and forming the image. The purpose is to transfer the ink evenly and produce a sharp image. The technique is based on compression and uses a woven mesh textile and a template. The template controls when the ink is deposited on the paper image. A second and third application can be done to apply new colors to the different areas thus building up a comprehensive image.
Serigraph, silk screening or silk screen printing also uses a stencil method but the image is transferred to the silk material and can be replicated several times to create a large art work. A wax is used to prevent ink penetrating certain areas. When these areas need to be colored the wax is removed thus allowing the ink through. In this way the image is layered and controlled but several passes will need to be made before the art work is complete. Very large pieces can be created in this manner.
This craftwork can be done at home as can many other craft activities. You may need to exercise another of your hands-on crafts in that your wood working skills will be needed to construct the frame. Perhaps the most famous screen printing is that of Andy Warhol (a famous United States artist) who depicted Marilyn Monroe (a famous actress) in 1992. The screen is printed depicting Marilyn time and time again in different single color impressions.
The screen can be used again and again once it is kept maintained (cleaning is all that is required). If the design is finished with then the screen can be reused for another design. Screen printing is a great craft idea and can be enormous fun so why not give it a try.
