Some time ago I wrote a post about starting out in block printmaking.  (a.k.a. “relief printmaking,” the category that includes woodblock prints and linoleum block prints, as well as certain experimental techniques such as cardboard cuts…)  Sunday June 22nd I conducted a block printmaking demo at Utrecht-  The time is ripe to pass on some more block printing advice. ( If you are just starting out making block prints, I recommend you first read the blog entry of March 9th 2008, “Starting out in Block Printing.” )

Suppose you have experimented with single-color linoleum block prints, and you would really like to incorporate more color into your images.  There are a number of ways to go about this.  Let’s not neglect the obvious route: you could hand-color your images using watercolors or gouache. (This is time consuming, some might say tedious, but some artists get very good results with hand-colored prints. It can also be a good way of seeing the same image in multiple color schemes.) You could also cut stencils to mask out certain areas of your image, and use your brayer to roll ink directly on to your print. Or you could use a small brayer to hand-ink certain portions of your linoleum block, and thus get more than one color from a single block. (This technique works best either on blocks where the different areas of color are well separated from one another, or else on blocks where  precision is not necessary.)  The Expressionist artist Edvard Munch used to cut a block of wood into pieces like a jigsaw puzzle, ink each piece separately, then reassemble them and print them all at once.  He achieved very bold, powerful results with that method. 

However, the traditional means for achieving multiple colors in a block print is by carving a separate block for each color that will be used, and printing them one layered over the other. (This does not have to be as complicated as it sounds.) If you would like to try this technique, I would suggest that you start simply.  Just two colors, used together, can often produce a very dramatic look. (Later, if you choose to, you can do exceedingly complicated prints with a dozen colors! Myself, I keep things simple and use no more than four colors.) 

When you are working with multiple colors, registration (making sure your images are lined up correctly) becomes very important.  To avoid headaches, you want to plan for it from the beginning.  Make sure that your blocks are the same size, because if they are a little bit off it will be difficult to register them. (If you should happen to have blocks that are mismatched, you at least have to find one side that matches, and consistently line them up from that side.)  If one of your blocks will be a line drawing and the other will be a colored background, carve the line drawing first.  (If neither of your blocks is a line drawing per se, just carve the block that has the greatest amount of “information” on it.)  The first block then serves as a guide for the second block:  When the first block is completely carved, ink it up and make a proof of it and make sure it looks the way you want it to.  Then, make a very inky proof onto thin paper.  Carefully lay that proof face down onto your blank, uncarved block.  Burnish it thoroughly with your baren or spoon- when you lift the paper you will find that the ink has transfered to the blank block.  That image will be your guide so that you know what to carve away and what to leave.

How do you know if your prints are lined up correctly?  Well, you need to make yourself a registration guide.  Traditional Japanese printmakers used to use blocks that were larger than the paper that they were printing on, and would carve notches directly on the block that indicated where the paper should be placed.  Other printmakers make various forms of registration guides… sometimes just lines traced on paper, sometimes substantial wooden frames with pins or clamps to hold the paper in place.  I have a version of a registration frame that is low-tech and devilishly simple.  (I like to say it is “top secret” and “copyrighted” but I teach it to just about every printmaker I meet.)  All you need is:

a piece of cardboard (the size of the paper that you are printing on or a little bit larger)  

an X-acto knife (and a metal-edged ruler to serve as a cutting guide.)

a pair of bulldog clips

The cardboard is exactly the size of your printmaking paper.  Cut a hole in it that is exactly the size of your printmaking block, exactly where you want it to be placed on your paper.  That way, when you ink your block and set it in place, it will not slide or go anywhere.  You clamp your paper in place with the bulldog clips, so it will not slide or go anywhere either.  Then–here’s the extra-tricky part–you can print two blocks in quick succession without ever unclamping the paper. Just gently lift the paper, remove one block, replace it with the second inked block, and lay the paper back down. Burnish your second block with your baren, lift the paper again, and–congratulations!–you have a two color print.

Happy printmaking!

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Alexis Babayan

Basic Screen Printing Technique 

Preparing the image: 

The silk screen can be prepared in a number of ways:  For a very simple design, where you don’t intend to make very many prints, you can cut out a stencil directly out of frisket film (or similar material) and adhere it to your screen.   The downside to this technique is that the stencil will only last for a small edition… it will be destroyed when you clean off and reclaim the screen. 

You can also paint your design onto your screen by hand, using Speedball Screen Drawing Fluid (Utrecht item # 48663) in combination with Screen Filler (Utrecht item # 48662.) Brush your design on with the Drawing Fluid, the way you want it to appear.  Allow it to dry, then apply Screen Filler and squeegee it evenly across the entire screen.  After the Screen Filler has dried, you wash away the Drawing Fluid by spraying the screen with cold water.  The Screen Filler remains, and acts as your stencil.  (See package labels or Screen Printing book for more detailed instructions.)

However, most artists prefer to use a Photo Emulsion technique to transfer an image to the screen. (A popular kit is the Diazo system, item # 55897) The source material for your screen print could be either a drawing or photograph.

Paul drew his original image with markers, scanned it, and did the color separations on the computer. 

You basically need to create a photographic positive.  The image can be printed out on transparency films at a copy shop… or, for a cheap alternative you can photocopy your image onto regular paper, and then rub the paper with vegetable oil.  This makes the paper translucent and the ink darker.  You can use that as your film when exposing your image onto your screen.

To use photographic emulsion, you need a dark place to work with access to running water.  For most people, this means the bathroom.  You need a red light bulb from the hardware store.  Replace the light bulb in the bathroom with the red light.   (If the bathroom is windowless, that’s good.  If not, block out the window with foil and tape.)  The red light will let you see what you’re doing without affecting the photo emulsion.

Take your photo emulsion, take a spoon or a palette knife, and tap out a line of emulsion across the face of your screen.  Squeegee the emulsion across the screen and let it dry in the dark.  This can take between half an hour and half a day (an hour on average.)  If you have a fan blowing on your screen, it will dry faster.  The emulsion is usually glossy when wet, matte when dry- hold up to the red light and see.  When the emulsion is dry, put the film positive on the bottom of the screen, BACKWARDS.  (So that when you look at it through the top of the screen, it will be FORWARDS.)

Use absolutely transparent tape to keep the film in place. (Otherwise the tape will show up in your image.)

You are ready to burn the screen.  The simplest form of “exposure unit” is to take one of those clamp-on lamps from the hardware store, rig it to face downwards, and set up your screen underneath it.  The Speedball photo emulsion recommends you use a 150 watt bulb or a 250 watt photoflood bulb.  (For other brands of emulsion you may need 500 watts or more.)  Lay your screen face downwards.  Paul lays a piece of glass on top of his screen which holds the image in place, “sandwiched” completely flat against the screen.  You may need to experiment to find the correct exposure time with your bulb and set-up.  The Speedball screen printing manual recommends an exposure time of between 45 minutes and 1 hr. 30 minutes when using a 150 watt bulb, or between 10 and 20 minutes when using a 250 watt photoflood bulb. (In professional screen printing shops, they often use a more sensitive emulsion that exposes much more quickly, but has less margin for error.  With the less sensitive emulsion, you can walk through the sun to wash your screen off without ruining it, and you have a certain amount of “insurance” against accidental exposure to light during the screen preparation process.)

Once your screen is exposed, take the glass off, gently pull the film and tape off, and put your film in a folder in case you need it again.  Put the exposed screen under the shower and gently rinse it off. Use lukewarm (NOT HOT) water.  Wherever your black lines or graphics were on the film, the emulsion should rinse off.  Hold to the red light and make sure it is fully rinsed- any little dots will affect your print.  After the screen is rinsed, it’s okay to be in the light.  You essentially have burnt your stencil onto the screen. 

Allow your screen to dry.  It usually dries faster outside, in the light and air.  (Or if you are in a hurry, you can force it to dry with a hair dryer.)

After it’s dry, you’re ready to print. 

Printing: 

Tape off around the edges of your frame with masking tape- this will make it much easier to clean later.

It is difficult to hold down the screen and smoothly squeegee the ink across at the same time. Most artists set up some form of “screen printing unit” to make the process go more smoothly.  The unit consists of a smooth board with hinges that allow you to lift your silkscreen up between prints.  This allows you to switch out your printing paper without throwing off your registration or getting your ink everywhere!  If you are making small or medium size prints, Speedball makes an all-in-one 10 x 14″ screen print unit (item # 55896) that includes a silkscreen, backing board and hinges. It also has a little “kick stand” that you can use to prop up your screen while you are putting in a new sheet of paper.  Or you can use the Jiffy Frame Hinge Clamps (item #58224) which can accept any size of silkscreen. (This is what Paul is using in the pictures.)

Paul sprays some Super 77 adhesive spray (item # 40278 ) onto the base of his screen printing unit to keep the paper from moving around during the printing process.  When printing onto paper, a little goes a long way- one spray will last you for many prints.  When printing onto fabric (making T-shirts) you will need to re-spray the adhesive for each shirt. To make sure that all your prints are registered (i.e. lined up) the way you want them to be, tape off a guide that shows you where to place your paper for each print.

This becomes especially crucial if you have multiple colors that you need to register together!  (It is recommended that you have a registration mark or guide to aid in the placement of your second color screen.  If you are just eyeballing it, you are sure to get the “crafty” look- i.e, your image will be slightly out of sync, so choose a design where that will be okay.)

If you are making fine art prints or posters, and want to make a custom ink color, Golden makes a Silkscreen Medium (item # 68743, 32 oz jar) that you can combine with any acrylic paint to make it suitable for screen printing.  (The medium slows the drying time and makes the paint more fluid, so it’s the right consistency to go through your screen.  Unfortunately, it’s not suitable for screen printing onto fabric.)  For general screen printing purposes, Speedball and Permaset Aqua also make lines of water-based screen printing inks.

Use a palette knife or spoon to lay down a line of ink at the top of your screen.  Squeegee the ink across in one smooth motion.  If you stop or hesitate at all you’ll see lines in your finished print.  For some prints (such as white ink on a dark background) you may need multiple “hits” to make it opaque enough.

Allow your prints to dry.  (We used a clothesline as a drying rack.) 

You will want to clean your screen immediately after printing so that the ink does not dry in the mesh.  Thoroughly spray the screen with water.  Ideally you have a setup where you can hose your screen down.

Text by Alexis Babayan with technical advice by Paul Barron

Original Screen Print artwork by Paul Barron

Photos by Alexis Babayan, taken at Screen Print Demo, Utrecht Art Supplies Berkeley

Printmaker, artist and Utrecht associate Paul Barron will be giving a screen printing demonstration at the Berkeley store on Sunday April 27th–that’s right, tomorrow!  He will be demonstrating basic screen printing technique and multi-color registration… the technique used to make posters, shirts, fine art, and more!  The event is free.  Just stop by the store between 2 and 4pm, and ask Paul for answers to all your burning screen printing questions.

Printmakers and aspiring printmakers take note: The day of the event, all screen printing paper will be 20% off with the purchase of 5 or more sheets, and all printmaking materials will be 15% off.

We will be closing two hours early on Sunday April 20th in order to complete our physical inventory.  That means we will be open from 11am to 4pm.  We will return to normal hours Monday April 21st.

In other news, we have lots of great items on clearance right now. (Selected picture frames, hanging hardware, gouache paint, brushes, and gift sets, to name a few.)  The sale is on until they are gone!

Screen Printing Demo:
Multi-Color Registration and Printing Techniques

 Coming up April 27th!

RSVP to save your place!

Paul Barron will be demonstrating the process of registering screens for multi-color printing, as well as demonstrating the most effective techniques for actual printing and how to use Utrecht brand paint with silkscreen medium to get unique colors. Paul will also be answering questions about set up, clean up and making the stencil on the screen.