Over the last couple of years working as a screen print artist I've gotten a very complete understanding of the craft. I've decided to think about exactly what I like about screen printing and try to summarize those thoughts for you here.
- Repeatability: This is a key to my enjoyment of screen printing. For as long as I can remember I've enjoyed finding quick ways to do things. In grade school they called me "seƱor flash" based on the time it took me to complete homework assignments. For this reason, painting is not for me. Screen printing offers a way to prepare a design well and then repeat it consistently and quickly - perfect!
- Creative Wiggle-room: I do like having the ability to print the same exact image every time. But I also love the fact that minor twe aks can be made between prints to give them a true hand-made, one-of-a-kind look. Exactly the same every time is boring but slightly different is fantastic! For example, one can mix colors of ink in a screen which results in a blended color, the exact blend of which changes every print. Also, to improvise color intensity I sometimes adjust the pressure of how hard the ink is pushed through the screen. This makes me think of my aunt's mug collection. Each mug is exactly the same shape (with a little thumb area on the handle!) but they are all glazed totally differently. This mix of consistency and variation is great in pottery and in screen printing.
- Color Constraints: The more colors in a design, the more screens you have to make, the more work that has to be done in preparation, printing and clean-up. There's an inherent incentive in screen printing to use less colors of ink. This forces screen printers to get creative while getting simple. Thinking about visual expression with limited colors has vastly improved my artistic ability and allows my work to say more with less.
Thanks for reading everyone, if you want to follow me check out twitter.com/evanwebsterink, facebook.com/evanwebsterink and evanwebsterink.com/blog!
Love reading about your process!
ReplyDelete