19 March 2018

---

 Skills 3 Print: Screen Printing – 4 Colour CMYK week 3

The brief for this week was to add another element to our four colour print. I decided to add something handwritten so decided to make monotype prints which would give a thicker line with interesting textures where the paper picked up ink. A few of the prints picked up too much ink so I added scribbled drawing to them.

Monotype prints of handwritten text:

As Monotype writing shows in reverse, I flipped images to see what they would look like the correct way round and chose the one I wanted to use. Some of the others could be used in other work, either as screen-prints or photocopy transfers,  and the resized according to what was needed.

Monotype prints reversed digitally:

 

Screen-prints with text added:

I was pleased to be adding another element to my prints as some layers of the print were partially missing along the bottom edge. For the layer of text I mixed cyan and yellow for a spot colour that would match the colour and tones I had already used in the print. We had a brief pop-up exhibition and group crit for our finished prints.

Pop-up exhibition: Two of my prints displayed with another student’s work

Single colour screen-prints based on collage:

As the text I was using for my prints was not very large, I exposed another two images on the screen. Initially I printed a multiple on one sheet of paper, but had a problem with ink being picked up by the acetate (which I was using for registering the prints) and it smudged onto the border of the paper on he left hand side.

I made an edition of prints based on another of my collages using a large halftone dot  and printing in a single colour. I also overprinted one of my CMYK prints with this image.

Experimental print

 

Single colour prints based on monotype:

 

Reprinting CMYK project without text:

I made a few more CMYK prints ensuring that I did not miss any of the edges. One of the prints shows the cyan layer and another the cyan and magenta. The rest are cyan, magenta and yellow (without the black). Two are overprinted with a different image in black.

 

---

Mimmo Rotella

Regarding the fragmentation and erosion of images, I have been looking at the décollages of Mimmo Rotella, which are comprised of layers of torn posters. I particularly associate these with my image transfers in which areas of the photocopied paper transfer has become detached from the fabric support. Instead of being torn, ripped, or cut, the paper has been removed through abrasion where it was not firmly attached.

http://poulwebb.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/mimmo-rotella-decollages-part-1.html

Mimmo Rotella, Marilyn, 1963

I have been thinking about how the materials and processes used add meaning to an artwork and I will be considering this further. In this case the physical damage evokes the transitory and impermanent.

12 March 2018

 Skills 3 Print: Screen Printing – 4 Colour CMYK – week 2

Documentation of work – 8 prints:

I made a series of eight screen-prints (A4 image) using CMYK separations. Unfortunately I had a technical problem with the prints as the squeegee I used was too narrow. It wasn’t obvious when I first started printing that part of the image was missing on the lower edge. However I noticed after printing the magenta so I used a larger squeegee for the yellow. When I printed the black I thought it overpowered the other colours so I only used it on two of the prints. I also need to improve my registration.

I made an experimental print by rotating the paper for each layer and printing some colours twice. I also made a print only using cyan and yellow, which I thought was very interesting as it was still recognisable although 2 colour separations were missing. This ties in with my theme of fragmentation, erosion and partial traces. The cyan is missing on the top edge due to the problem with the squeegee so I made a few more of these prints later in the week.

Documentation of work – experimental prints:

I made a further series of prints using the yellow and cyan separations experimenting with the colour of the ink and using both white and off-white paper. I used fluorescent yellow on several of the images and fluorescent orange with the cyan. It was difficult to register the fluorescent yellow when printing as it was difficult to see on the acetate.

The fluorescent colours did not reproduce well when photographed and the colour looks more dull in these images than on the originals.

Documentation of work – experimental prints:

I printed the yellow separation using red ink on a variety of surfaces, including pages from a magazine, calico fabric and canvas.

 

---

Photography:

Unedited photo from camera

Edited using Nik software filters & Photoshop adjustments

I decided to see how my new camera would cope with taking close-ups with the kit lens (Canon 200D 18-55mm lens 4 – 5.6). This photograph was taken handheld using the lens stabilisation. I lit the plant with a halogen desk lamp which created an orange cast needing white balance correction. I have been experimenting with Google Nik software filters and wanted to draw the eye to the centre of the image so I added a vignette blur. As I did not like the orange colour cast I changed the hues and saturation in Photoshop. This has resulted in a less realistic nature photograph and is more of an art photograph.

Nik Software

I just discovered the Nik software suite was acquired from Google by Dx0 last year https://nikcollection.dxo.com/ and the current version is still free.