Happy Easter

Going through my old art work, I came across an Easter Card that I made more than 10 years ago. It is a small accordion book. I particularly like the cover. I used a rubbing technique for this project. I printed with yellow, green, pink and blue (Easter egg colors) screen printing ink. For the cover, I printed a block of yellow and used the same opening for a rubbing ,which was printed with purple. I only found enough of these for my family - I will share this on Facebook for my friends.

Any textured surface can be used to create stencils that capture the look of the original surface. I often use antique, embossed book covers, dried flowers and leaves, ribbon and laces, coins and wood.

The screen is placed over the surface to be used. It is important to have a comfortable grip on the screen with one hand. Then with the other hand use a crayola crayon to make the rubbing directly on the screen. Don’t let the screen move, or you will have a double image.

The crayola will act as a block-out to the water base ink. The image will be the color of the paper and the area around it will be the color of the ink.

It is necessary to have a border of block-out around the rubbing. An open area on the screen can be made first and the rubbing can be done within it. I made Easter egg shapes with drawing fluid and screen filler and used floor finish for the different colors. 

When I use antique books, I cover them tightly with saran wrap to keep the crayon from getting on them. Dried flowers and leaves should not be too dry and brittle as they would crumble when rubbed.

After printing, clean the ink off with cold water. The crayon rubbing will stay on the screen. When cleaning the rubbing from the screen use hot water and a strong cleaner to remove the crayola. I used antique guide books from my collection for this project.

COVER

How I Finished the Print

Print of Future floor finish screen

Using Future Floor Finish to make a Multicolored Print

drawing fluid on the screen

Thicken floor finish - I have been using thickened Future Floor Finish  It is now Pledge® Premium Finish with Future®Shine.(fff)for many of my recent prints. The Future is reduced on the stove. I put it into a pot, bring it to a boil, turn down the heat and then just let it simmer for about 1/2 hour or so. When I first put it into the pot, I measure it with a strip of mat board (or any cardboard) to see how deep it is. Then I mark the depth with a marker and use the strip to tell when it is about 1/2 the depth of when I started. Let it cool and put it back into its container.  You might think that you have ruined your cooking pot, but it cleans up completely with ammonia and warm water.

Making the screen filler Stencil - I start by using drawing fluid to cover all areas that are to be any color, sometimes this is just a rectangular block. Drawing fluid is painted onto the screen everywhere except where just paper will show, often this is just the margin around the image. Then I spread screen filler over the screen. I let it dry and wash out the drawing fluid with cold water. This leaves all of the areas of the design to be printed open on the screen.

Making the fff stencil - Then I start by painting all of the areas to be the first color with drawing fluid. When it is dry I cover the screen with prepared Future. I use almost the same technique that I use to spread screen filler. The screen is elevated above the table top and a small amount of Future is poured onto the blocked out area on the top of the screen. Then I take a strip of mat board and pull the wax across the image. I leave the mat board tilted against the bottom of the frame and quickly dry the image area with a hair dryer. The I turn the screen 180 degrees and pull the Future back across the screen in the opposite direction from the first time. I wipe off any heavy deposit of Future that is on the screen filler with a paper towel. Again I dry it with the hair dryer. It is important to work on just the top side of your screen for all the steps.

drawing fluid on screen
for second color

print from second screen

Removing the drawing fluid from a fff stencil- Let the screen dry thoroughly. In the winter I put it by a heat vent and out in the sunshine in the summer. When it is completely dry, I use a sponge and cold water to dissolve the drawing fluid and wipe down the screen. After it is dry again, any residue of Future in the print area will come off by using a bristle brush. The resulting stencil can then be printed with the first color, just like any other stencil. The Future stencil is more delicate than a screen filler one. You should not expect to wash the ink from it and print it again. After printing the first color, I wash the ink from the screen.  

     

Reduction stencil - I can use the existing stencil for a reduction stencil by painting drawing fluid into the open areas of screen wherever I want to print the second color. Spread another two coats of thickened fff over all and repeat the directions above. 

     

Removing the floor finish - After washing off the ink, I can remove the stencil by applying clear household ammonia (not sudsy) directly onto the screen and rinsing with cold water. This will remove the Future and leave the screen filler. Do not use detergent ammonia; it will remove the screen filler. 

     

 Additional fff stencils - When the screen is dry, drawing fluid is used again to create the stencil for the second color. This can be done either on the ammonia cleaned screen or as a reduction stencil in the openings in the fff that were made for the first color. 

Repeat the process for as many colors as you want to use.

This process can be combined with other techniques. 

I often use two screens, one has the outline and final color to be printed made with drawing fluid and screen filler. I print this on a paper glued down on the screen bed. Then, using that image as a guide I use the Future method on another screen for the colors that will be printed first. After printing all of the first colors, I print the stencil on the first screen on top of all of the rest.

The finished print

      A mask of screen filler can be used over again to make prints of the same size. It is easy to spread the Future on the small area that the screen filler leaves. It is easy to paint the drawing fluid onto the screen filler - you don't have to worry about getting it just on the right spot. The screen filler will ensure that it is in the right place.

How I Started My Print

Pencil Drawing of Design

All of my prints start with an idea. I knew that the participants would be studying all about Roycroft.

Dard Hunter was a significant member of the Roycroft team. The Roycroft Rose was inspired by Viennese fashion at the turn of the century.The square rose paired with a graceful stem has become his most recognizable design.

drawing fluid on screen

I had a lot of cut-offs from my Stickley series of prints. they were only 4" x 8 1/2" and the finished print is 1 1/2" x 6 1/4". The will allow a larger than usual margin around the matted print and show more of the special paper. I decided to use these cut-offs for this print. The drawing was made on a piece of white, print sized paper 4" x 8 1/2". Register guides were put in place, a clean screen was lowered onto the bed. The transparent screen allows me to see the drawing underneath. I painted everything that was to be any color onto the screen with Speedball Drawing Fluid after that was dry, I spread Speedball Screen Filler over the entire screen. Again, I had to wait for it to dry, then with cold water, I washed out the drawing fluid - this left just the screen filler to block out everything else - leaving openings in the screen for the ink to print.

I printed this screen with black  Speedball Waterbased Fabric Printing Ink

print from the screen

screen filler on screen

Later, I will tell you  how I printed the two colors with just the one screen using Future Floor Finish.

For more information please go to "My Manual" on my website.

Another Road Scholar Demonstration

Dard Hunter Rose

I have been asked to do a demonstration for this group who will be learning about Roycroft and the Arts and Crafts Movement. I will do another two color screen print. I will have the first color printed and let the participants print the second color.

I was inspired by the Dard Hunter Rose. A wonderful arts and crafts design created by the well known designer and hand made paper authority of the time - you can read about him  here.

In June of 1904, Dard applied for a summer position with Elbert Hubbard and the Roycrofters. He was denied employment but insisted he could do the job and in July he simply showed up at the artist's colony and was hired. Within a few months, he was designing stained glass windows in the Roycroft Inn and title pages for Hubbard's press.

 In 1908, Dard married Roycroft pianist Edith Cornell. At the time, he was so enamored with the work of Joseph Hoffman and the Wiener Werkstatte that they spent their honeymoon in Vienna. For the next few years, Hunter incorporated the geometric patterns and the highly stylized figures into his work with the Roycrofters. Hunter's designs for books, leather, glass and metal helped unify the Roycroft product line and distinguish it from other American Arts and Crafts enterprises.

The screen print above is the small, two color print that we will be making on Columbus Day. I have matted this one with a black, rag mat. It is on a recycled tan paper and in one of my husband's hand made walnut frames. The Road Scholar group will print the orange rose and the three orange squares. They will be able to take their prints home with them. I hope that they will experience what goes into a handmade print from the inspiration, to the design and care in production to the actual presentation of the finished work.

Classes in July, in my basement studio

I have two classes scheduled for July here in my home in Hamburg. I will have two students in each class. There isn't any much room in my small work space. They will bring a brown bag lunch and I will have cookies and iced tea on hand for them.

The design that you will print is limited to 7” x 10” . It could be smaller, but not any larger. I will have a many copies of suitable copyright-free Arts and Crafts images that you could use.

But you may have other ideas.  My print “Tommy” on the left was made from a pencil sketch from years ago. It could also have been made from a photo.

      

 “The Colden Mill” (below)
was made from an old photo that had very good contrast. 

      
“New York State Grapes” (above) was made from a photocopy of an antique label.
Any subject will work. You may have an image in mind. Photos need to have strong contrast. The copy machine will increase contrast. You will need at least one good photocopy of your subject. This can be reduced or enlarged to the size of your finished print. Be sure to bring along the original photo or art work when you come to class.  

       We will be printing on white and colored card stock as well as a fine quality “Stonehenge” 100% rag paper. If you have paper that you would like to try printing on – bring it with you. It should be no larger than 9” x 12”. You could also bring a light colored new or old t-shirt (poly/cotton is fine) to print on.

You will actually be tracing your photocopy onto the transparent screen to make your print which is why the photocopy of your image will be the size of the finished print.

We will be printing in just one color. I will have a small assortment of colors available as well as black. If you want a special color just let me know. I will demonstrate how to print additional colors.

Don’t wear your best clothes, the inks are permanent.  

Some Afterthoughts

When I came back home to Hamburg my husband was waiting for his dinner. I had made a good dinner the night before and we had leftover spareribs, coleslaw and some good bread. It didn't take very long to get it onto the table. Today, I decided to experiment with the screens that I had used for my demonstration. I printed a few green backgrounds and then printed the black screen on them. This time I used a Rives soft gray paper. Then on just a few I printed Overprint Varnish with the black screen. This will give just the black areas a shine and not change the color at all. It will give more of a contrast between the green and the black. In this photo the upper print has the varnish and the lower one doesn't. The varnish darkens the black ink and makes a better contrast with the soft green.

Then I decided to print some note cards with the screen for the black print. I had bought some cards and matching envelopes at AC Moore, on sale a while ago. I decided to print on those cards. I put some process magenta and some process cyan ink onto the screen, along with a lot of transparent base. The magenta was in the center of my screen and the cyan was at the outer edges. The squeegee would do the blending as I pulled it toward me. I printed a few on newspaper until I liked the look of it.

I liked the way that they looked. No two prints done this way will ever be exactly the same. I can always use note cards, or they make a good gift.

Memorial Day, 2013

On this glorious Memorial day, I went to East Aurora to give a demonstration for a Road Scholar group. I had taken many of my "proof books" - they show the steps in printing. Each screen print is made up of layers of ink printed one on top of the other. After explained how the stencil is made on the screens, I invited each participant to print the second color on a print that I had designed to print with just two colors and two screens. I had printed the green backgrounds and they were to print the black stylized flower design on top of the green rectangles on the Stonehenge print paper. I had cut each print paper 7" x 9" before I printed green. This will enable the print to fit nicely into an 8" x 10" ready made frame

Facilitator prints second color on the prints. Participants are holding the prints
that they had printed.