Screen printing

I found it quite difficult to get the correct colours when mixing my dyes. Along the way, there have been some pieces of work that didn't work too well. Nevertheless this has made me push myself to do more experimentation and develop more ideas.

 

 

I'm really not very pleased with these two prints. The mono printed background is too faint and the motifs aren't the right colour. I used reactive dyes to print the motifs; I thought this would work as it wouldn't be as bold as the pigment dye. When mixing the colours and printing with them, the colours looked spot on, however when fixing the dyes and washing the fabric, the colour disappeared. This was very disappointing as it was a long process and I really thought about the placement of the motifs.

 

These irritating mistakes, really made me push myself. I started to go for it when mixing the dyes for mono printing and the colours gradually got stronger.

 

 

 

I went back to using pigment dyes; mixing deeper purples, creating a new mood with the contrasting textures.I continued to enjoy using mono print; again making the colours stronger and experimenting with the salt to create interesting texture. I quickly sprinkled the salt across the screen, making sure I used fast motions so the salt moved across the screen, dragging the dye with it. This created a really nice texture, enhancing the tone of the dye in places.

 

 

Throughout working in the print room, I have been so focused on mixing the correct colours, that I forgot that white is a main colour in my palette. I therefore masked off some areas on my blank screen. This meant that when I applied the manutex, the areas masked off were white. Nevertheless I wouldn't have been able to leave the print as it was because the contrast of white and colour was too harsh. I therefore decided to apply motifs on top. I think this works well as it gives the design a feeling of fluid movement; with the circles climbing up the fabric.

 

 

 

I'm really pleased with this print. The reactive dyes were just how I wanted them and the white sits perfectly on top. I definitely prefer my more textured designs. I don't really have the graphical style; I feel it's too static and there's nothing much to it. I like to see the detail; whether that's where the salt has landed, seeing the movement of the brush strokes and the bleeding of the dyes.