Screen Printing

Screen Printing

Lauren Callahan

Five Facts 

1. Screen printing methods where adopted and refined by Japan and other Asian countries. The oldest technique used in fine art printmaking (early derivative of screen printing) is wood cutting. Famous artist, Katsushika Hokusai, well known for 'The Great Wave of Kanagawa' was a famous print maker who used wood cut printing. 

2. Andy Warhol was seen to put modern day screen printing in the public eye when he did his print of Marilyn Monroe after she had died. His silk screen titled, "Eight Elvises" got purchased anonymously for $100 million in a private sale. 

3.  In the 1930's a group started what was called the "National Serigraphic Society". This group wanted to differentiate what they did from the commercial world. Serigraphy was considered fine art and screen printing. It got it's name from 'Seri' which is Latin for silk and 'Graphein' which is Greek for 'to write or draw'.

4. The stencils on modern day screen printing are made through light sensitivity. Once emulsion (a water based paint) has been spread across the screen and dried, the print you desire to be placed on the screen is printed in black on a transparent sheet. The black part of the design blocks out the light that is going through to the emulsion that hardens it. There for, the black part not exposed to the light remains water soluble and will wash away, creating your stencil.

5. There is three types of printing presses, flat bed, cylinder, and rotary.  With a flat bed the printed illustration is positioned horizontal on the print bed. The cylinder press is mounted on a cylinder. A rotary screen presses are built for continuous, high speed printing. 

Work CIted

visual-arts-cork.com/printmaking/screen-printing

edcmktg.com/history-of-screen-printing