SilkScreen Prints By Artist Doug Kemp Artist Collection

The process for creating silkscreen prints is similar to creating a stencil. Inks are forced through a mesh (called a silkscreen) onto a printed surface. This enables certain areas of the screen template to be impervious to the printing ink (AKA the stencil or mask effect). The ink that is able to pass through the screen forms the printed image on the artwork.

Fabric and paper are the most commonly used silkscreen print mediums, however glass, wood, perspex and metal (particularly aliminion) are also good surfaces for silkscreen printing.

Creating the design. The silkscreen printing process on a single colour is fairly easy but where multiple colours are used in the artwork, multiple screens are needed, one for each colour and part of the design used.

Preparing the silkscreen mesh block. In the original silkscreen print process, silk was the mesh material used. Modern alternative materials regularly used now include nylon and polyester, simply because the results are the same and these materials are far cheaper.

Photo emulsion used for creating a silscreen stencil. Photo emulsion paint is thinly applied to the front and back of the screen block.- Photo Emulsion is a light-sensitive paint that hardens in direct sunlight, so the initial paint drying (pre hardening) stage is done in a dark room.

Placing the artwork design on the silkscreen. With the design held in place, usually with a piece of glass, the screen is placed under direct sunlight, here is where the photo emulsion hardens. Because the emulsion area underneath the blacked out (masked) area of the design held on the transparency sheet stays soft, it is possible to wash this area away, leaving a reverse mask on the screen block for the ink to pass through.

Printing the Silkscreen print. The block is placed on the printed surface, this can be fabric, paper, wood or even metal. At this stage, a layer of ink is skimmed evenly across the surface of the silkscreen block. The hardened photo emulsioned paint has created a stencil that prevents the ink from being applied in the undesired places. Multiple blocks are then used to create the different colours within the artwork.

Printing The Silkscreen print – The block is placed on the printed surface,  this can be fabric, paper, wood or even metal.  At this stage, a layer of ink is skimmed evenly across the surface of the silkscreen block.  The hardened photo emulsioned paint has created a stencil that prevents the ink from being applied in the wrong places.  Multiple blocks are then used to create the different colours within the artwork.