Another exposure lesson

I decided how to use one of the two leftover coated screens from the last post. This was a design I created a few posts ago and was intended to be used to tile on a tapestry. I didn’t have high hopes for this one. To keep it the size I wanted, I had to print it on four transparencies and overlay them. I worked for a while to tape the four so they are as lined up as they could be, but once I taped them to the screen they wouldnt lay flat.

I knew this detail was more intense on this print so I decided to increase my exposure time to 20min.

While I was washing out, the points where the transparencies overlapped washed out the soonest. I’m assuming the over lap allowed less light to penetrate due to the darker cover.

The detail I was able to get was impressive. I wish I would have put a coin next to the screen to show off how little these lines are.

I did have some issues.

After spraying out the screen, I was nervous that it still wasn’t exposed enough. I decided to lay it back under the light just to make sure. I’m pretty certain this was unnecessary but it made me feel better. Unfortuantly, before exposing I forgot dry the base. This caused a bubble by the corner flower but it was far enough away that I can probably tape over it. Aside from that, I feel like I was just expecting too much of my screen. I may expose it for longer next time to see if it can fix it.

Back at it again

I ran out of time to print with my new screens BUT I was able to expose them for next time. The design was a doodle I did a year or so back, I became a HUGE fan if the artist Derek Yaniger and the beatnik art style in general (see previous post). I had to modify the design a bit because I want to print these on color shirts, more specifically, the tiedye shirts from the previous post.

I coated a total of four screens (in case I had any issues), both sides, and let them sit for over 24 hours in my “dark room”. When they were dry, I pulled them out for exposure. I neex to find a better way to line up my transparencies. What I did this time was line up some popsicle sticks to help guide the sheet in the same place for both. My coating is getting better. Most of the lines that you’ll see in the pictures below are from spraying it out. The shelf that my press is on is smaller than my screens and ive been struggling pulling off the extra emulsion. I may have to end up coating them on the floor instead.

Layer one turned out good- well good enough. This was my first screen which is the top black layer. I exposed this one for 10min. There are a few spots on her dress that are coming off a bit but noting too serious. I knew this ment I needed to increase my exposure time.

For the second screen I increased the exposure time to 15min and I made a world of a difference! I think I could have sprayed this one out a little better, but I noticed some of the thin lines were peeling up slightly which made me worry. Over all, I think this one turned out better.

I still have two screens that can be exposed. I think I have an idea for one of them, but I’m not sure about the other one.