Ape on the Moon: Contemporary Visual Arts » Screen Printing

Drawing Lines and Colourful Printing with Marie ERR

Philip Dennis — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:04:14 +0000

Here are some fun illustrations from Marie ERR, showing off her great passion for colour. She was kind enough to give us a backstage look at some of the printing processes she uses.

I usually sketch my ideas on random papers or in sketchbooks, the trouble starts when I try to look for them, usually without much luck. Depending on the type of work I’m doing, I usually draw lines with either indian ink or markers, and then I add colour with Photoshop.

If I’m going for handmade only, my favorite medium is acrylic on plywood, the colour always gets super bright, just the way I like it! And, if I like the design enough, I can always screen print it! It’s so much hard work but so much fun to do, I love it!

Ben Phe’s Fresh and Original Layer-driven Style

Philip Dennis — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:40:18 +0000

We really like the thickly-laid patterns and the play with layering in Ben Phe’s work. Building on qualities found in screen printing, such as offset layers and moiré patterns created by the interaction between sets of parallel lines, Ben paints onto panes of glass to explore and develop this technique.

His sense of experimentation into his process in a natural and personal way definitely makes him one to watch if you’re interested in following the development of an artist’s personal style.

“So, basically, I love pattern, shape, color and form. These are the key ingredients to my work. With my glass work, mostly, it is instinctual, I’ll have a basic idea and let loose, letting the shapes work with each other. I’ll paint on a splodge of paint then etch into it and repeat on the other side. I love working with thick glass as it gives a lovely offset feel, like a screen print, especially if the sun shines through.

With my illustrations, I’ll work with a Pentel GFKP, and use tracing paper/layout paper to work with the layers. Then, images will be scanned in and fiddled with. A lot of my inspiration comes from outsider art, folk art and artists such as Paul Klee and Joan Miro.”

Dale Edwin Murray’s ‘Hip Hop Head’ Series

Philip Dennis — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:15:48 +0000

Here are some examples from graphic artis, Dale Edwin Murray. We like the scanned-in textures he uses in his dital imagery, giving it a screen-printed, tactile feel. For more of sharp-edged forms and bold colours, check out his more recent ‘Hip Hop Head’ series on his site.

“I’m an illustrator and graphic artist and my work covers editorial, advertising, greetings cards, art prints and apparel graphics. All of my work is produced digitally but is made to give the impression, to varying degrees, of hand made printing techniques.

I try to combine halftones and textures with a bold, conceptual and stylised approach to create a contemporary take on mid-century aesthetics.”

Bright Screen Prints and T-shirt Designs by Dooom

Philip Dennis — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 12:48:17 +0000

Dooom creates bright and simple designs, which have so far been made for a variety of T-shirts and prints. I like the slightly rounded, less refined edge to the forms, which is sometimes lost in work with a graphic look. Dooom tells us about the equipment used.

“My equipment is pretty standard, my favourite inking pens are Microns. From time to time I use a Sakura brush pen, when adding line weight to the design is important. I mostly stick with the Microns, though, as I feel they give the cleanest lines.”

“This picture is inspiring to me as I grew up on the Queensland coast, right next to the Great Barrier Reef. Brings back good memories, which helps when your stuck with rain 90% of the time … (Thanks England!)”

Monika Aichele Describes her Love of Colour and Screen Printing

Philip Dennis — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:33:27 +0000

I’m really drawn to the entirely mixed media aspect to Monika Aichele’s work. There’s always so much going on with material, colours and textures in her illustrations, which has created in a palette and visual style so definitely uniquely her own.

“I work in different techniques, ink on paper, silkscreen prints and acrylic colour. Computer-generated illustrations have been an easy method for me while travelling, still my love for real silkscreen prints is stronger. In my Berlin neighbourhood I am regularly seen at the silkscreen workshop ‘shining’ and loving mixing colours and creating my images.”

Eve Lloyd Knight from Tactile Drawings to Bold Screen Printed Book

Philip Dennis — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:41:37 +0000

‘Pedestal’ by Eve Lloyd Knight is the kind of large, screen printed book that needs to be handled. I think it’s probably not only the size but the textures she’s created in the printing itself that makes it look so tactile. The mixture of very handheld materials used in the drawings and the flat, layered nature of printing gives the images a really unique feel, coupled with the very graphic shapes and blocks of colour. She describes the concept for the book and the accompanying limited edition prints.

“Is it possible ever to achieve perfection? This screen-printed book and limited edition prints set out to explore the complex dynamic between our own unattainable aspirations and the emotional demands we place on others in trying to get there. The gradual realisation that those extreme goals could never exist is replaced by a growing understanding for both an internal and a shared balance. “

“I set out to communicate ideas, emotion and relationships that are complex and challenging to visualise. By symbolising the tenuous balance between people and their environment I want to externalise what is usually invisable and internal. This tension between two forms continues throughout my working method; what starts as an abstract and ephemeral idea will be re-drawn and refines until both the conceptual and the visual play an equal part.”

“Print allows me to simplify and edit this process further in order to concentrate on the fundamental decisions of light and shadow, the transparency/depth of colour and the impact of monumental scale against minute yet significant detail.”

“I want to say as much as I can using as little as possible.”

“The symbolic representation of my five stage working process from initial idea to final resolution.”

Talking Printing Techniques with JooHee Yoon

Philip Dennis — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:14:43 +0000

Here are a few examples of the punchy, bright prints coming from Massachusetts-based print maker, JooHee Yoon. Her prints have the charming fantasy and magic of more traditional children’s illustration, but can also achieve the more editorial edge of contemporary design. I was interested in finding out more about the kinds of printing techniques she uses so was over the moon when she took some time out to answer a few questions.

How would you describe the work you do?

My work is very narrative with a focus on odd characters. It’s also concept based, meaning that I try to think of an interesting way to illustrate something; usually that something being very mundane, I try to make it less so with my drawing. Process wise, my work is very heavy on planning since with printmaking there are lots of different stages I have to go through to reach the finished artwork.

It’s extremely time consuming, but I continue to do it anyway as I enjoy working with flat colors and patterns.

Can you tell us about the different printing techniques you use?

For the last two years I have been working primarily with toray photolithography and screen printing. They are quite similar in a way, with an image on acetate being transferred onto a surface (a screen for screen printing vs. a plate for toray) when light reacts to a coating of light sensitive chemical. The main difference is that you need a litho or etching press and oil based ink to print using toray plates.

I think I fell in love with this technique because it has certain similarities to screen printing but with a different, more textural look. For me, by working with both techniques, the one influences the other, and at times it can be hard to tell them apart. This past year I’ve also been experimenting with relief printing, linoleum being my choice of material.

This has a different feel, more cruder, less delicate, but I it’s growing on me.

Where did you learn about these techniques?

I dabbled in screen printing while in high school since my art teacher decided to set up a makeshift exposure unit using a light table and a stack of textbooks. A few years later I took a more official screen printing class and a toray photolitho class while in college. I also managed to fit in a letterpress class where I first learned about lino cut.

What advice would you give to someone who’d like to learn more about printmaking?

I’d recommend taking a class just to learn the basics of operating all the equipment like the exposure unit and the various presses. It’s also best to work in an actual studio rather than, say your room, since ventilation can be a problem. If you do have to work in a space with limited air circulation use water based ink.

Printmaking can seem a bit mysterious but once you learn all the steps involved it’s pretty straightforward. The biggest things to keep in mind are: be patient, don’t try to rush through any of the stages as this will most certainly lead towards disaster, prepare to spend a lot of money on paper and be open to mistakes.

Is there any equipment/technique that you haven’t tried yet that you’d like to?

I’ve always been curious about traditional stone lithography. I’d like to try it sometime if I get a chance.

‘Free Space’ Project from Brighton Graduate Matt Lyver

Philip Dennis — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:02:41 +0000

This interesting and original project is from recent University of Brighton graduate, Matt Lyver. It’s an intriguing concept, engaging his surroundings and questioning the environments we live in.

It seems to have also been quite an undertaking but definitely presented well, having not only a collection of miniature installations around town but also a screen printed, embossed book documenting the project and a larger installation within the walls of the degree show. He tells us more.

I love ideas. The final outcomes of my projects tend to be driven as much by ideas and concepts as aesthetics. Much of my recent work has focused on reusing objects, materials and spaces in ways that give them new life or meaning, allowing them to serve new purposes. I also enjoy physical, tangible objects and being hands on and making things, which is why I think a lot of my work recently has taken a three dimensional form.

This project looks at how today space is at a premium, especially in towns and cities, and with available land steadily disappearing to development, free space is becoming increasingly hard to come by. With this project I aimed to seek out dead spaces, unused spaces, spaces with no visible purpose; spaces that may usually go unnoticed unless brought to your attention, and offer them up for rent as a tongue in cheek comment on ‘free space’.

I found a variety of these spaces in different shapes and sizes around Brighton, settling on 12 to use for my final selection. I then recorded all their measurements and constructed a Perspex fascia to sit in each space. The dimensions, details, prices etc. are all screen printed onto the Perspex and are specific to each individual space.

After installing and photographing all the ‘free spaces’, I collated them into a 26 page estate agents style catalogue with their dimensions, details and prices. The cover is screen printed, embossed and debossed, with screen printed end papers and yellow page details.

Photo of Brighton in the lego model village, from a club excursion to Legoland.

Kingston Graduate Tom Clohosy Cole

Philip Dennis — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:32:14 +0000

Here’s an ambitious final project from recent Kingston University graduate, Tom Clohosy Cole. It was presented as a large, satirical life insurance agency installation, together with screen printed posters and a screen printed concertina book. The project was about our need for safety from unseen, lurking danger, and what we are led to believe we must do to attain it. Here’s a look and a little more from him about his process.

A pic of one of Tom’s favourite places is at the end of the post.

I am an illustrator currently based in London, recently graduated from Kingston University Illustration & Animation. I have found that there are 3 areas of illustration that drive my want to make new work and challenge new projects; they are idea generation/problem solving, production of the work and the print process.

My working processes are heavily lead by these three stages. Once arriving at a solution that communicates, I compose my image, designing and drawing out my imagery in layers using a range of mixed media before it is compiled digitally. I try to ensure that my final outcome is always taken to print, for me there is nothing more rewarding than seeing an edition of hard worked prints finished and drying.

Screen Prints by Otecki

Philip Dennis — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 15:43:20 +0000

I love these screen-printed posters by Otecki. Part tribal, part Scandinavian design, and very full of colour and impact. I like the simplicity of the symbolic hints here and there, a lot of emphasis being on the hands, eyes and nature. Although obviously very bold in colour, I do like, as with most screen prints, the areas where the ink is less prominent, retaining a feeling of the hand made.

Although the 3 and 4-colour versions are very strong, I’m particularly fond of the alternate versions, where he has used one design and mixed the inks on the screen. This technique makes each print radically different from the next and is usually achieved by pouring different colour inks on the screen before pulling them through, smearing them together in the process.