Okay, so I started off my day super excited to be screen printing the traditional way for the first time! I washed my screen and let it dry while I went out to lunch and to staples to pick up some paper. I came home and I realized that my inkjet printer does not print transparencies because the transparency is too thin and gets jammed :( So, I coat my screen with photo emulsion and off I go to Staples AGAIN to have my transparencies printed. I'm not sure really but I don't think the transparencies are dark enough? They printed it on the darkest setting but when you hold it up to the light it's not completely opaque which might be the cause of one of my problems. Anyways, after a quick stop at Tim Horton's for cookies and an ice capp, I came home and tried to expose my screen. LOL I knew I was going to screw up when I started but I just didn't know how. Well, I forgot to put the black cardboard underneath the screen while it was exposing so it didn't expose properly and my screen would not wash out. SAD :(
So, I really have no idea what went wrong maybe it was a lot of things?
- the emulsion changed colors from green to kind of a light blue...? I'm thinking it should have been a darker color maybe? I got kind of confused because the stencil part had turned a greenish yellow color when I peeled it away.
- another problem was probably because I didn't put the black cardboard underneath
- my transparency might not have been dark enough
- maybe I didn't let the emulsion sit long enough before exposing?
- maybe I didn't mix the emulsion right?
I don't know... I washed out my screen with the remover and after running around and doing this all day I am exhausted! I will try again tomorrow. I might have to go to Staples again to get 2 transparencies to tape together. Why didn't I think of that in the first place?! I wish I had more than one frame to work with but I don't want to spend more until I have the technique down.
4 comments:
Learning something new is always trial and error. Keep at it and you'll be fine!
It's been ages since I screenprinted but the transparencies not being dark enougn was always my problem. The emulsion stuff sounds all right from my memory. It is so frustrating, I agree. good luck!
I think everyone who starts silkscreening has some problems at first. I certainly did! I ended up taping two together too. And I had a piece of glass to weight it down. It sounds like you know what to try for your second one. Good luck!
I use to transparencies and tape them together, to be safe.
Did you say that when you peeled the transparency away, you saw your image and it was a yellowish green? That's normal. That's exactly how mine looks.
Did you apply enough water pressure to rinse off? With Speedball though, I don't have to apply to much pressure. It comes off pretty easy.
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