Screen printing workshop

Here are the results of my workshop on the weekend. These examples were screened onto silk - the cotton samples I did on day one were incincerated by the teacher (see previous post). These ones managed to get out alive. We were working on unexposed screens, so had to create a pattern using masking tape or whatever - but I didn't like the effect, as I ended up with big open areas of white where the tape had been. So by day 2 got smart and decided to first do a full screen of some colour, then do something else on top of that once it had dried (with the aid of a hair dryer), so I didn't end up with any white. The first one I did a full screen of green, then painted blobs of a reddy rusty brown onto the screen and allowed it to dry. I placed the screen down on the green base then pulled across some undyed print paste - Manutex. That helped to wet the dried paint and transfer it to the green. By the end of the screen, the reddy blobs were starting to run a bit. I quite like the effect - certainly better than stark white bits sticking out.
The next one I did a combination of green and the reddy brown on the first screen, sort of half and half, then used what was left of the dried blobs from the first one to transfer - that is why they are fainter. I like the sort of halo effect on some of them.

The final one of this group was just a screen of reddy brown with a bit of green - it is actually more rust coloured than it looks in the photo. These are all a bit bigger than A4 size. I will probably do some stitching/embellishing of some sort and use them as a base for a journal quilt, or maybe a book cover.

I made a second set of three using purple and blue. On this one I then used a stencil under the screen to transfer a wreath quilting pattern, but the stencil was too thick andI really had to lay a lot of thickened dye onto get it to print. As a result, when I steamed it and washed it out, there is a bit of blurring. But that is okay - it was all a learning exercise.

The next one I intended to stencil the whole quilt design stencil, not just the feather wreath part, but again, it was too thick, so I got a reasonable impression from the top, but it gradually got more fractured as I moved down the screen.

On the final one, I just left the base fabric as it was after the first screen of half reddy purple and half blue. I have turned this one on its side as it made me think of a landscape. A Martian landscape maybe - although that would be with the sky part red, I suppose.

I have realised that landscapes are what speak to me more than anything else. I am not sure where my artistic endeavours - crude though they may be at this stage - are going to lead me, but I sure as hell know that landscape will feature strongly.

Okay, that's enough for now. I have had a fourteen hour day at work and tomorrow is going to be awful, so maybe I had better get some sleep - its just that the few pathetic creative activities I can manage to find time for at the moment is all that stands between me and complete insanity - roll on retirement!