Mike went to a screen-printing workshop at the Peckham Print Studio this weekend. Here's a brief overview of the process:
1. The design was printed on to tracing paper on a regular printer. This is the film positive. The blacker the image, the better the result ... hence the lightbox and Sharpie.
2. The screen mesh is covered with a coating of light-sensitive emulsion. Once dry, the film positive is laid on it and they're left to develop in an exposure unit for 90 seconds. The black areas of the design act as a mask, while the emulsion on the unmasked areas hardens. The screen is then rinsed and the soft emulsion is washed away, leaving a footprint of the design. At the printing stage, this will allow the ink to pass through the screen mesh and on to the paper.
3. The final result ... a two-colour friendly ape.
A very interesting day, good fun but still lots to learn.
http://peckhamprintstudio.com/