20/03/2009

After what seems like months of the 'trial and error' printmaking method, I think that, FINALLY, I've discovered the secret of executing a successful print.

In the six months that I've been screen printing my success rate has to be about 50% which in my book is just unacceptable. I thought that the processes were firmly planted in my brain and, therefore, I should be able to produce a good print every time. Unfortunately this was not so. I was becoming more frustrated every week which only proved to make matters worse.

A couple of weeks ago I decided that it was high time that I invested in some screens of my own. The good folk at Wicked Printing Stuff were able to supply me with advise and a couple of screens at a really good price. This was a huge step forward but something was still amiss as the images on the screens were still a bit dodgy.

My eureka moment arrived on Sunday when I realised that allot of the acetate's that I'd run off for prints that hadn't been 100% successful had been printed at the wrong resolution. WHAT A DUMB ASS!!! This meant that some light was getting through during the exposure process and screwing up the stencils.

Armed with this knowledge I attempted the Ares picture from last week and (drum roll please) everything went perfectly. And I mean perfectly. There were no errors, no blemishes, no half printed tones. Just a perfect print. In fact it is so perfect that the image of it here looks just like the digital version form the post on Feb 27Th.

I am so pleased with the way this has come out. One down, three to go.

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