Art making isn’t easy! The printmaking process is very technically challenging. To complete a print, an artist needs to successfully complete a series of steps. If a mistake occurs at any point, the print must be discarded, and the entire time-intensive process needs to be restarted.
Here’s a brief look into steps of printmaking: First, an interesting design needs to be created. Next, the desired ink colors and paper type are selected. But before pulling a squeegee loaded with ink across the surface of the silk screen, the paper needs to be carefully lined up underneath the screen. The squeegee is then used to press the ink, one color at a time, through a series of tiny hole in the screen onto the paper below. To add each new color, the paper needs to be carefully realigned.
With my Broken Wings series, most of the prints are made up of six colors. If I make an error on any one of the six colors, with a tiny ink smudge or by the paper slipping out of place, I have to start the process from the beginning—with a brand-new piece of paper.
Silk screen printmaking looks easy, but it takes a great deal of patience and practice to create an exquisite print. When I first started, my error rate was around 100 percent, meaning I had to discard about one hundred prints per one hundred pieces of paper. But with hours and hours of practice, my printing skills improved. Eventually, my perseverance paid off, and my error rate dropped down to only a few mistakes per one hundred prints.
What new skill would you like to learn?
Broken Wings
Grand Rapids Public Museum
272 Pearl Street NW (west of the river)
September 19 to October 7, 2018
Vote #66688
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