BRIEF

Throughout this module I will explore and utilise appropriate specialist techniques, processes and presentation methods. I will demonstrate and appriciate the properties inherent and creative potential of a broad range of printing processes. I will practice and analyse aspects of print processes and potential applications. Implement, plan and utilise a production framework to fulfil conceptual aspirations. Within this module I will focus on problem solving and creative play with a range of print processes. In line with my intended trajectory I will be supported to explore both experimental hand drawn practices and the production of artwork through digital processes and software ready for final print production. In this module I will build upon my knowledge of creative print-making processes such as screen printing, flock and foil, laser cutting, lino printing and dry-point etching. Throughout my research I will experiment and practice with a broad range of specialist print processes. I will develop independent knowledge and understanding of a range of techniques and skills  in the production of final concept to pre-production stages. I will produce a body of work demonstrating technical skills, creativity and awareness of the range and capabilities of print processes. I will create an evaluation journal throughout these processes reflecting on independant progress and understanding of the inherent qualities of a range of print processes.

LASER CUTTER

http://mle.plymouthart.ac.uk/file.php/2715/Technical_Handouts_Laser_Cutter/How_to_use_the_laser_cutter.pdf

The web address above shows easy instructions on how to use the laser cutter, I found these instructions incredibly useful especially as I hadn't used this machinery beforehand. The possibilities are endless, as well as the choice of materials you can cut through and engrave. The laser cutting machine finishes the art work at a high quality, professional standard. The equipment provided can produce complicated and simpler designs providing incredible detail and bold cut through shapes.

http://mle.plymouthart.ac.uk/file.php/2715/Technical_Handouts_Laser_Cutter/Converting_a_JPEG_image_to_vector.pdf

The second web address shown above informs you how to convert your image [whether it be hand drawn or so forth], into a vector image. This will then enable you to transfer your image to the laser cutter machinery. As well as the instructions on how to use the equipment I also found this useful and enabled me to create a high quality vector image.  

GENERAL RESEARCH

I love these images I have found that show laser cutting techniques. The materials that are used throughout these images look attractive and approachable. I especially love the record cut through birds, I find it looks extremely effective how the record label itself is centered in the shape of the bird. The limited colour palette that is used through the images I have found works really well, it stands out and grabs your attention. Laser cutting is a technology that uses a laser to cut materials and is typically used for industrial manufacturing applications. Laser cutting is also being used by schools, universities, small businesses and hobbyists. Laser cutting works by directing the output of high-power laser, by computer, at the material to be cut. The material then either melts, burns, vaporizes away of is blown away by a jet of gas which leaves an edge with a high quality surface finish.

EXPERIMENTS

These photographs I have taken show most of my experiments, however I did produce more experimenting with paper and using engraving. I really enjoyed experimenting with different materials and finding new interesting outcomes in which I could use for my final piece ideas. I found throughout this experiment process that some materials worked better and more effectively then others, I did experiment on a dark thicker piece of paper and tried to engrave and cut through on the same piece, unfortunately because I set the material to normal paper [when I should have adjusted the thickness of the paper] it didn't engrave as hoped and where it had tried to cut through an engraved effect was shown. With materials such as mount board and plywood I made sure I had materials that were 3mm or under, [I measured this with a ruler], if I had materials that were over this width it would cause the material to burn, leaving a dark burnt edge around the image I had cut. I ensured that the setting was also changed so that it was set for material that was 3mm in height. It was extremely interesting watching your image be cut out onto an empty piece of material and I loved how the final  outcomes look, as well as my experiments. I liked my image when carved out of the material and where you can see the image on the material itself. I could use the material with the cut out image for stencil work, I could use this stencil to paint on sketchbook covers, or walls. There are endless options which I could encounter. 

EXPERIMENTS INTO PLYWOOD [CUT THROUGH AND ENGRAVED]

EXPERIMENT INTO MOUNT BOARD

MY ORIGINAL DRAWING

3D EFFECT [PLYWOOD CUT THROUGH EXPERIMENT]

CUT THROUGH EXPERIMENT [PLYWOOD]

PLYWOOD CUT THROUGH EXPERIMENT LAYERED ONTO NEWSPAPER

CUT THROUGH MOUNT BOARD EXPERIMENT

CLOSE UP MOUNT BOARD EXPERIMENT

DIFFERENT SIZED PAPER CUT THROUGH EXPERIMENTS

CLOSE UP OF BIRD DETAIL [CUT THROUGH PAPER EXPERIMENT]

SMALL PLYWOOD CUT THROUGH EXPERIMENT LAYERED ON MOUNT BOARD AND RIPPED CARDBOARD

LAYERED MATERIALS

DIFFERENT MATERIALS LAYERED ON BOOK COVER [NEWSPAPER/PAPER/PLYWOOD CUT THROUGH]

MOUNT BOARD CUT THROUGH EXPERIMENT ON TOP OF BOOK COVER

SMALL PAPER EXPERIMENT ON BOOK COVER 

CLOSE UP PHOTOGRAPH OF PAPER CUT THROUGH EXPERIMENT

PAPER CUT THROUGH EXPERIMENT LAYERED ON BROWN LABEL

PLYWOOD CUT THROUGH EXPERIMENT LAYERED ON BROWN LABEL

LARGER PAPER CUT THROUGH EXPERIMENT LAYERED ON BROWN LABEL

FINAL PIECE / EVALUATION

These photographs show my final pieces in different forms. I love the materials shown, Plywood and mount card. I really love the plywood material, as shown in some of the photos it has a 3D effect to it which looks really interesting. I chose to show my pieces as a front cover on a nature book [taking my theme into consideration]. I love the white card in contrast to the moss green colour shown on the book cover. Overall I have found this process extremely exciting and rewarding, experimenting with different materials enabled me to see what looks most effective and what looked produced at a high quality and professional standard. I found this print process very quick and easy to produce, the only difficulty I had was transforming the hand drawn image into a vector image. However once I had produced this and created a laser cut product I had got used to using the laser cutting machine. I felt by creating a simple final piece image to laser cut it worked extremely effectively and because of the simplicity of the image I could produce a wide range of experiments in the time given. I feel I had experimented with a wide range of materials for this particular process. I felt that this process was really interesting discovering what materials worked best and most effective even if there wasn't much skill involved, I really enjoyed finding what the final outcome may look like. If I were to produce this again, as I'm more confident with using this equipment I would produce a more complex hand drawn image as this would add interest and detail, I would have also liked to produce a final piece which incorporated both cut out pieces and engraved for a more varied look. As well as these elements I would really like to produce a laser cut piece with the material, metal. I feel this could communicate a real rugged effect, I feel this would also improve the quality unlike the plywood which left the frays of fabric behind the cut image, I will take this into consideration for when I come towards  further development. 

SCREEN PRINTING

http://mle.plymouthart.ac.uk/file.php/2715/how_to_expose_a_screen/How_to_Expose_a_Screen.pdf

The above web address shows photographs as well as explanations of how to use the screen printing machine to expose your screen, however I have also included the basic but effective instructions which are shown below [I found these instructions incredibly direct and helpful as I had never used this particular machine to expose my screen before]:

1. Place the acetate matt side up onto the glass top

of the exposure unite

 2. Place the silk screen flat side down on top of the

acetate

3. Bring down the lid and put the locks on.

4. Press the vacuum button and wait for the lid to

compress down onto the screen

5. Press the green button labelled “start” to begin

exposure.

6. The timer on the exposure unite starts at 85 and

will count down to zero when exposing.When

the exposure time is completed you can then

switch the vacuum off and take out the screen for

washing

In order to expose the screen I had to complete a scree request form, this enabled the technicians to coat my screen ready for the exposure. Screen Printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil. The attached stencil forms open areas of mesh that transfer ink or other printable materials which can be pressed through the mesh as a sharp-edged image onto a substrate. A roller or squeegee [I used a squeegee which worked very effectively] is then moved across the screen stencil, forcing the ink past the threads of the woven mesh in the open areas. Screen Printing can be used for endless objects, such as cushions, quilts, various materials, clothing etc.. It can be produced with masses of material, in order to ensure that your print is in line with previous prints its vital that you mark the edges of the screen with masking tape, this will enable you to see where you last placed your screen [this is also important if you want to add other colours on to your print]

ARTIST RESEARCH [Lucy Mclauchlan]

LUCY MCLAUCHLAN 

I love this artist, her screen prints are produced at such a high standard which really shows a professional finish throughout her work. The two colours she uses through most of her prints work effectively and grab the viewers attention. I feel if she were to use a more varied colour palette it would add confusion and would be less effective due to the incredible detail her work consists of. The contrast between thick and thinner lines and darker areas of space in comparison to detailed areas looks attractive and very appealing/approachable. The hair most of her pieces consists of puts a stamp on these prints and creates a piece in itself. I would love to have used this artists for inspiration towards my own screen prints but taking the time into consideration it would have been too time consuming, however I will take this into consideration for further development.Lucy's works show representation of her thoughts at the moment of the drawing itself, which I consider to be a unique quality. 

EXPERIMENTS

SCREEN PRINT EXPERIMENTS

I have taken my own photographs of some of my experiments I have produced through using this print process. I love the photographs that show the butterfly images overlapping, as you can see in the close up photos the paint has changed colour, which I feel looks really attractive and effective and creates interest. This screen printing process was very time consuming, if I were to change the colour for my piece I would have to wash the screen, wait for it to try [which could take up to 20 minutes] and then I could finally screen print onto my material. I used paper and calico fabric to produce my experiments on, throughout this I found that the calico gave a more vintage/nature feel to it which is what I wanted my work to consist of, because of this reason I chose to produce my final piece using this type of fabric. I feel I could have experimented more with colour and materials however found it challenging due to time consumption.

I love the delicacy of the wings which is shown in this photograph, the overlapped effect brings interest and detail throughout the piece, if I were to improve this print I would position the butterflies in a more elegant separate direction, this would then provide space in-between each individual butterfly. I love the brown and pink shades when combined, I feel they contrast beautifully and effectively and represent flowers in bloom in a natural scenery. 

FINAL PIECE

MY FIRST EXPERIMENT

This experiment shows what looks like water damage, however I feel this fault would have been caused by something attached onto the screen, which would have caused the ink/paint to not seep through the screen. I made sure that I had washed the screen thoroughly after this print so that I could produce high quality prints, however for this experiment I felt it worked quite well and really communicated an antique effect. I love the bright vibrant teal colour, its extremely attractive and would grab the viewers attention, the below photograph shows a close up version of the water damage on some of the butterflies, this could have also occurred because the large amount of paint used however. 

I was influenced by my previous experiment shown on this post, the brown and pink butterflies overlapping. However I have positioned the butterflies in a more spacious elegant direction so that the print doesn't look like a large mass of colour. I love these vibrant shades of colour contrasted together, especially when the overlap which seems to have created a darker shade of blue. I really like how these have been positioned however I feel it looks slightly lopsided. 

FINAL PIECE / EVALUATION

Overall I have found this print process very interesting but at the same time extremely time consuming. I found a lot of time was wasted waiting for the screen to dry after each print [if I wanted to change the colour of my print]. I found my hand drawn image didn't work as well as expected as I didn't have a clean and tidy image as I wanted, even though this did come out quite effective leaving a vintage/antique element. I did find this process reasonably easy to produce, once I had created one print it was easier to produce several more. If I were to use this process again I would draw a simpler, easier design on thick white paper, so that when scanned and printed onto acetate there wouldn't be as much dirty marks or speckled dots surrounding my image, the thick paper would have trapped dirt marks from the scanner also. However I feel you learn these mistakes from making them. I did enjoy choosing paint which I felt would work effectively with my nature theme however, and it was an enjoyable process as a whole. I took health and safety into consideration at all times when using this print room, as well as my how to list which enabled me to instruct myself what to do next, [as I hadn't used this process before]. I feel my final piece shows the beautiful detail at its best, the colour is extremely attractive and would grab viewers attention, the colour reminded me of flowers in bloom [where butterflies would be noticed more often] so it did link in with the image itself. I personally believe that this final print was produced at the highest quality with the correct amount of ink, as found in my experiments too much paint would cause blobs of  colour however too less and the image wouldn't show. I felt my final piece showed detail effectively, especially with the middle butterfly as I encountered many problems with this particular image where the paint would seep through the pattern, this was probably because of the speckled dots gathering together in the white areas. I felt this experience has been fun but stressful, waiting for the image to dry took its toll, especially as I had a small time consumption to produce this work. As you can see I produced my final piece on calico fabric, this really added to the vintage/organic feel I wanted to betray throughout my work as well as the distressed aspects where the butterfly looks as though its faded. I felt I could have experimented more, producing experiments using different materials and other colours, perhaps mixing colours together to create unusual unexpected shades [like my brown and pink experiment], however it is something to consider for future reference.