Screenprint
Screenprinting in its basic form, is the process of using a mesh-based stencil to apply ink onto a substrate
Screenprinting has been used commercially since the 1900s in Europe and America. However the Japanese used masking stencils in conjunction with a meshed screen for several centuries before it was imported to Europe towards the end of the 19th century.
Artists first began using the technique in the Great Depression of 1930s America. Artists in the Federal Art Project used the technique to experiment aesthetically. It had a great advantage to due to its cheapness. It required very little equipment, most of which was not very sophisticated. The term serigraph was a term adopted by the Americans to distinguish between the artists prints in the medium from the commercial use.
It first began to be used by artists in 1930s America and the term ‘serigraph’ was initially used to denote an artist’s print, as opposed to commercial work. It has been widely used by artists as a printmaking technique since the 1950s.
In screenprint the image is built up by superimposing layers of different coloured inks. The ink is transferred to the paper by forcing it through a fine meshed screen (silk, cotton or metal) with a wooden and rubber paddle or blade known as a squeegee. A different screen and set of masking stencils is used for each colour. The mesh can also be blocked by the artist drawing directly on the screen with liquid glue or laquer.
The process is commonly known as screenprinting but is also known as silkscreen, serigraphy and serigraph printing.
Screenprinting has been used commercially since the 1900s in Europe and America. However the Japanese used masking stencils in conjunction with a meshed screen for several centuries before it was imported to Europe towards the end of the 19th century.
Artists first began using the technique in the Great Depression of 1930s America. Artists in the Federal Art Project used the technique to experiment aesthetically. It had a great advantage to due to its cheapness. It required very little equipment, most of which was not very sophisticated. The term serigraph was a term adopted by the Americans to distinguish between the artists prints in the medium from the commercial use.
It first began to be used by artists in 1930s America and the term ‘serigraph’ was initially used to denote an artist’s print, as opposed to commercial work. It has been widely used by artists as a printmaking technique since the 1950s.
In screenprint the image is built up by superimposing layers of different coloured inks. The ink is transferred to the paper by forcing it through a fine meshed screen (silk, cotton or metal) with a wooden and rubber paddle or blade known as a squeegee. A different screen and set of masking stencils is used for each colour. The mesh can also be blocked by the artist drawing directly on the screen with liquid glue or laquer.
The process is commonly known as screenprinting but is also known as silkscreen, serigraphy and serigraph printing.
Ivor Abrahams (1935 - 2015). Four Seasons. Screenprint with flocking. 20 x 58.5 cm. Gwen Hughes
