Screen Printing for Teens

This versatile and dynamic monoprint workshop utilizes both water-based and oil-based media, printing from collagraph plates and stencils. Participants create textured plates by building up varied surfaces with acrylic mediums, along with using more traditional drypoint Plexiglass plates combined with collage materials and Duralar stencil shapes. These inspiring techniques work well with both abstract and representational imagery, adding new methods and visual effects to the printmaking practice. Each student is guided individually by the instructor, as well as offered group demos daily.

Investigate fundamental visual elements in this printmaking course, which include drypoint, engraving, and etching on copper. Understanding the various qualities of lines possible in intaglio is an essential part of building dynamic drawings and compositions. Students experiment with the fast, dynamic, and expressive gestural marks used in drypoint and the slow, precise lines required for engravings and dots. The workshop begins by covering drypoint techniques that are later translated to copper engraving using a burin and etchings. Additionally, the history of etching is introduced, as well as technical demos including chine-collé and à la poupée.

Students use original photographic imagery as source material to create multi-layered and dynamic screen prints. Participants learn step-by-step details of the screen printing process including screen preparation (exposing and washing), halftone transparency creation, registration, and printing. Additional layering methods include exploratory paper dyeing techniques, flocking, and hand-generated transparencies. The goal of this class is to push the possibilities of screen printing, transforming photographic images into multi-layered dynamic prints. Students leave the class with a foundational understanding of the screen print process and a collection of unique prints.