Washing out image

I was using a garden hose hooked up to our faucet outside the house and then feeding it through the bathroom window so I could wash out my screens in our bathtub.  I have since found a wonderful little piece (I bought at Home Depot for about $1) that allows me to hook up that same garden hose to my showerhead faucet, so now I don’t even have to go outside! 

The reason I use a garden hose is because I can use the hose attachment so the water will come out at a high pressure making it easier to clean out the screens.  Plus it is so hard to try and clean out a screen with the small space you have between the tub faucet and the side of the tub.  Just makes things easier. 

Once the screen has been exposed I take it to the tub and wash out the un-hardened emulsion of the image. You should be able to hold the screen up the light and see right through the screen where the image is.  If you can’t see through it, keep washing.  If you over exposed your screen the image won’t wash out, if you under exposed your screen the image and the rest of the emulsion will all wash out, so the timing has to be perfect.  This process can take between a minute or two up to 5 minutes, just depends on the image you are using and the size of the area.  

So, after the screen has been washed out, let it dry and then you can start printing! (side note, this is a different screen than the one in the post before this so don't be confused by the different images).  More post to come!

Exposing screen:

So, you take your dried screen and you place the image on your screen, then you expose the screen to your UV light source.  The UV light will then harden the emulsion.  What the paper image does is block the light, preventing the emulsion behind it from hardening.  Once the screen is done you simply wash out the unhardened emulsion.  With this process you are essentially creating a stencil.  Where your image was will allow ink or paint to be pushed through allowing you to print your image on anything. 

When your emulsion is dry on the screen before you expose it, it will be a bright green.  Once it has been exposed to the UV light it will become a darker, duller green.  The area of the image you are burning into the screen will still be that first bright green color.  You don’t want to dilly dally before you wash the image out because that emulsion where your image is can still be exposed. 

For me, once the screen is ready I use my exposure unit to expose the screen.  You can you the good old fashion sun if you not have access to one.  It only takes about 30 seconds for the sun to expose a screen but you have to reverse you image and cover it with glass so it doesn’t move.  This has to potential to not be 100% reliable each time.  So, I stick to my expose unit.

I can use a photo copy of a black and white image and then I saturate the paper in baby oil to make the white part of the paper transparent.  This allows me to get as detailed as I want.  You have to use a laser photo copy and not a print out from an ink jet printer because the baby oil will make the ink run and ruin your image.  With this particular print I am actually using a hand drawn image that I did in sharpie and then baby oiled to rest of the paper, that works too if you are trying to get a hand drawn feel to it.

I take my image and lay it face up on the glass of my exposure unit.  I position my screen onto of the image and then weigh it down with something heavy so the screen lies flush against the image.  I then cover it with a couple blankets to block out all the light from coming in and to keep the UV light contained in.  After it is ready, I turn on my exposure unit and let it do its magic. 

Now, not all screens are made alike.  Each screen can use different mesh material that has a different thread count.  You want a lower thread count for things like tshirts or printing on fabric and you want a higher thread count for fine art printing. The sad thing about having different types of screens and mesh is that not every screen takes the same amount of time to expose.  There is a period of trial and error at the beginning of this.  I have it pretty much figured out with all my existing screens take about 25 minutes to expose an image.  

Spreading Emulsion on screen

For me, once I have my emulsion ready I take my screen into my bathroom, placing a towel at the bottom of the door so is blocks out the sun light, and spread the emulsion on my screen using a little plastic piece that came with my kit.  You can use a credit card, or a fancy emulsion spreader, whatever you want.  I usually go the cheapest route and it seems to work just fine!  You want to get a good amount of emulsion on your spreader, place it at the edge of your screen at the frame, let it run down to met the screen and then holding the spreader at an angle pull it up along the screen.  You want to do this so that the entire screen is covered, then you want to scrape off any excess emulsion.  You want a smooth surface; you want it to be evenly covered no lines of emulsion gooped up anywhere.  You don’t want to see darker spots and thick globes of emulsion. 

Ok, so now you let your screen dry, in the dark, not lights.  Lay it flat on the floor if you have the room, this helps the emulsion dry evenly.  The normal lights won’t expose it, but turn them off anyway.  The screen should be dry within an hour or two, it will “look” dry and be dry to the touch.  After the screen is dry you are now going to expose it. 

Now, how does this emulsion work?  You take and image, hand drawn, computer printout, whatever you want, but the image has to be completely black and white.  Let’s take this image of a star, the image could be cut out of paper or it could be a computer printout (laser printed not Ink jet), as long as the image you are using is dark and thick enough to block out the UV light.  The screen will be exposed to a UV light, and wherever the black image is, will not allow light to penetrate the emulsion.  The rest of the emulsion will harden and where the black image was will wash out, creating a stencil.  The emulsion turns a darker shade of green when it is exposed to light, that's when you know it worked.  

Mixing photo emulsion

You can buy this kit at Michaels, it cost $30, but if you use the 40% sometimes 50% off coupon you can really save some money!!!!  I use Speedball, I have always used it just because it is what was available when I started this, so I have just continued to use it.  I’m sure there are others out there that probably work better, but I have no idea!  This kit comes with 2 large bottles, and a smaller lighter bottle.  You have to fill the smaller bottle halfway with water and shake it up really well.  The contents of this bottle is a dark black liquid and YES it will stain your hands, clothes, and countertops so be careful when mixing.  If you do spill it, quickly wipe it away and wash your hands.  If get some on your hands (which you are bound to do sometime) the stain will only last a few days.  

Now, once you have mixed the little bottle and the water you are going to add the dark black liquid to the photo emulsion larger bottle.  This bottle will be partly filled with a light blue liquid.  This bottle will NEVER be filled to the top because you are adding more liquid to it and need the space to mix so do not feel like you were cheated out of anything, this bottle will always be like that.  Once you add the dark liquid you can simply place the top back on and shake away or you can stir it up with a stick of some sort.  Once you have done this the contents of the bottle will then become a bright green color.  Be careful when you are using the emulsion and be sure to wipe off any drippings that may fall on the rim of the bottle because it will harden and once you have placed the top back on it will be hard to get it back off.  

The screen printing process

A while back my husband helped me build an exposure unit.  I followed the plans from this video I found on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZmwbOgh-pU

It was simple enough to build, but I was confused on the type of light bulbs to use because the video just said to use regular florescent lights, but I knew that photo emulsion would only expose under a UV light.  I ended up getting some Black Light bulbs.  I should have gotten some unfiltered black lights, but Home Depot did not have any, and the black lights work ok.  It takes about 25-30 minutes for a screen to expose.  I will eventually take the time to find some unfiltered black lights and add another set of lights so the exposure time can be cut down, but for now it works wonderfully.  These units can go for thousands of dollars so I was pretty excited to have one at all and it only cost of about $150 dollars to build. 

I don’t have a studio, so I am working out of my house.  I have different stages of the screen printing process spread out all over the house.   The planning area is my dining room table.  The application and drying of the photo emulsion takes place in my bathroom that has no window so it makes for a perfect dark room.  The actual exposing of the screen takes place in the spare bedroom that also serves as my husband’s study and storage for my art supplies.  The cleaning out of the screen takes place in other my bathroom in our tub.  The printing process takes place in the kitchen with my hinge clamps screwed into a collapsible card table.  The prints dry pretty much anywhere they can lay undisturbed. 

Even though I practically run all over the house just to get one print done, I feel really lucky to be able to print at all.  I have been hitting up the Michaels 40% and 50% off coupons to buy Speedball photo emulsion kits for a good price and need to make a trip to Jerry’s Artorama (which my brother decided would be referred to as Jerry’s Taco World, no he is not 5 years old, he is pushing 40 he’s just funny) and get some supplies, but it is a far drive. 

Screen printing can be done a few different ways.  I use the photo emulsion method.  Emulsion is a thick liquid that is spread over the screen.  This liquid is UV light sensitive.  Once your screen is dry to the touch you are going to use some sort of UV light to expose the screen.  You can use the sun and heat lamp or exposure unit.  

Project LDS scrabble prints

I absolutely love to screen print.  It is my favorite activity, even above laying on the couch in my PJ watching episodes of my current favorite show.  It’s hard to believe, I KNOW, but it’s true.  If I could spend most of my days doing it, I would be a happier person.  I learned how to do it at school and have been building up my supplies and portfolio ever since.  Since I do have a full time job my screen printing time is reduced to nights and weekends, which most of the time get filled up with other things. 

I love the classic LDS quotes, wall hangings, what have you, but I have never really liked any of the ones I have seen so far.  I thought this would be a fun way to display the idea in our home and I spread the love.   I printed these for mother’s day gifts this past May and wanted to share them.  I posted them on Esty, but no sales on them just yet.  I have plans to do more and I am trying to do better to actually get some printing done. 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/typewriterorange?ref=si_shop

I only have them in blue and pink right now.  I want to do them in a rainbow of colors.  I just don’t want to have a studio full of them, and then no one buy them….then I am stuck with a bunch of prints…maybe I could use them as wall paper if it doesn’t work out….thought for the future!  Also, side note:  the pipe on the mantel is a memento of my Granddaddy.

Anyway, I really like how they turned out.  They are a 4 color print, 8x10 size and look really good in the matt and frame. 

Project LDS scrabble prints…. pass!