Assignment 2 : Screen Printing Progress

I am now working on my screen printed accordian book and making slow progress. I'm quite behind in several of my class as I am taking four studio classes, so all my work this semester is hands on and takes a lot of my time. I made headway today though by exposing my screen which went to plan and I'll be able to start printing tomorrow. 

Before exposing my screen I layed out my newsprint mock up and layed the images over top of a light box to visualise the final placement without having to waste time and materials screen printing a practice one and then having to make changes. This helped me determine placement and sizing.

Testing placement with lightbox

Exposed screen

I was able to put 18 inches of tree lines on my screen so that I can print two of my books pages at once on a single piece of paper that will then be folded once I finish printing everything. Although I just noticed that the girl might have been exposed backwards so I'll have to figure out a solution for that tomorrow or change my plan. 

I also prepped all my paper opting for a raw edge look which I think lends better to an older book aesthetic than nicely cut edges. I ended up changing the dimensions of my paper based on the grain of the paper as it had a long grain meaning I couldn't use long stips of the paper and instead had to cut short strips so it would fold nicely. I changed the dimensions from 8x11 inches to 7x9 inches to accomodate the grain and still get the most surface area of my paper without wasting too much of it. 

I tabbed both ends of the paper strips and marked out lightly in pencil where the folds would go, where to glue, and where the top of each page is and where to start the print from. This should make my life much easier once I start printing so that I don't get confused as to where to print what. I prepared enough paper to make four full books in case of misprints and other surprises along the way. I also have extra unprepped paper if there is any issues. 

Tabbing my paper strips

Notes to avoid confusion

Next I have to decide what colours I want to print in. I want to do just black on white but I need to check the assignment sheet to see if there is a minimum colour requirement. I think my imagery would lend best to black on white paper as it is reminiscent of book illustrations in history.