Screenprinting 101: DC Postcards Workshop w/Beth Hansen

CMYK Screen Printing is a great way to reproduce a color image and add your flavor! Share the prints you make with friends and family by mailing them your hand-screen printed postcards of beloved DC scenes.

We will print four images that have been divided into their cyan, magenta, yellow, and black layers, and screen print them in succession. Participants are also encouraged to experiment with the process by skipping layers or blocking out areas to create unique prints!

Session Details:

During this workshop, we will learn how the image is exposed on the screen, how to register an image for screen printing, and how to print the images in four colors through the four screens. We will also discuss how a photographic image needs to be prepared by converting it to half-tone dots in order to be exposed onto a screen.

What You Will Learn:

• The basics of how screen printing works, and how the image is exposed on a screen
• How to print images on a mesh screen
• How photographic images are converted into half-tone dots to recreate tonal and color ranges when exposed on and printed through a screen
• How the layers of a screen printed are registered together so that each layer lines up when the image is reassembled
• How skipping a color layer or blocking areas out can dramatically alter your image to create unique versions of the print

What to Bring:

Yourself! Paper, inks, screens, and squeegees will be provided for use during the workshop. While we’re using water-based inks, it is highly recommended that you wear clothes that can get dirty. Also, since we’ll be on our feet quite a bit as we move from screen to screen and to hang up our prints, wear comfortable shoes!

Beth is an alum of the Corcoran College of Art + Design, and has been printing in Washington, DC for over 15 years. She specializes in non-linear screen printing, which focuses more on experimentation and manipulating the surface of the print to create varied editions, rather than executing a replicable design. Beth shares her knowledge and love of printing by creating collaborative prints with other artists and inviting people to join her in making their own designs.

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