The Beginning Of A Screenprint Love Affair

A few weeks ago I turned 40. And I never felt more energetic and in flow. Why? A lot has to do with the Discovery of Screenprinting.

All my illustrating life I’ve always been looking for the most colourful paints and techniques. I thought that Schmincke watercolours was the most bright color (wo)man could get.

But when I was about 16 I discovered the old printing techniques: lino, lithography, etching. And then already I loved the smell of the inks, the dirt on my hands when I came home, the physical hard work the printing process is.

Screenprinting was in that time the most modern but very time-intensive and very un-ecological way you could print. It didn’t appeal to me then.

That is until I took a two day course in a screen print workshop near my house, ‘Gezeever’. And I was instantly smitten!

This was the result of my first day, when we learned the basics with a cutter template in two colours:

: color 1!

: moments before inking the second color 🙂

: woohoo the cat!

The second day we had to prepare a two colour film. I just loved it, to make and tweak the illustration on my new iPad Pro. I couldn’t choose though: blue-pink or yellow pink? Hell, I like to do it difficult and hate to choose: I did both! 🙂

After the basic course I made myself member. Now I can go screen print whenever I want. My first ‘screen print alone’ was an attempt to make tote bags in three colours. But they did only turn out in the colors I wanted the second session. 🙂

: two colors…

: totebags AND shirts

: woohoo…

: first shirts! woo! these colours on bright white!!

: colorbagbaby!!

: sooo great, the color flash result after hours ofwork…

: bring it on! 🙂

Next session? A four colour print of one of my floral patterns off course! Now four color printing, THAT is a lot of work!
But the thrill and joy of seeing that first one with the fourth color… Undescribable joy! 🙂