I have finally tested out one of my screens and I am really excited with the results. The final images are clearer than I was expecting. My technique needs improving though, I didn’t lay the ink out evenly on the screen to start with and I had to keep pulling the ink back and forth trying to get the spots I missed. Not bad for a first go though and at least I know that a good image is achievable.
The first print I did was the best out of the three. The only thing wrong with it was that I failed to see some calico thread lying on top of the fabric where I was printing, so you can see a fine line towards the end of my bird’s tail where the thread was.
It was a pretty messy process, especially with black ink. My fingernails are stained black and it looks like I haven’t washed my hands in days (par for the course I think). I got a bit of ink on my clothing, so I need some dedicated screen printing clothes or an apron to wear. When I was in primary school, (a long long time ago) everyone had to have a smock to do art in that was worn over our school uniform for protection. The smock was basically a man’s (dad’s) old shirt worn backwards with elastic around the neck to keep it on. Maybe I need to make myself one of those.
