Art Diploma Blog Ellie Fisher: 18th January and 19th January Exposing Screens and Sampling

On the 18^th and 19^th January, I continued to generate samples and experimentations of my final scene outcome that has been exposed previously and been used with Water Soluble Silkscreen materials. I wanted to expand my experimentations onto materials and fabrics including Calico and Cotton. However, I faced a problem when combing my screens together to create layers as the measurements weren’t accurate causing the outcome to be less effective and demonstrate irregular patterns on the surface of the design. As the pieces didn’t connect together well it caused the overall shape to be inaccurate with measurements being out of proportion and the sections not being equal. This had an impact on the outcome of my design but separately the layers worked well. To solve the problem, exposed and coated my screen again to create another attempt of sampling. To ensure the measurements were accurate, I placed my tracings onto the lightbox and rearranged the screens in order to achieve an accurate outcome. As the shape was continuous and a circle, it was difficult to transfer the design accurately causing misplacements of the designs and layers. However, I solved the problem and transferred them into the Textiles workshop to be exposed them again on larger layouts of screens. Previously, I have exposed my screens independently and I continued to develop my confidence to achieve outcomes. Once, the pieces were exposed I used a jet-wash to remove the excess coating to reveal the final outcome. However as I exposed my screens I discovered that some designs were blurred from the expose machine which had an impact on the design. Also, whilst completing the Jet Wash, I discovered that the machine was damaging the surface of my screens which destroyed intricate patterns and the whole impact of the design. This was a problem as it would cause an impact on the final outcome and cause the screen to transfer binder onto the surface incorrectly. On the screens it also began to blister which caused the design to be damaged and remove important areas within the layout. This caused a problem as they wouldn’t work effectively together to create the final layout. To solve the problem I exposed the screens again with all separate layers. However, these screens didn’t work successfully as they continued not the exposed accurately causing an impact on the final outcome. This was a major problem towards my project as I was worried about generating samples and experimentations towards my final piece. Also, I was worried about the outcome of my final piece and layer as the screens weren’t working successfully. To solve the problem, I decided to transfer my final designs layers into a digital print which would be edited on the computer. I was pleased about the print being transferred into a digital print as I have previous knowledge of the technique in the previous project which demonstrated an effective outcome. Also, I believed that the digital print would be suitable for the Civic Gallery as the design can be transferred onto a variety of surfaces and repeated on different scales and measurements. Digital prints are demonstrated as professional with industry finishes which reinforces the idea that it would be suitable for the Civic Gallery. To transfer the design onto the computer I collected my tracings and scanned them into the computer. Each individual section was transferred separately but combined together to create layers on the computer. Whilst the final outcome was transferred to a digital print, I focused on specialising my experimentation and samples. To generate samples I created miniature A4 screens and transferred 2 of my design layouts with 3 samples to be exposed. As the screens were smaller they exposed well and allowed me to create each individual layers to be combined together to create final outcomes. I was pleased with the outcome as it allowed me to generate a large amount of samples which was an area to improve on the previous project. It allowed me to create to a variety of samples and experiment with materials and samples. By having the miniature samples it has allowed me to focus exploring and experimenting with colour schemes and Textiles techniques and processes. By completing the task it has allowed me to apply practical skills knowledge and understanding of an audience to produce creative solutions for the live project brief.