Owl City Poster!

[Isaac Winters]

So... for those who aren't interested in finding out how I got to this result, here's the finished product. An 11 x 17, screen printed, Owl City poster.

For those who would like to learn how this was made, please proceed to the next post.

[Isaac Winters]

Start with a design made on the computer. All graphics will have to be converted to a half-tone dot pattern (think about the comic book images where you can look and see the dots of color that make up the image).



From that design you will make a vellum (transparency) layer for every color you use. The Owl City design was two colors, thus two vellums. You have to print the vellums in black (meaning change the design to black so it is actually black and not just a shade of grey).



Coat your screen in the light sensitive emulsion - this must be done in the dark room - and then tape your designs to the screen. Tape them on the side that the frame edges are not on and have them be backwards - so that when you set up to print with the framed edges up, to keep the ink in like a bowl, your design will print the way you want.



Place your screen in the exposure unit, which finally exposes them to light. Wherever the design was black will not get exposed, the other areas will. You then take them to the pressure wash station and spray the screen. The unexposed areas will wash out, allowing ink to pass through there but not through any other parts.



Now it's time to get ready to print. You might have noticed my emulsion coating didn't go all the way to the edges of the screen. Well, this is normal. To keep ink from going through on the edges, you tape them off all the way around.



Set up the press with your first screen and get out your first color of ink. Stir the ink, making sure it's a good consistency. Then put it on at the top of the screen, use a squeegee to flood the screen all the way down, and print your first layer. The first color for the Owl City poster was the purple. Normally you would do the lighter color first, but this one worked better in reverse.



Now the first layer of ink must dry. You can use the drying rack, or we actually have an electric dryer that will dry the poster even faster. After it's dry, you set up your second screen and repeat the same process of printing for the second layer, and you will get the finished product as seen in my original post.