Methods of Iterating: Process

Tool: Silk Screen Printing

• a stenciling print technique that uses a mesh screen and a squeegee to transfer ink onto a surface
• traditional/manual methods of printing
• often used for bold, graphic designs

Reference Project:

Karel Martens – Monoprints

Series of prints made by imprinting found forms into recycled materials, such as castaway collection cards from museums, blank documents, discarded identity records, and raw packing paper.

Experimentation with Form and Process

Uses repurposed printing techniques like overprinting, to create one-of-a-kind prints. These works are very experimental, pushing the boundaries of traditional graphic design by moving beyond functionality into abstract art

Emphasis on Repetition and Variation

While rooted in repetition, the prints highlight subtle differences between each iteration. This approach reflects his interest in the balance between consistency and individuality, a common themes in his broader design philosophy

The print I tried to copy is:

Process:

Making the Screen: 

1. Evenly apply photo emulsion to a clean, empty screen and let it dry in the dryer for 15 minutes.
2. While the screen is drying, cut out the shapes to be printed on black paper.
3. Arrange the cut-out shapes on the UV bed in the desired print layout, then place the screen on top.
4. Activate the exposure for 50 seconds.
5. Once the exposure is complete, wash the screen with water and a brush until the shapes appear clearly on the screen.

Test prints:

Results:

>> Experimenting with different placement and angles

Thoughts & Reflection:

What’s unexpected in the process?

• The interplay of layered shapes and textures adds a unique, unplanned quality to the design
• Even more time-consuming than I had expected

What do you understand better or differently about your tool or medium now?

• The printing process relies heavily on experimentation and unpredictability

Did it pose a particular technical challenge?

• Achieving consistent ink application on each material was tricky
• Adjusting the transparency of the ink

What relationship does it have to graphic or communication design?

• Highlights the importance of process and experimentation in design

HACKING the method

Process:

<Remaking the screen with new shapes>

<Shapes printed on transparent films>

What is does

This approach emphasizes the physicality of each layer, allowing for rearrangement, rotation, or even partial stacking to explore how color, opacity, and alignment interact in new ways. This experimentation also challenges the conventional flatness of silkscreen prints and creates a dynamic, three-dimensional interaction between layers.

<Test prints>

How the print looks when it’s printed with the original method on paper

Traditional silkscreen printing is designed for producing fixed, uniform images, but what happens when printmaking is no longer about permanence but about transformation?

• Cut out the shapes and manually overlapped them to explore layering effects. (I placed them on an iPad with a white screen open because I needed bright light underneath for the colors and layers to show clearly)
• Observed how transparency, opacity, and misalignment created new compositions.

Different iterations of experimenting with layers, shapes and colors

One interesting aspect I observed was how the overlapping colors changed simply by altering the order of the layered films

the opacity can be controlled by layer the same colors on top of each other

Another approach I explored was comparing the differences between this hacked version and the layer function in digital programs.

• Recreated the same shapes and layering effects digitally using Illustrator and Photoshop
• Compared the tactile, material qualities of the physical prints with the precision of digital outputs
• Creating silkscreen prints digitally could be a hacking method itself

The following images were created digitally but depict visuals resembling traditional prints

Overview & Reflection

• This experiment rethinks silkscreen printing by breaking away from its fixed, systematic nature. Instead of treating the process as a means to a final, unchangeable print, I hacked the technique to introduce modularity, allowing compositions to shift and evolve

• The act of physically manipulating printed layers challenges the expectation that silkscreen must produce identical, reproducible images

• This project questions the limitations imposed by traditional printmaking methods and suggests new possibilities for how we engage with printed media

• Can printmaking function as a more interactive and evolving medium?

To showcase the various print iterations, I created a short video that quickly highlights the different visuals produced in this project. The video serves as a concise visual overview of my work.

Link to watch the video HERE and the complete collection of prints is also available for viewing HERE