[SPACE Gallery Poster Series] Kris Johnsen @ EmblemStudio.org – The Sophomore Beat, Moving Mountains, Pinsky, Arcuates @ SPACE Gallery 7.24.2009

The SPACE Gallery Poster Series is a new edition to the HFIWK blog. It is here to showcase some of the great Posters and flyers we get here at SPACE, and to show off how they are made and the process behind them. This first edition features a poster by myself, Kris Johnsen. And is for one of our new All Ages shows, on July 24th with The Sophomore Beat, Moving Mountains, Pinsky & Arcuates.

Please visit my website, and on going art blog

This is a 4 color screen print, printed on thin chipboard with an edition of 102. The Images comes from a sketchbook drawing and was broken down into black and white and then the color was added in layers.

To burn the screen, I print each layers (color) out on printer paper and then oil them with Canola oil to make them transparent, this works the same as printing the images on transparencies, and is also A lot cheaper.

The transparencies are then places on an exposure unit, the screens are coated with emulsion before hand. I try and burn all the layers at one time to save time.

Burn for 5 minutes in complete darkness in our very grungy basement which is actually localed right below the SPACE Gallery bar.

The screens are then sprayed with water to remove the emulsion that was covered by the black ink on the transparencies. Sorry for no pictures of this, but I was doing it all myself, and if you wait to long the emulsion can become hard again and get stuck in the screen.

Each layer is then printed separatly, starting here with the yellow.

Each poster is hung on a drying lineso they do not smudge and touch each other. The line also helps keep everything organized.

The second layer for this poster is the black outline of the figures and lines. The only 2 left after this are the text colors.

Its handy to keep around scrap pieces of larger paper for test prints before you use the actual posters. This helps you not mess up any good prints.

Before you pull the squeegie you must flood the screen while it is not touching the paper.

I use a sheet of mylar (clear plastic) to register my prints with each other.

Myself lining up the print with the print on the mylar.

I use tabs (Target gift cards) taped down at where 2 of the corners of where the print is, so it will always be lined up at the same point. This works fairly well for posters such as this. I also always make sure to put the same corners against the tabs every time, because the paper can be cut differently just the slightest and can ruin the registration.

My friend Bryan from Hillytown.com, showed up to help me finish up the last layer of text, the white.

White ink is uaually the hardest to print. It dries much faster than any other color and can sometimes clog the screen very fast. It did not have much of an effect on these prints, the text was already somewhat grainy based off of the font I chose. “You dont need to push as hard as Bryan looks like he is.”

Finished Print!

After the prints are done I hand number the final edition with how many prints were made and sign them. I also print my emblem with my information on the back of the prints.

Clean up time!!!

Stay tuned for much more editions of the SPACE Gallery Poster Series by many other local artists.