Art students get to work in printing class
EDITOR’S NOTE: Central Michigan Life will occasionally send a report and photographer to find a quick story of what’s happening on campus. This story is the first in the series, “Scenes on Campus.”
Andrew Abissi knows a thing or two about silk screen printing.
The Grand Rapids senior said he has done it three times before, so he had an upper hand in his ART 250: Printmaking II class Thursday, when students created silk screen projects.
“I like the simplicity of the process,” Abissi said.
There is a delicate process students must go through when creating silk screen prints.
First, they coat a screen with photosensitive emulsion and, after the screen dries, it is placed on a vacuum light table to be exposed.
Once exposed, the screens are blasted with pressure water. Then, students squeegee ink onto the screen to make designs.
Associate Professor of Art Johanna Paas shows students the process of silk screen printing in ART 250 and how it can be used in the dimension of fine art.
“I love teaching this class,” she said. “(It is) an integration of different techniques and materials, and I like it because of the design element.”
Paas said silk screen printing is an extension of drawing and can incorporate photos and graphics.
“It’s a strategic process,” she said. “It is old school commercial printing, but for fine art.”
Abstract work
Paas teaches screen printing in ART 250, ART 350: Printmaking III, ART 450: Printmaking IV and ART 550: Printmaking V. She teaches all four classes in the same room at the same time.
Paas said there is a nice collaboration between all the classes. She said the high classes lead by example.
ART 450 student and Bridgman senior Amanda Svorec has worked on several projects with silk screen printing.
“I like it more for the abstract, and it’s cheaper,” she said.
Svorec said she likes the art because it prints out flat and without a lot of texture.
It is commonly known, she said, for being on T-shirts and posters.
Fremont senior, Arik Anderson, said he looks forward to using the technique on T-shirts someday.
“You get a lot of detail and can use any kind of picture or material (for silk screen printing),” he said.
