Darwin Deez - Letterpress/Screen print poster process.....

[weaponsofmassdesign]

It's been a bit since I've posted a process thread. This here is my first attempt at combining some letterpress work with my screen printing. A lot of things were learned during this process that honestly has been the longest amount of time I have ever spent printing/waiting/printing a poster.



Setting the type.



The type locked into my sign press and all inked up.



Now here is the part where I started learning some lessons. Tuesbay is not a day of the week. It's really easy to spell check digital type, but hand set type when it's backwards? I always have trouble with the "b"s and "d"s. I also learned that I need to find some actual carbon paper for proofing as the stuff on hand from home depot did not really transfer enough for me to catch the typo.

The other lesson learned is that I need to test my Japan dryer to ink ratio. The prints took about 2 days to be kind of dry and even days later, if you put pressure on the ink, it would smear. Does anyone have experience with this? I'm using oil based etching ink with some burnt plate oil and then obviously, not enough Japan dryer. I've been told if you put too much it cracks. I guess I would rather have it take longer to dry then, crack, but neither would be awesome.

Back to the process:



Burning the screens. A bit about my exposure unit: I have been printing for 7 and a half years or so and this thing has been with me since. It's a really portable unit as it is the top of a coffee table I bought for a dollar from a thrift shop, 2 MDF boxes a friend gave me from a store that was closing to hold the table top off the ground and then 2 fluorescent ballasts wired to a light switch. It's super ghetto, but 7 and a half years and still going strong.

Back to the process:



Mixing ink. If anyone has a trick to get accurate smear of ink on the paper please let me know. I kind of smear it across the paper and it was mostly accurate. I was pretty happy with how close I matched the digital color I had on my screen. Normally, I'm not too concerned with accuracy, but I was really happy with how the color turned out.



First Screen printed color.



Second Screen printed color



Final printed piece.

The gradient was stocastic as I did not have enough paper/time/space on press to pull a split screen gradient. I hope to one day have a larger space, but thems the breaks.

Cheers,
David G.

[thirteen]

I dig it. I like the design too!

[kustomkitten]

Nice work!

I used to see Darwin Deez play, opening for my friends in The Beets in a crappy venue in Long Island City and nobody else was ever at their shows (but like...their parents). I am glad to see him getting his comeuppance. I always thought his music was destined for greatness.

[tenspeed]

Very tasty! Great to see how to get the gradients while printing.

And I can see myself doing the B/D error.

[caribou]

nice

[Jacobv]

the gradient on that paper is butter nuts. nice work

[kim_a]

I'm restoring a 130 year old printing press at the moment, I'm sure I'll be doing the b/d thing a lot in the coming months =)

[Marc123]

Very cool print, it would be great to see some pics of your ghetto exposure unit...i'm sick of my crappy halogen lamps burning out on me

[Graphic D.]

Are you using magnets to lock that type up in the bed of the press? I have a table top press just like that, I'd love to know where you got those magnets.

[vrooooom]

Mind your p's and q's... or rather, d's and b's