Description of Action: Continuation of an Inactive Course

Sponsor(s): Assistant Professor Max White
Department(s): Art
College(s): Arts and Communication

Effective Term: Spring 2002

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Proposal:
Course Number- ARTSTDIO 333
Course title-Printmaking I: Screenprinting

Rationale for continuing the course:
The study of Screenprinting is a valuable aesthetic and technical discipline for any art student to master.  It has not recently  been offered in the UW-Whitewater curriculum due to the demands placed on student and faculty health by the toxic nature of traditional solvent- based processes. The studio designed as the Screenprinting lab has proved to be wholly inadequate  as a
facility. The art faculty would like to make it clear that two main factors have changed since we last offered "Printmaking I: Screenprinting" at Whitewater.

 #1: Wide-ranging developments have been made in  the availability and improvement of water-based inks and screen cleaning materials. In effect, there has been a radical change industry-wide in response to artists' and commercial printers' demands to limit the toxicity in their field. New products and processes are now available to rival the quality of the traditional oil and solvent- based techniques. To accompany the new products and evolving technologies, documentation has been published in contemporary texts.

 #2: Integral to the success of any printmaking course is quality studio ventilation. Now that many of the studios have been rehabilitated in the Center of the Arts, (including the Printmaking studio which  is nearing completion), Whitewater has a greatly improved facility within which to offer this discipline. We had been prevented from offering Screenprinting until this current phase of the ventilation rehabilitation  was complete.

It should also be noted that several of the processes taught in this course, (notably the  photoemulsion techniques) have newly expanded possibilities due to the rise of digital imaging, an approach popular with our department's
student demographic.

Prerequisite: 2-D Design, Drawing I & II, or consent of the instructor

Text: The Complete Guide to Screenprinting by Brad Faine, 1996.

Course Description: This course presents the basic materials and methods of
Screenprinting. Students have the opportunity to develop aesthetic and
technical skills through creative printmaking emphasizing color printing and
composition. Techniques studied include screen construction, stencil
techniques, photoemulsion, and digital imaging for the screen artist. Emphasis
is on Screenprinting as a fine art, creating limited edition prints based on
aesthetic decisions grounded in the medium.
 

Course Outline:

Week 1
Lecture: Intro to Screenprinting: Vocabulary of Printmaking
Demo: Presentation of Print Examples
Studio: Preparation of Drawings

Week 2
Lecture: Construction of Screens- Techniques and Materials
Demo: Frame Building, Fabric Stretching
Studio: Screen Construction Continued

Week 3
Lecture: Examples- How Screenprints Look / Screens and Backboards
Demo: Sealing Screens, Boards, Set-up
Studio: Screen Construction Continued

Week 4
Lecture: Stencil Types, Construction of Paper Stencils, Block Outs
Demo: Block Out Processes / Paper Stencils
Studio: Block Outs, Continued Drawing Preparation

Week 5
Lecture: Preparing Inks, Printing with Squeegee
Demo: Screen Washout, Ink Mixing, Printing
Studio: Block Outs and Paper Stencil Printing

Week 6
Lecture: Paper Types
Demo: Examples of Printing Papers
Studio: Printing Multiple Colors / Screen Clean Up / Review Drawings

Week 7
Lecture: Solutions to Specific Printing Problems / Ink Preparation
Demo: Simple Photo Screens; Thermal Print Techniques
Studio: Print Edition #1 / Critique of Progress; Individual Discussions

Week 8
Mid-Term Quiz
Studio: Print Edition #1 / Individual Critiques of Progress

Week 9
Lecture: Digital Imaging #1 and Photoemulsion
Demo: Photoemulsion techniques
Studio: Begin Edition #2

Week 10
Lecture: Alternate Photo Techniques
Demo: Photoemulsion and Exposure on Screens
Studio: Print Edition #2 / Individual Critiques / Prepare Work for Next Print

Week 11
Lecture: Digital Imaging #2
Studio: Print Edition #3

Week 12
Lecture: Class Critique: 2nd and 3rd Editions
Studio: Finish 2nd and 3rd Editions / Prepare Drawings for Edition #4

Week 13
Lecture: Discussion of Individual Print Requirements: Review
Studio: Print 4th Edition (6-10) Consistent Copies / Prepare Drawing for Final
5th Edition

Week 14
Lecture: Presentation of Prints
Demo: Mounting, Matting, Signing, Edition Numbering
Studio: Print 5th Edition  / Prepare Final Porfolio

Week 15
Final Exam: Critique