MERGING PATTERN & CONTENT | Deconstructed Screen Printing and more!

• Dates: May 19-23, 2008
• Level: Beginning to Advanced
• Zig Zag Sewing Machine: No
• Tuition & Meal Plan: $750
• Materials Fee: $30
• Dye Facility Usage Fee: $25
> Accommodations and meal information

DESCRIPTION
The focus of this workshop is exploring mark-making possibilities while expanding personal iconography and content. Within this focus, emphasis is placed on using the silk screen in an intuitive, painterly way. In addition to deconstructed, polychromatic and other spontaneous printing methods with fiber reactive dyes, we will also be working with textile medium, Caran d’Ache crayons, charcoal, thiox discharge, direct dye painting and embellishment.

Each day will include a series of small, spontaneous compositions serving as vehicles for further exploration. Ideas generated will be turned into larger, finished pieces. Workshop will include group critiques and personal writings. Those interested may also experiment with altering images in Photoshop for new inspirations.

Students will be asked to bring slides, images, items of personal inspiration, and ideas to use as a jumping off point.

SUPPLY LIST
• FABRIC:
Total of 6-10 yards in 1/4 to 2 yard lengths - white or light colored silk, rayon, cotton, linen, silk/rayon velvet (protein or cellulose for fiber reactive dyes) NO PERMA PRESS OR BLENDS.

NOTE-I do not recommend bleached muslin - it does not always take dye well - unbleached is ok. You might also want to try preprinted fabrics-commercially printed or those of your own.

We will do dye tests the first day on any questionable fabric.  

Prewash your fabric in hot water to remove any sizing or dirt - smooth, evenly woven fabrics show more detailed textures while rougher or more loosely woven will not be as subtle - plan to try both

In addition to the above, feel free to bring your own predyed fabrics to experiment with.

We will be soda soaking our fabrics
Please prepare at least ONE yard of fabric prior to workshop
Instructions for soda soaking to prepare fabric:
• After washing in hot water to remove sizing or oils, soak damp fabric in 9 Tablespoons soda ash (sodium carbonate) to one gallon warm water for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Remove, wring out and hang to dry.
• Soda ash can be purchased at Dharma Trading (www.dharmatrading.com) or Pro Chemical (www.prochemical.com)
• If you are working with silk, it is OK to soda soak a few days prior to workshop.
• If you normally use the soda soak method to prepare your fabric, feel free to do whatever has been working for you if different from directions given above.

• OTHER SUPPLIES:
While this workshop is geared primarily towards fabric, the dyes and processes also work extremely well on good rag printmaking papers that are lightly or unsized - see OPTIONAL at bottom of list
- rubber gloves
- tracing paper
- 2 glue sticks
- pencil
- Sharpies, assortment of markmaking tools
- sketch pad - at least 9" x 12"
- newsprint pad - 18” x 24”
- india ink - small container is fine
- pack of inexpensive 24 color markers - Crayola is fine
- a few colorful magazines
- notebook for handouts, samples, sketches or a journal
- a favorite inspirational book to share - it may be images or text
- 2 objects that you feel strongly about
- one roll masking tape - any width
- t-pins - more than 80 - they are to pin fabric tightly to print table
- plastic to cover fabric when batching - large black trash bags are perfect
- 5 little short rubber spatulas (5” including handle) or tongue depressors or plastic spoons (for stirring dye)
- scissors - fabric pair and a small, sharp pointy pair for paper and “stuff”
- Xacto knife for cutting stencils, textures
- small cutting mat if you have one (don’t buy for this workshop)
- foam brushes - at least five 1” and several 2”
- paint brushes - regular paint brushes, watercolor brushes, all sizes (bring whatever you have - don’t go out and buy a bunch)
- containers w/lids -several (at least 5) 1 C. and a quart container (yoghurt, margarine, etc.) for dyes and thickener
- muffin tin or something to use for palette
- hairdryer (if you have one)
- respirator for using discharge paste - should have correct filter for toxic fumes
- some cardboard - all thicknesses and textures e.g. cereal boxes, sketch pad backs, corrugated boxes - we will be using them as printing plates and textures
- old clothes or apron to protect your clothes
- wonder under - if you like to fuse, bring several yards - I will have some for sale also
- any embellishment supplies you might like - needles, threads, beads, found stuff, puff paints
- three to five slides of your work to share

- silkscreen and squeegee - somewhere around 12" x 18", 16" x 20", 18" x 24" (10xx or 12xx mesh) (can be ordered from www.dickblick.com, 1.800.447.8192) Squeegee should be about 2” shorter than the narrowest screen width. E.g. for a 16" x 20" screen, the squeegee should be about 14”. If you do not want to invest in a squeegee just yet, Speedball makes an inexpensive 9” squeegee for about $8.00, this would be fine (even if smaller than recommended). Feel free to email Kerr if you have any questions. Kerr will be bringing very small screens and squeegees to use also.

- textural stuff - floor mats, corrugated cardboard, bubble wrap, plastic doilies, fat string, rubber stamps, material to make new stamps, embossed wall paper - BUT DO NOT go out and buy a bunch of stuff for this - bring what you have - any texture not higher than 1/4” might work

OPTIONAL
- CDs or tapes for music
- newspapers - if you drive bring lots - if you fly don’t bring any
- any equipment/materials that you have and like to use - extruders, stamps, paint brushes, silk screens without stencils on them, thermofax screens
- hot glue gun/glue
- paper for printing on (in place of or in addition to fabric) - I prefer rag printmaking paper such as Rives bfk, Arches 88, Stonehenge, Copperplate, Japanese papers work well also
- duct tape for taping screen if you bring one not already taped - 3M is best brand and worth the money

Kerr will have her laptop with Photoshop and Photoshop Elements - if you want to bring yours and a digital camera with cable to laptop, she will go over her methods of creating new designs and working with images.

Instructor will have curved tip extruders (plastic syringes) for sale: $1.00

MATERIALS FEE PROVIDES:
• All dyes, chemicals, use of some of Kerr's screens, textural materials, "stuff"
• Kerr will also be sending some preclass prep assignments

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