The Art of Screen Printing

A bit of history

Today we talk about the art of screen printing. Indeed, a true phenomenon in Europe and the United States, this trend appeared in China during the Song dynasty. And it was in 960, so we can say it is an ancient technique that dates back a long time. It arrived in the United States in the 19th century due to strong Chinese immigration. And it gradually developed across the Atlantic.

Initially used during World War II, the technique spread worldwide. It gained great success when used by great artists like Henri Matisse and Andy Warhol.

By the late 1970s, screen printing was everywhere and used on all types of media such as signage panels, stickers, CDs, concert posters, clothing, and industrial equipment.

But what exactly is screen printing?

The art of screen printing is a direct printing technique. It allows ink to be deposited directly onto the textile through a screen (stencil). Originally, the screens were made of silk, but they are nowadays made of finely woven polyester or nylon.

For this, the printer uses a screen coated with ink or a photosensitive emulsion. A film is placed on it to protect the part to be masked from ultraviolet light. Then, reacting to the light, the emulsion spread on the screen hardens and impregnates the substrate.

In modern screen printing, a more efficient screen printing machine is used. The screen, originally made of silk fabric, is replaced by polyamide and polyester. While the frame, once made of wood, is now aluminum.

There are several types of industrial screen printing:

• Flat screen printing: used for flat surfaces
• Rotary screen printing: used to print cylindrical objects
• Screen printing on textiles, which is a more elaborate process, especially for color printing.

Its many advantages

The art of screen printing brings together the strengths of several printing techniques. The quality of marking, color reproduction, pricing, flexibility, and numerous possibilities. This has made it today and for several decades the reference marking technique especially in textiles, and for good reason. Most companies turn to the art of screen printing for their t-shirts, sweatshirts, aprons, tote bags, the possibilities are almost endless . In short, t durable and flexible , screen printing allows a wide and varied choice of textile supports (organic cotton, polyester...), including fine and lightweight textiles. Indeed, this type of printing is gentle on fabric fibers hence the flexibility in fabric choice and maintenance over time.

While screen printing is widely known for fabric prints, it can also be used on various supports, including:

• Screen printing on glass
• Screen printing on wood
• Screen printing on plastic

The technique varies depending on the medium but the results are the same: high quality, very durable, and almost infinite possibilities.

Artists who created in series

The art of screen printing

By Andy Warhol

Screen printing experienced a major comeback in art during the 60s. Among the best-known artists are notably Andy Warhol , who popularized this technique in the 1960s with her screen prints of Marilyn Monroe and many celebrities from the world of stars and politics whom he portrays in series. Reproducible "icons" that become consumer images. He reuses an existing and popular image like Marilyn Monroe, a star photo published in the press, and multiplies it infinitely! Work after work, or on the same canvas, the image repeats like on a sheet of stamps. A patterned wallpaper or the label of a mass-produced tin can. Thus reproduced in series, it becomes more than ever a cliché... until it loses its meaning.

An artist who produces works in series, in different colors. For many critics of the time, Warhol was sacrilegious. With formidable nonchalance, the American defies the traditional idea that the value of a work depends on its uniqueness. A provocation he fully embraces since his workshop, employing many assistants since 1963, is simply called "the Factory"!

The duo Gfeller + Hellsgard who master the art of screen printing brilliantly

In the 2000s, a Franco-Swedish duo Gfeller + Hellsgard, who practice various activities using screen printing as an experimental medium, emerged. This energetic duo was born from a meeting between Anna Hellsgård, a Swedish photographer, and Christian Meeloo Gfeller, a French graphic designer at the time. The chemistry quickly worked between them, and they settled together to create a screen printing studio. This was the starting point of a rich and varied body of work ranging from artist books to monographs, installations to paintings.

In contrast to artists like Andy Warhol who used screen printing on a large scale as a medium popularizing mass art production itself, Gfeller + Hellsgard conceive each print as unique. They seek to push boundaries and constantly experiment, which is easily noticed in their work that plays with imperfections, misalignments, and other surprises offered by screen printing. Screen printing is an accessible medium and does not require state-of-the-art equipment to produce high-quality prints: Gfeller + Hellsgard are an example.

The art of screen printing present in fashion

Quickly, the emerging punk culture adopted this economical and effective method. And the English designer Vivienne Westwood was quickly captivated by the art of screen printing. Punk fashion is characterized by a global lifestyle of recovery, modification, and critique of the society in which youth felt trapped. The desire to personalize one's identity down to clothing was more than present. In the 1980s, Vivienne Westwood drew inspiration from these "handmade" clothes to create her first collection. To keep the raw side of the designs, she used the screen printing technique, whether on already assembled garments or on textiles printed 'all over' and then reassembled.

During the same period, Yohji Yamamoto, a Japanese designer who conceives these projects as works of art; for him, punk culture and the art of screen printing resonated in a different way. Like the collaboration with Levi's where he "parasitizes" the brand's iconic models to insert lines of poetry.

Today some designers work like these, using the screen printing technique to parasitize and recycle textiles.

More recently, we find fashion designers like Virgil Abloh, who collaborated on a limited series of t-shirts in partnership with the artist Takashi Murakami. A kit for self-screen printing was put on sale, with a pre-isolated frame ready to use.

The art of screen printing for everyone

Screen printing is so popular because, unlike other printing techniques like lithography, woodcut, and engraving, which require more complex setups and costly materials to handle carefully, you can easily create a small screen printing workshop at home. So if screen printing catches your eye and you want to try it at home, it’s possible! Here’s a beginner’s guide to get started:

The stencil technique seems ideal to start with; you will need:

• ofa screen, or a wooden or aluminum frame stretched with polyester fabric
• a squeegee, a tool with a metal or wooden handle and a rubber “blade” for printing
• ofa coating squeegee used to spread the emulsion
• photosensitive emulsion
• a solvent for photosensitive emulsion
• ink ; classic acrylic colors are also suitable for screen printing
• ofan ink retarder ; a liquid to mix with colors to slow their drying and suitable for use on the screen
• ofa lamp a screen printing exposure unit or a simple spotlight
• a sponge
• and adhesive tape

We’ve got a little tutorial that will explain it better than we can ;)

Start screen printing! Print on clothing

For beginners and even for kids, we offer a very simple kit accessible to everyone to create dinosaurs in series.

Become a killer screen printer with Aire

At Aire, we’re also interested in screen printing and want to diversify to please as many people as possible. So we created a very simple kit perfectly suited for children!

And yes, we don’t leave them out in the cold! It’s true that screen printing can be a tricky technique for our little ones, but don’t worry, Aire is here to help. Here’s our little guide to successfully screen print at home:

1. Take your DIY Dinosaur Screen Printing Kit and paint for children.
2. Put the paint on a cardboard plate and apply it to the roller (included in the kit)
3. Apply paint to a dinosaur piece
4. Stamp the dinosaur piece onto a sheet of paper
5. Repeat the process with all the pieces in the kit
6. Create and share your dinosaur!

And it's in the bag, feel free to share your results with us on Instagram!