WHAT TYPE OF PAPER DO YOU PRINT ON?
I use Saunders Waterford paper in 356gsm or 425gsm or Somerset Satin 300 gsm for the majority of my prints. Both are mould made papers, 100% cotton and acid free.
WHAT IS A SILKSCREEN PRINT?
The screen printing process uses a mesh screen made of nylon or fabric (originaly silk hence the name) stretched tightly over a frame made of wood or metal. A stencil is applied to the screen either manually or photochemically to create the image to be printed. Ink is then forced through the fine mesh openings using a squeegee that is drawn across the screen ("pulling a colour"). Ink passes through the screen only in areas where no stencil is applied, thus transferring the image onto the surface of the paper. Each colour is hand mixed and pulled using a different stencil, so a 6 colour silkscreen print has been printed on 6 times using 6 different screens.
WHAT IS A MONOTYPE?
Monotypes are usually made by either painting or rolling inks onto a flat surface. This flat surface can be glass, acetate or litho plate. With the application of pressure the image will transfer onto the paper. The ink used in a monotype can be applied with a brush, rag or rolled on with a roller. During the printing process depending on the method of application and the thickness and texture of the ink, the ink may spread and blur as it is blotted or absorbed by the paper. Usually the paper is placed on top of the plate used and the transferred image is a mirror image of the original. How the ink is applied and manipulated with all of its individual characteristics will be reflected in the print, which is what makes monotypes so unique.
WHAT IS A GICLEE PRINT?Giclee (pronounced “gee-clay”), from the French word meaning to “squirt”or “spurt,” is a highly sophisticated inkjet printing process that was introduced in the late 1980s that enables the artist to produce limited edition prints of the original digital artwork. In the Giclee process, a fine stream of ink - four million + droplets per second - is sprayed onto archival art paper. Because no screens are used, the prints have a higher apparent resolution than lithographs. The prints are created from high-resolution digital images, using archival, light fast ink and heavyweight paper stock resulting in a long-lasting museum quality work of art.
