A photo that I took of a monarch butterfly inspired this series. Continue reading to learn more.
Black and Blue Butterfly | Original posterized screen print | Numbered: 1/2 | Signed: L/R
Screen printing & Posterization
I made this butterfly series using the screen-printing technique. Screen-printing is a form of printmaking where an image is printed onto a surface by squeegeeing ink over a mesh screen. Parts of the screen are made impermeable to ink. This means the ink can only transfer onto the surface where the mesh screen is not masked. This is a very simple definition, and like all forms of printmaking, screen-printing is a multistep process and there are different variations of the steps and tools used in the process. For this blog post, I will only be discussing the methods I used for this print.
I used the posterized style for this series. Posterization is an effect where the artist reduces the amount of colors in their image to create high contrast areas of color and tone in the artwork. In my silkscreen print, only five colors are used in each print, but the original photo contains numerous colors and tones. I achieved this posterized look by creating five unique layers to separate the main tones for my image. After I made the five layers, I created a mirror image of the butterfly and positioned one slightly overlapping the other. After I was happy with the layers and overall design, I printed each layer onto film. Then, I covered the screen in a photo-sensitive emulsion. One layer at a time was placed on a screen, and the screen and layer were put in a large machine, called an exposure unit. The unit emits ultraviolet light. When the machine was turned on, the UV light hardened the emulsion solution around the image, and any of the emulsion that was covered by the film stayed soft on the screen. Those areas were then washed off with a pressure washer (on a light setting). This left the design (layer) on the screen, and then ink could pass through that area during the printing process. This process of exposing each layer onto a screen was done separately for each color of the butterfly. Each color was printed by hand, by squeegeeing ink over the screen.
About my posterized butterflies
When viewed from afar, the image looks liked one vibrant butterfly with its large, symmetrical wings. When viewed up close, you notice there are two butterflies creating the image, and you notice the details: the butterflies aren’t perfect; their wings are split and cracked, but there is still harmony and balance in the image and beauty in the colors. I want the viewer to remember even nature has imperfections. And, sometimes things seem perfect from a distance, but with further inspection, flaws become more apparent. Those flaws add character and are a part of the beauty.
The photo
This is the photo that I took of a monarch butterfly at the Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando, Florida. I used it to create the image for my posterized butterfly screen print.
Photo by Kristin Frank of a monarch butterfly at the Harry P. Leu Gardens. This butterfly photo inspired her series of screen prints titled Posterized Butterfly
Photo by Kristin Frank of a monarch butterfly at the Harry P. Leu Gardens. This butterfly photo inspired her series of screen prints titled Posterized Butterfly
other photos that I took in the gardens that day
Enjoy browsing through some of the other photos that I took in the gardens that day. These photos were taken in October of 2014.
