For all those of you who want to give screen printing a shot, but think its too complex or expensive, Spencer's Screen Prining tutorial is here. A revealing and demystifying guide, it aims to provide effective ways to get started for cheap! Check it out. A Guide to Screen Printing

Ow.

Here's some pics from the opening of our latest art show at Chop Suey books. Its a great space and the show's up for a couple more weeks. This show featured a lot of brand new work, some silkscreened and some created by other, more mystical technologies. Who knows when you'll be able to see this stuff again.

Recently I was doing a bit of research for a project and I discovered something startling. Well, maybe not startling, but noteworthy anyway.
See for yourself:

On the left we have well-known Russian Constructivist designer Alexander Rodchenko. On the right is the cover art for the most recent Franz Ferdinand album. Now I know what you're thinking: "But hasn't Franz Ferdinand been pushing the Bauhaus aesthetic since the beginning?" Yes, of course. And, furthermore, they are right for doing so because it kicks ass. But damn! It's one thing to draw inspiration from a pivotal period in design, or to give a nod to your favorite Constructivist designer, but to straight up rip it off is another thing altogether. Whatever. You be the judge.

On a completely unrelated note:

The poster for the upcoming Team 8 DIY screenprinting workshop.

I was reorganizing files on my harddrive and I found this, the old screenprinting room at 2903. So cramped, so messy. Can't wait till the new space looks this way.

Alright, the washout basin did arrive last week and I've spent the last five days or so installing it. Finally it is up and running and it is a huge change from hauling all the equipment down to the flea-infested basement of 2903 every time we needed to wash a dinky little screen. Now the proper, streamlined procedure for screen washout is as follows:

a)Stand facing the washout basin approx. twelve inches from face of tub.

b) After perfroming mandatory legs, arms, and hands extension exercises, and limbs are sufficiently deft and nimble, proceed to reach left of the washout basin and turn the switch marked 'EMERGENCY' to the 'ON' position.

c) Now that ample light is being deployed, place that dirty, dirty, bad screen on the stand in the basin, inserting the bottom edge in the desired groove to provide the appropriate angle when the top edge rests against the back wall of the basin.

4) Reach behind the left edge of the washout curtain and turn the hose bib on the right one half turn counter clockwise.

5) Allow any air in the hose of the pressure washer to escape by spraying onto screen until an unmitigated flow of water emerges.

VI) When water flow is steady and the screen is sufficiently wet on both sides, apply a garbonzo bean sized (slightly larger than a pea) or so amount of emulsion remover paste, located below basin, to one side of the screen and work into the emulsion with a scrub brush. When emulsion begins releasing, flip screen and repeat emulsion remover paste application.

F) When emulsion has had sufficient time to release from screen, approximately one and one half minutes, turn on pressure washer and spray out screen from both sides. Mindfully tend to the stubborn build up of ink and emulsion that can be seen in the backlit mesh.

7) After your screen is satisfactorily devoid of all remnants of debris, spray both sides with degreaser, scrub, and rinse.

T8) Allow screen to dry, while either repeating the washout procedure with another screen or rinsing the basin and brush, placing the proper lids tightly on their respective chemical canisters, turning the hose bib and 'EMERGENCY' switch to the 'OFF' positions, and general tidying up the immediate vicinity.

**further instruction on the operation of the new Team 8 screen washout facility available upon request.

Its coming. Get ready. Its almost here. The brand new (only 83 yrs. old) basement studio space is almost up and running after three+ months of moving and renovations. Located on Richmond's glamorous Northside, the new studio features a couple hundred sq. feet of squeedgee slinging floor space, easy-access screen storage, in house-wash out booth, and exponentially less hallway. Expect things to happen again. Wonderous things.

I'll keep you posted on progress.