The Lidless Eye, digital design and screenprint assignment, September - November 2024
For a printmaking II class I got to learn screenprinting, so I created a digital design to be turned into a screen stencil using a transparency sheet and photo emulsion. Over the course of the semester I came to develop the design into a collection of five print editions for the end of the class, and I'm really happy with how they turned out!
The design is inspired by the Murmur from Warframe, with arms mimicking the enemies of that faction and the eye in the center resembling the Lidless Eye symbol found on Warframe 1999 computers.
For my first screen stencil, I had to make the transparency sheet by tracing the design with opacity markers because the inkjet printer wasn't working. This lead to the first prints having a "warbly" quality to them as I couldn't perfectly match the original quality. Later, I ended up accidentally blowing out this first stencil while cleaning it with the pressure washer. I used this as a chance to remake the stencil with a properly printed transparency sheet using a printer from the library instead, which allowed for the final prints to be much more accurate to the original design!
For the final editions, I chose to use a circular crop to match the circular design. I also used some graphite and white gel pen to add a "glow" to the prints, which added a good amount of time to each print but it was ultimately worth it!
"The Lidless Eye", edition 1/5, November 2024
A white screenprint on black paper with a circular cut as well as a bit of graphite and white gel pen.
All five editions laid out, one for each person in the class including myself.
Close-up photo of the central eye. Graphite was used to create a shiny glow and white gel pen was added onto and around the eye to further the effect.
Close up of the left edge, showing some of the hand designs.
Close up of the right hands of the last of the prints, which misprinted with a faded look. I still quite like it!
The digital design, originally made in September 2024.
I started with this arm design, inspired by the Murmur in Warframe.
I then filled in the arm design for more clarity, especially at a smaller scale for the bigger pattern later.
The first screen stencil had to be made with a the design traced with an opacity marker, as the inkjet printer wasn't working with transparency sheet at the time.
Photo of the first screen used, photo emulsion applied manually.
First print! The manual marks gave a bit of a warbled look to the print compared to the original digital design, which has its own appeal but wasn't what I was ultimately looking for.
The first screen stencil ended up getting blown out while pressure washing it, which gave me a chance to remake it with a properly printed transparency sheet for better accuracy!
Close-up shot of the second screen stencil, showing how much cleaner the edges are than the original manually-marked stencil.
I also made my first attempts at printing on fabric, including a tshirt and a bandana! Overall pretty rough quality but I learned a lot, hoping to maybe do more in the future!