4503 - Silkscreen: Introduction
Course Description
Silkscreen, one of the most widely used and versatile printing methods today, is a stencil process in which a design/image is adhered to a screen made of polyester or other fine mesh using a photo emulsion process. Students in the course, which takes place in RISD's Graphic Design silkscreen studio, begin by using hand-drawn separations, photographs, digital separations or photocopies. A screen is then stretched over a frame with areas blocked off by adhering either stencil or film to the screen. As each screen represents one color, a range of color combinations is possible, depending on the number of screens. Ink is pushed through the mesh with a squeegee and clear shapes of color result. Water-based silkscreen ink makes for quick drying time and easy soap-and-water cleanup. With applications to printmaking, textiles, wallpaper or just stand-alone imagery, this course is ideal for working out visual ideas serially and quickly with spectacular results. Please note that in addition to the lab fee, you can expect to have to buy additional supplies for this course. We try to keep this cost under $100, but for specialized courses (jewelry, wood, metals) this may be higher.
Applies Towards the Following Certificates
- Animation : Electives
- Graphic Design : Electives
- Interactive Design : Electives
- Natural Science Illustration : Electives
- Painting Studies : Electives
- Photography : Electives