Screen printing
I decided to begin my research of my theme Gender by looking at girls stereotyped toys. I thought Barbie would be a great idea to research because it has been a popular girls toy for years. I decided that using the textile technique of screen printing an image of barbie would work well. I began by finding a suitable picture of Barbie on the internet that I could copy and create a layered screen print from with acetate and paint. Once I printed the image I put a piece of acetate on the paper where I used a craft knife to cut out each different coloured layer on a different sheet of acetate. For example I created one layer for Barbies yellow hair, another layer for her face and another layer for her glasses and the well known Barbie logo. I then mixed and found the right colours for each layer of the image. This meant that I could then individually screenprint by using a screen printing board and a squidgy to drag the paint on the board resulting it to only make a print on the white cotton fabric where the acetate did not cover. My first attempt didn't work as I started with the hair and I forgot to put the acetate where the glasses would be so I had to start again. After I did this again for each layer it left me with with a interesting print of Barbies face. I thought the cotton took really well to the print as it absorbed it well because it is a natural fabric with a tight weft meaning it is a strong fabric. It is also quite durable because if you pull on it it would not break easily. I also like the colour of the fabric as it was white; meaning it let my print really stand out with the bright colours I included.I also got a interesting print from the paper that was underneath the cotton fabric, I really like how the image looks faceless and a bit skewiff. I developed this further by using the sewing machine to go around the glasses and Barbie logo to make it stand out.
I then moved on to just doing a screenprint of the Barbie logo because it is such a well know text. I did the same method as before where I printed the image, cut it out with a craft knife on acetate, layered it on top of white cotton and then screen printed on top of it with a bright pink. Both of these tests did not go to plan because when I was screen printing the first one, I clearly didn't make the squidgy go over each bit of the board as some parts did not show up very well. On my second attempt, the acetate moved when I was screenprinting causing the paint to not just go where I cut out on my acetate for the image. I would like to go back and attempt this test again because I have identified what went wrong so I now know how to fix it.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
When screenprint there is a couple of heath and safety guidelines I would recommend to make sure the test goes to plan.
After testing and researching the Barbie brand, I found that Moschino did a collection where they recreated the barbie designs on the Barbie dolls for real humans. They also copied the Barbie text and changed it to Moschino. The models also had the Barbie look (big blonde hair, tanned, small figure) I love how they have adapted a dolls toy to something in real life. I feel that the collection is very controversial as it was made to get people talking. I love this idea and I would love to research into any other designers who have had a similar idea.
I then moved on to just doing a screenprint of the Barbie logo because it is such a well know text. I did the same method as before where I printed the image, cut it out with a craft knife on acetate, layered it on top of white cotton and then screen printed on top of it with a bright pink. Both of these tests did not go to plan because when I was screen printing the first one, I clearly didn't make the squidgy go over each bit of the board as some parts did not show up very well. On my second attempt, the acetate moved when I was screenprinting causing the paint to not just go where I cut out on my acetate for the image. I would like to go back and attempt this test again because I have identified what went wrong so I now know how to fix it.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
When screenprint there is a couple of heath and safety guidelines I would recommend to make sure the test goes to plan.
- Always cut away from yourself when using a craft knife
- Be aware of everyone around you when holding or using a craft knife
- Wear gloves when screen printing so the paint doesn't get on your skin
After testing and researching the Barbie brand, I found that Moschino did a collection where they recreated the barbie designs on the Barbie dolls for real humans. They also copied the Barbie text and changed it to Moschino. The models also had the Barbie look (big blonde hair, tanned, small figure) I love how they have adapted a dolls toy to something in real life. I feel that the collection is very controversial as it was made to get people talking. I love this idea and I would love to research into any other designers who have had a similar idea.
No comments:
Post a Comment