As designers, we love getting down and dirty. While the computer is a great tool for designing, our hearts lie in being able to touch our work.
So last Saturday, the designers of Gravity took the opportunity to attend the Silkscreen 101 workshop at the Vera Project in Seattle Center.
The Vera Project, besides providing a safe space for Seattle youth to explore and enjoy music, has a community studio for local artists and silkscreeners. We spent a couple of hours learning how to apply photosensitive emulsion to the screens, prepare artwork, burn images, and apply ink to paper and fabric.
Though most of the designers have experience with screenprinting, it was a great refresher course, and we now have the opportunity to use the Vera studio for drop-in hours. The studio is a good setup for small production runs of 1-200 pieces, and is staffed by experienced volunteers.
Did I mention we also love instant gratification?
Jen, Bri, Jesse, and Susan try their hand at the screen
It’s refreshing to go from artwork to finished product in a few short hours.
We were ready to start producing our own cards, shirts, and posters, on the spot! Unfortunately, the class was too brief, so we’ll have to see what the future holds from the Gravity artisans. It was a great and inspiring afternoon and now we’re ready to get dirty!
–Jennifer Pritchard
