STPI Workshop Visit

A few weeks ago, a couple of representatives of the STPI (Singapore Tyler Print Institute) visited our art class and taught us about lithography. It was really interesting learning about the printing process for lithography, and the history of printmaking. We began by drawing. Most of the class drew animals or plants. I chose to draw a deer from the neck up. We then photocopied our sketches, and applied water onto the photocopied pieces of paper with a sponge. We took litho (oil based paint) and used brayers to apply it onto the surface of our photocopies. The toner on the photocopies bonded to the paint. Then we used a print-press to transfer our prints to a piece of paper. The print press applies pressure to the prints so that they transfer evenly.

My first attempt did not turn out as well as I expected it to. I hadn't applied a sufficient amount of the litho paint to my photocopy, which resulted in a print without a clearly defined image. My second attempt, however, using a spoon instead of a print-press, turned out a lot better. Using a spoon required more effort, but turned out a lot better than my first attempt. I chose not to use much mixed media, but simply shaded in the ears of the deer to make them appear darker, which was what I was going for in the beginning but the print didn't allow the design to transfer as well. If I were to do this assignment again, I would experiment more with different designs, mixed media, and different colored litho.