Re-visiting more printing techniques

Re-visiting more printing techniques

Whilst researching in depth about consumerism today i gained a lot more knowledge on it. which will help bring concept to my work. Research is always very important to me in a project as it provides concept and substance to my work. 

The first technique looked at again was manutex printing, after research about the American dream and crony capitalism i began to look for key images that would allow me to represent facts i had gained. Coming across a large amount of American postage stamps, a few specifically stood out to me 'voice of America' and a bold patriotic USA one. I found these highly ironic as of recent events in which people like Donald Trump have been given vast power and have used it to silence 'the voice of America'. I also believe things like postage stamp's represent a consumerist society in which it has been from being a means of communication and connecting people into something that now commonly transports unnecessary goods for people that often don't really need it. Using this simple printing method i was able to create a print that could potentially be good in repeat and also a mixed media collages conveying subtle thoughts on crony capitalism and the blinding American dream. I think manutex is a really simple clean way of printing a image however it is not best for repeat print.

Another printing technique i looked at again was heat transfer. I kept this print simplistic as i am not the best at heat transfer and the colours often don't mix the way i wish them to. Heat transfer is simple printing method that can be used to create simple but also detailed prints. I like how the method is essentially just painting to get a print, however the colours are always quite deceiving making it really hard to get the right colours the first time. Researching the importance of money in today's society i found an embroidery artist who creates extremely detailed embroidery pieces of commonly used objects. This inspired me to create my own sample using a combination of her embroidery technique and heat transfer. Creating this sample i gathered marking found on English notes and assembled them in an interesting order, then began embroidering back into it. I really like the simplistic format of this print and the layout of the motif, I think combining a variety of markings creates an interesting story which i would like to continue doing.

I also explored stitch printing again however it did not work out as planned. Sewing a motif into acetate i then experimented with layout and printed it with printing ink. The print didn't come out well at all and was often quite blurry which meant i then had to go back into it with a pen and try to make it look more interesting. Overall i think this print is too time consuming for what it ends up turning out like, so i would much rather use a technique worth my time.