Screenprinting: Introduction to Poster Art

Explore the fast, cheap and messy medium of Poster Art – a practice that gave a voice to popular culture in the 20th century, using basic techniques that have been around for centuries.

Malcolm Smith introduces you to the primary aspects of printing posters including how to make a text-based poster; how to create the illusion of depth and shade; and how to incorporate photographs into colourful prints.

Each session begins with a demonstration of materials, methods and discussion, followed by practical activities to produce your own prints. In the first session the assignment will be to design a poster with a simple background colour and add text to the foreground; followed by more complex techniques as the course progresses.

The screenprinting process requires many steps, Malcolm guides you through every stage in a systematic way, from making paper-cut stencils, applying photocopies to acetate, coating screens with emulsion, overlaying colours, layering transparent colours, dot screens, drawing on acetate, basic Photoshop techniques, two and three-colour separations and printing editions. Malcolm also introduces you to environmentally safe procedures and how to set up your own sustainable print studio at home.

The course is suitable for beginners at printmaking as well as for more experienced students who will be encouraged to break the rules.