2011 CHRISTMAS CARD

My Winter Garden

Front and back of Xmas card

Above on the left is the photo that I used to make my card and print. I took this photograph years ago.
I had saved it because of the nice design and for sentimental reasons. The dark spruce trees across the back of our yard came down almost 3 years ago. But the trellis is still there and            covered, right now with Morning Glories.


I edited this in Photoshop; croped it a bit, increased contrast and posterized the edges. I laid out a card that was to be 7" x 10". When folded it would go into a 5"x 7" envelope. The simple inside greeting "May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all through the year!" was added to the layout at this time. It would be blocked out later with Future when I print the outside. Then I printed my transparency with a laser printer that prints black. You can do this with an ink-jet printer too. Just be sure to use the correct transparency stock. Or just take your layout to any copy place and have a transparency made.

My light box and timer

You will need a Speedball Diazo Photo Emulsion kit here. As a light source for exposure, I use a light box with three fluorescent tubes and a Plexiglas top.

Place the transparent positive on the light box so that the image looks the way it should when printed. Transparent tape can be used to hold it in place.From now on all work is done under very subdued light or a darkroom safe light. Speedball Diazo Photo Emulsion comes in a jar. Carefully follow the directions that are in the box. Mix sensitizer with water (be sure to mix all of the sensitizer). Then mix it thoroughly with the jar of emulsion.  An even coat of the mixture is spread across the under side of the screen and the screen is quickly dried with a hair drier.

Place the coated screen, fabric side down, centered on the transparency on the light box. Place a black, soft pad inside the screen, over all of the image and weigh it down ( I use heavy books). This keeps the image and the screen in good contact. Turn on the light box for five minutes. Turn it off. Then take the screen to the sink and spray both sides with warm water. Now you can put the lights back on. Keep spraying until the image appears on the screen. Hold the screen up to the light to see if the areas to be printed are open. When they are, the screen can be placed on a towel and blotted and the dried with a hair dryer and you are ready to print.
I printed 100 cards on white Stonehenge, 100% rag paper here. I cut each large sheet of paper 7" x 10" on a paper cutter so that the deckle would be on the 7" side. I printed one onto a sheet of paper that I had glued down onto the printing base. I used this print to set up my registration. The deckle was to be on the front of the card. I used  Black Pearl Speedball Opaque Iridescent Screen Printing Ink here mixed with transparent base. That gave the image a soft, silvery look. The cards were printed before I folded them. I used a bone folder to fold each one, then I signed and numbered them



When you want to clean the image from the screen you should put it down in a sink, put Emulsion Remover directly on it. I use a sponge brush. Follow the directions and spray with hot water. Your screen will be ready for a new project.