printing the Dude

Here are some photos from my screen printing process. I’ll try to sum up the 9 photos like this:

1. Burning and drying screens.
2. Creating a test page to use to register the print run.
3. Mixing and comparing inks. I added more red to the red, and more white to the blue post photo.
4. About the print the first color
5. 1st color done – ran out of space on my “rack” which is little clips on a wire.
6. Second screen registered and ready to print.
7. Second color done – one of my favorite things about printing is seeing prints in multiples like this. Once the prints are dried and cut and sold, it never happens again. Cherish the moment.
8. 3rd screen registered and ready to print.
9. An elated looking Dude has emerged from simple tools. A little beer and elbow grease can do a lot.

dude_1 dude_4 dude_5

dude_6 dude_8 dude_9

dude_11 dude_12 dude_13

I know from the start that I’ll come under fire for jumping on the Obama / Fairey spoof bandwagon, and rightly so. I resisted doing this print for a long time, it had been in the back of my mind for over a month, messing with me. I wasn’t interested in the flack that I might get, and I thought it was kind of a hack move.

BUT then I envisioned the Dude’s Logo, and when I was watching the film for the 3rd time this month, I discovered the Face that said to me “DUDE”. I hd been half-heartedly working with a different image of the Dude, and I was happy to make a change. I was not confident in that composition, but this version screams to me. I love it. I am not unhappy to have created it. Anyway this is running a bit long. Let’s go bowling.