Sirens

The mighty I Like Trains got back in touch recently, asking me to design their latest single 'Sirens'. I accepted and got thinking how best to illustrate the song.

My previous design for the band focussed on scale and the over-powering force of nature, which I wanted to explore with this design. So after watching the video, I was inspired at furthering the story told within.

The focal point of the the video being the 'abusive man' seemed like a good figure to use and I wanted to convey his shame and banishment from the shores for his actions. To illustrate his sense of failure as a human I encapsulated him within an 'sea-clock', which is a nautical-based version of the more traditional sand-clock. This links with themes studied through I Like Trains's latest LP 'He Who Saw the Deep'.

So now you've read about it, here are pictures the print session for the special edition 10" inserts:

Firstly, here are the tracing paper sheets, having been greased up with vegetable oil (to make them more transparent for the print process) and hanging up in my shower.

After the tracing paper had become suitably transparent I headed to WYPW to prepare the screens.

The next stage involves me coating the screen in Azocol and then burning the image (using high voltage UV light) to the screen.

A close up of the image.

Then it was time to mix the colour for the prints. Since i'd had to alter the design from being a multi-coloured / multi-layered design to a one-colour print, I had to create a colour that would be striking enough to work on it's own.

This is the paint on the screen after the first print. Hope they turned out OK...

Here they are lined up, ready to be cropped.

And here is the final cropped version, ready to be signed, numbered and stamped.

Close up.

Hopefully that's given you an insight into how I go about designing things and screen-printing. Unfortunately if you want to own one of these limited edition screen-prints they have all sold out but there are standard editions left over in the I Like Trains shop.

A Father's Son

Hi forks

So last week I got to do some screen-printing for the mighty Leeds post-rock giants that are I Like Trains. This was also my first session at Manchester's Hot Bed Press. Added to the fact that the band went on tour at the weekend and needed the posters delivered by then, the pressure was on...

So to the speedy nature at which the poster was printed, I failed to get any pictures of the acetates, which were burned to the screen, so here is a picture of my mixing the blue, which would be the first colour I printed.

Here is the screen for the first colour, awaiting it's fate... blue!

The first colour printed and drying on the racks.

Here's to fallen comrades.

The second colour printed, which is the lighthouse, ship and tour dates.

The final poster, cropped, signed and numbered and ready to be shipped (no pun intended) to the band.

A detail shot of the lighthouse, searching for the lost ship.

So apologies for not having the most detailed of print processes but the session was more stressful than anticipated. But I am happy with the outcome and I hope you've enjoyed a little insight to the world of screen-printing.

Ta ta.