This series was the first hand reduction I did in my Serigraphy class at Mizzou. I chose this photo from a Vogue story about Fashion Week because the culture of high fashion has always both fascinated and mystified me. So much time and effort is devoted to what is essentially just a piece of clothing, extravagant though it may be, and the supermodels on whom the clothes are displayed are little more than glorified clothes hangers, as illustrated by the cropping out of the model's head in the image. The process of creating this print somewhat mirrors the process of creating an elaborate piece; the hours spent blocking out each shape and printing each image can be compared to stitching together pieces of fabric.
Process
I separated the image into 16 colors in Illustrator. I then numbered every shape in each layer to create a map of the image. To block out the screen, I placed the map under the screen and used it as a guide to fill in each color after I had printed it. For the first several colors, I registered the screen to the image using T-pins, but after a while I decided it was easier to do it by eye. This print contains 16 colors, three reprints of mistakes, and an overprint varnish, making it 20 total printings. The series contains 20 prints.
Bon á tirer
The map used to block out the image
Close up of bon á tirer
Detail
