SCREENPRINTING: Water-Based Techniques/Non-Toxic Methods for a Safe Environment

In the field of screenprinting, water-based inks are fast replacing oil-based inks that require toxic solvents. Not only do the new water-based products put an end to the health risks to which artists have been exposed, they also solve the waste disposal problems and end the damage to the environment caused by solvents and other harmful chemicals.
Screenprinting is the first book to show how to utilize water-based systems, enjoy their many advantages, and create prints according to the highest standards. Author Roni Henning - director of the Screenprint Workshop in New York - takes the reader through each step in the process of making prints. She not only contrasts oil-based and water-based printing but also focuses upon the unique characteristics of water-based inks, giving tips for using them most effectively and, indeed, for mastering the entire printing process - from the stretching of the screen and the creation of stencils of numerous kinds, to choosing the right ink, printing on various surfaces, cleaning up, and even recycling materials.
Henning's text takes great care to explain the logic of color separation, which is at the heart of much fine-art screenprinting. Moreover, she explores specialized topics, such as photo stenciling methods and applications, the creation of delightful monoprints, and the printing of tee shirts.
The text of Screenprinting is supplemented by beautiful examples of the medium, including images by prominent contemporary artists Alice Neel, Red Grooms, Elizabeth Osborne, and others. Many serve to illustrate specific techniques under discussion, while others make the book a virtual gallery of rich and colorful pictures to be examined and enjoyed again and again.

Roni Henning has been director of the Screenprint Workshop at the New York Institute of Technology, Long Island, New York.