Screenprints and Stencils 101

Screenprinting is a process that utilizes the properties of a stencil; some areas are blocked out and other areas are printed through. Here are the kinds of stencils, how to make them, and how they can be used.



BLACK STENCIL

The black stencil has no shades of grey, just black and white.

Select Image>Adjustments>Threshold and Filter>Artistic>Cutout




Black and White Stencil


Background Layers vs Adjustment Layers

In the first example the colour doesn't bleed through. That's because the green background layer is below the stencil layer. I guess it's not really a true stencil because the white is still there. More on that below.

Background Layer Below Stencil Layer

In this next picture, notice that the colour does bleed through. This is because a New Fill Layer>Solid Colour was added above the black stencil layer. Blend Mode: Multiply was used so that the layers would blend. In this case the Opacity is 100% but it could be changed to whatever one desires.

New Fill Layer>Solid Colour Above Stencil Layer

 

Separating the Black Stencil

The black stencil can be separated into two new layers: "black only" layer and "white only" layer. This will simulate a "true" stencil and get rid of the white layer that was above.

In this example the "black only layer" was coloured magenta and the "white only layer" was coloured yellow. The two layers were then placed on a blue background

"True" Stencil Used Here
 

Colouring Specific Parts of the Screenprint

New layers can be added to colour specific parts of the stencil, e.g. hair. In the example, the hair was "coloured" in a separate layer and the face was coloured in another separate layer. Those two layers were combined with the stencil (shades of grey in this case) and placed on an orange background.



Strangely, these colours look good together
 

SHADES OF GREY STENCIL

The shades of grey stencil has not only black and white but, you guessed it, grey. It's a bit more complicated to make.

1. Adjust the Brightness/Contrast

• Adjust to your liking

Enhance>Adjust Brightness/Contrast>Brightness/Contrast

2. Apply the Cutout Filter

Filter>Artistic>Cutout 4, 2, 2

3. Adjust the Levels of RGB

• Adjust so that you have black, white and 3-4 shades of grey.

Enhance>Adjust Brightness/Contrast>Levels

4. Re-apply the Cutout Filter to refine the edge simplicity to 4

5. If desired, Re-adjust the levels of RGB to reduce the shades of grey.

 



Shades of Grey Stencil

 

Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer vs Create a New Layer

 

New Fill Layers or Adjustment Layers are more flexible than plain old new layers because they provide you with a layer mask thumbnail that you may (or may not) choose to use.

 

In the next three examples, I ignored the layer mask thumbnail that was provided for me because I didn't need it.

 

Create New Fill Layer (thumbnail ignored)

 

I played around with the adding New Fill Layers ABOVE the photo and here are just a few of an infinite number of possible screenprints.

 



I added three new separate New Fill Layers in orange, yellow, and red and put each layer in Overlay Mode with 100% Opacity above the photo.


Overlay Mode is effective


 Here I added a New Fill Layer>Gradient in pink above the photo.



Gradient Adjustment Layer

Here's where I added two New Fill Layers>Solid Colour in pink, Screen Mode, and blue, Multiply Mode above the photo.

Screen and Multiply Mode on Solid Layers
 

LAYER MASKING

Lastly, I wanted to experiment with Layer Masking. This is where you paint while in the layer mask thumbnails. When you paint with black paint you "erase" what's below and painting with white puts it back in.

Create New Fill Layer (thumbnail used)

Here I added a New Fill Layer>Solid Colour in pink, Blend Mode: Multiply above the photo.

While in the layer mask thumbnail, I painted over the eyes and teeth with black paint so that the pink was "erased".

White teeth and eyes

Then I added a New Fill Layer>Gradient spectrum "rainbow" below the photo.

Lasty, I selected the layer mask thumbnail and used the special effects brush "Scattered Roses" to paint in the roses on the background.

I could play with this all day!

Wait a minute!

That is what I'm doing!

Mad About Screenprinting

I was inspired by this self-portrait poster of Andy Warhol.

1. As always, open the photo, duplicate the layer, and remove the background.

2. Add a white background layer and insert it below the photo.

3. Adjust the Brightness/Contrast.

Enhance>Adjust Brightness/Contrast>Brightness/Contrast.

I just played around to whatever looked right. The first time I lost the right shoulder (too much bright white or not enough contrast perhaps) so I had to keep moving the sliders until it reappeared. Note: since this was a b/w photo originally there is no need to remove the colour. However; if it is a colour photo, select Enhance>Adjust Colour>Remove Colour first.

3. Apply the Cutout Filter

Filter>Artistic>Cutout
number of levels 4
edge simplicity 2
edge fidelity 2

4. Adjust the Levels of RGB

Enhance>Adjust Brightness/Contrast>Levels

This is where you play around with the sliders to get the effect you want. I was aiming for black, white and three shades of gray to appear on my image.

Black, White and Three Shades of Grey

5. Apply the cutout filter again but this time increase the edge simplicity to 4.

6. Adjust the levels again but this time I was aiming for black, white and one shade of grey.

Black, White, Grey

Fun Times Colouring

Picture No. 1

Add a New Fill Layer>Solid Colour—green colour, Blend Mode: Multiply, Opacity 23%, all on a White Background.




Just Plain Jane

Picture No. 2

Add a new layer above the photo, call it green hair, and using the Brush Tool, paint over the hair in green and select Blend Mode: Multiply.

Add a new layer above the photo, call it red skin, and using the Brush Tool, paint over the skin in red and select Blend Mode: Multiply.

Add a new background below the photo and using the paint bucket fill it with orange and use Blend Mode: Normal.

Somehow these colours work

Picture No. 3

Select the green hair layer and duplicate it (right click). Rename this layer red hair. Using the Paint Bucket Tool, fill what was green to red.

Make a pink skin layer in the same way.

Add a new background below the photo and using the paint bucket fill it with purple and use Blend Mode: Normal.



These colours look pretty together

Picture No. 4

I noticed there were additional brush strokes on Andy's version (only on some of the panels) and I thought it would be fun to try and simulate that.

Create a new green background layer (you can use the red hair and pink skin that you already have).
Select this new green layer and using the Brush Tool, paint in the strokes. Change your brush to get the effect you like. I used a Wet Media Brush>Dry Brush on Towel.  The name is perfect.

The "Dry Brush on Towel" Brush was used here

Picture Nos. 5 and 6

Repeat steps as required.

Ta Da!

Fun With Stencils

I was inspired by this print of Che Guevara by Andy Warhol.

1. Prepare photo, i.e. crop and remove background

2. Create a "stencil" by:

Select Image>Adjustments>Threshold

Black and White Stencil

3. Using the Magic Wand Tool separate the white parts of the stencil from the black parts and create new layers for each.

4. Then by using the Magic Wand Tool again,  change the black layer, for example, to magenta, and the white layer, to yellow.

5. The remaining step is to combine these two new layers with a blue background to get this:

I continued on in this manner until I produced all nine pictures.

For each picture, I used the "Save For Web" feature and discovered that I didn't have to flatten the layers first so that saved some steps. Lastly, I assembled the pictures into a new file.



Andy Warhol is my Inspiration

Screenprinting the Easy Way

Screenprinting is a process that utilizes the properties of a stencil; some areas are blocked out and other areas are printed through.

Open the image, duplicate layer (as always), crop image, remove background

Original image

Make a "stencil" the easy way:

Select Image>Adjustments>Threshold



"Stencil"

Colour the background:

Add a New Fill Layer>Solid Colour—Yellow, Blend Mode: Multiply

Yellow

• Flatten the layer
• Copy to a new file with a width and height of 3 times the original
• Return to the original and undo flattening
• Change the colour of the Fill Layer to blue
• Repeat steps for all the other colours

Here is a description of the method Andy Warhol may have used to create stencils for his screenprints. It sounds a lot more complicated to me.

"The stencil is created on a mesh screen using a light sensitive emulsion which hardens when exposed to light. First the screen is coated with the light sensitive emulsion. Next a black and white photograph is photocopied onto a transparent overlay. The transparent overlay is placed underneath the screen, which is placed on top of a light box. The screen is exposed to light, hardening the emulsion everywhere except where the image overlay has been placed. The area of the screen not exposed to light does not harden and can be washed away to reveal a stencil of the original image."
http://www.christies.com/features/andy-warhol-and-the-art-of-screenprinting-2752-1.aspx