Beth Shirrell
Written by: Emma Prushan, VCD, ’25
On Saturday, April 6, the Visual Communication Design Program hosted its third workshop in the Design Briefs Workshop series about the essentials of screen-printing. The Printmaking Workshop was hosted by VCD professor, Renee Walker, and Surface Imaging faculty member, Natalie Bouchard.
With gorgeous spring weather, current students, faculty, alumni, and community members joined us in the Visual Communication Design studios in Hayward Hall. The workshop began with attendees composing their own unique designs using printed transparency sheets and a sheet of acetate. Professor Renee Walker prepared astronomy-based several designs in preparation for the April 8th Total Solar Eclipse. Attendees also enjoyed being able to hand-draw their own designs to print using special opaque markers.
After composing their designs, workshop attendees made their way down to the Surface Imaging lab on the lower floors of Hayward Hall. Professor Renee Walker then demonstrated how to burn designs onto a screen for printing. After burning and washing their screens, attendees were ready to begin printing!
With a wide variety of ink colors available thanks to Natalie Bouchard, attendees were able to mix and choose colors to their heart’s content. With several hours left in the workshop, attendees were able to create several prints of their design. Some were even able to print two layers! Attendees also enjoyed printing one another’s designs over top of each other.
In screen-printing tradition, the workshop concluded with attendees exchanging their prints, with each attendee going home with several new pieces of art. The Visual Communication Design program was delighted to host all of the creatives in attendance and we cannot wait for the final Design Briefs Workshop this spring! If you would like to come connect with us through creative exploration, learn more about the Design Briefs Workshop series on our Instagram: @jefferson_vcd.
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