Continuing the series that Galzelle began, Gal Ram is one of the first screen printed art prints produced after we relocated to Austin, Texas. Since then, we’ve relocated again to Houston, Texas. After I gained access to a proper studio space and worked at improving my printing skills via an internship in the field, I was eager to try a more complicated print. This edition’s texture comes from a sampling of wood grain, which was then translated into several stochastic dot patterns to form the background of the figure. I really like the resulting effect, and I think this print does a better job than Galzelle of bringing the source material into its own.
It’s important to think a little about the differences between stochastic and halftone screenings when planning out a project. Overall, we recommend clients to consider their source materials in order to stay true to those aspects in a print. Working from an irregular pattern like wood grain, as we did with this art print, is served best by using an irregular dot pattern. These dither, or stochastic, patterns follow a form of stippling to translate changes in tone into a pattern than can be printed by screen printing. On the other hand, if you’re trying to replicate a more measured, regular transition between areas, halftone dots are the clear winner. Their measured pattern is forced along a grid, and stays cleaner and better defined throughout a run, and relies on an optical illusion to translate the appearance of gradual tone to a work. This technique is great for subtle transitions between areas because of this.
This print is a 5 color screen print on 100# Cougar Opaque Cover Natural. It measures approximately 20″ x 26″.
