Remnant
This t-shirt design developed from a screen printed triptych that I produced whilst studying. The image is from one of the panels that made up the triptych.
The multiple blended colours in the original image were created by pulling more than one ink colour through the screen at a time. This effect, known as split fountain printing, allows the printer to blend a variety of inks on a single screen.
When I produced the original image, first I printed the screen with a bright array of ink colours, blending them together and then pulling them through the screen with a large squeegee blade.
I then turned the screen and the print 90˚ realigned the screen to the image and overprinted the bright colours with a darker translucent ink. I printed the darker ink with a much smaller squeegee blade and left a gap between each pull. This created the banding effect that you see in the final image.
To reproduce the image for printing onto t-shirts I took a high-resolution scan of the print and turned it into a CMYK process print. I separated the scan out into multiple layers, each layer being a different colour: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (known as the Key colour within the print industry). I added two additional layers of colour to the overall design: Highlight White and Grey. The two extra colours give the image more depth and contrast that would be difficult to achieve with the CMYK colours alone.
Once the colours were separated out each layer was turned into a halftone pattern, printed out onto acetates and exposed to screens. The effect of the final six colour print is achieved through the combination of the semi-transparent process colours and the halftone pattern coming together to create a wide range of additional colours, gradients, and tones.
I’ve called this t-shirt Remnant. It was hand-printed by me, along with the screen printed and heat pressed logo on the inside neck.
The t-shirt itself is made using 100% organic cotton and has the Fair Trade label to certify that the cotton has been ethically sourced from the producer. In addition, the t-shirt features the Fair Share label. This label is there to let you know that the garment maker, who produced the blank t-shirt, received a living wage.
For more information on both of these labels take a look at their official websites: