A 31′ documentary film showing Jean-Pierre Sergent silkscreening his images on small papers in his Besançon studio’s for his new June show: LE DÉSIR, LA MATRICE, LA GROTTE & LE LOTUS BLANC, April 2014.
http://www.j-psergent.com/calendar/65/23-LE-DeSIR-LA-MATRICE-LA-GROTTE-LE-LOTUS-BLANC
About the silkscreen process in the article:
Talking to artist…Jean-Pierre Sergent
An Interview with Grith Grough for The Eroticartlover, Denmark, February 06, 2013. > http://www.eroticartlover.com/talking-to-artist-jean-pierre-sergent/
EroticArtLover:
What is the process for creating a silkscreen print?
Jean-Pierre Sergent:
It’s a long process:
• First, I import an image on my computer. Sometimes I also draw directly on the film mask.
• Second, I redraw the image. Using design programs like Photoshop and later with Illustrator, to convert the design to vectors.
• Third, I send the information to the machine plotter in order to cut a Rubylith film with a blade. Two films are sandwiched together, the bottom layer is clear and is not cut, the top layer is red and cut by the blade.
• Fourth, I peel off the part of the film I don’t want to print so that my design remains on the film. If the design is simple it can take a few minutes and if it is complicated, it can take up to a day or more of work!
• Fifth, I clean the old silkscreen frames with a high-pressure water cleaner.
• Sixth, I coat the frames with two coats of photographic glue emulsion and let it dry.
• Seventh, I use Scotch tape to stick the ruby stencil that blocks light onto the back of the frame, and I expose it in a light box for five minutes. The glue dries where the surface is not protected by the film mask. After that, I clean the frame with running water to remove the parts that haven’t been exposed to light.
• Eight, finally I place my frame on the printing table and apply the ink with a squeegee onto paper or Plexiglas.
• Ninth, I add about three more layers of images on every Plexiglas painting. Then I finish it with three layers of monochrome coats with a brush, three coats of gesso and two of varnish.
EroticArtLover:
How long does it take to make a silkscreen print from start to finish?
Jean-Pierre Sergent:
Silkscreen printing is a long and laborious process. I have a huge database of images collected over the years. So it can take anywhere from a few weeks to several years for an image or a symbol to appear in one of my pieces of art.
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