How a Hand-Pulled Screen Print Is Made in Japan｜1188
A hand-pulled screen print is made one color at a time. At 1188, the process begins with separating the image into printable layers, preparing screens, mixing color and then pulling each layer by hand.
1. Separate the image into colors
Each printed color normally requires its own screen. A three-color print is therefore prepared as three separate image layers.
2. Make the screens
The artwork is transferred to coated mesh through an exposure process. The open areas of the mesh allow ink to pass through onto the paper or fabric.
3. Mix the ink
Color is not only a digital value. The actual ink is adjusted while considering the paper, the other colors and how the layers will overlap.
4. Print one color at a time
The first color is printed, dried as required, and followed by the next screen. Registration marks and physical guides help keep the image aligned.
5. Judge each finished sheet
Hand printing creates small differences. Registration, ink coverage and surface condition are checked sheet by sheet. The goal is not to erase every physical trace of printing, but to decide which differences belong in the finished edition.
KABUTOMUSHI / FIELD NOTES No.001
For KABUTOMUSHI, 1188 used three screens — BLACK, OLIVE and MUSTARD — to produce a 390 × 520 mm print. Twenty-two sheets were printed and eighteen were selected for the final edition.
1188 / Kanagawa, Japan
1188 is a silkscreen studio in Matsuda, Kanagawa. The studio works across screen making, hand printing, limited-edition artworks and live/workshop projects.