TEMPTATION - LOVE LUST

This piece was the second attempt I had ever made in the realm of screenprinting and my first encounter with using Rubylith. I created this piece for a nationwide screenprinting postcard exchange put on by Iowa State University. The following were the requirements:

1. Theme: Temptation
2. Any editionable printmaking technique may be used (woodcuts, lithography, intaglio, photography, silkscreen, digital printmaking, etc.) NO MONOPRINTS PLEASE
3. Size: 4” x 6”
4. The 13 identical prints should be sent INDIVIDUALLY to the address posted below. Each card must be stamped and will bear the markings of travel and the postal service. (Do not send the cards together in one envelope.)

When it comes to temptation, the number one in my book is sex, sex, sex. Did I mention sex? Anyways, I of course had to do something creepy and I wanted to show love and lust intertwined. I've been working on this piece as an additional installment in my heart illustration series following Heart Attack. The kicker was that I did this completely with Rubylith, which means each color (or layer) has to be delicately hand cut with an razor blade. I say delicate because if you push too hard, you'll cut right through the clear film backing. On the other side of the coin, if you don't cut deep enough, you run the risk of ripping the red film when you remove the unwanted sections of red. It's quite time consuming and it requires far too much patience for my liking.

After I had all the layers of Rubylith cut and exposed onto the screen, then comes the four layers of ink. Seeing as the exchange require 13 identical prints, each color had to be perfect and registered very precisely, which I totally could have done better. But I suppose that's part of the learning curve.

I liked how this turned out but I'm far more excited to make it realistic as one of my illustration pieces. So keep your eyes peeled for that in the future.