For our textile class we had to choose a pattern and print it on a fabric using screen printing. I chose to print a pattern that shows the different paths of life. I am very proud of my final product at first I didn’t know i can be good at screen printing, but I worked hard on it. To learn more about my pattern and our process of screen printing read my artist statement below:
Artist statement
Minnat Yahya
Paths of Life
Screen printing ink on cotton
size(15’ x 12)
My pattern is called Paths of Life. It is formed from different lines and the lines represent the different paths of life. The story behind this is that I chose to write a secret story to my aunt that tells her about life and how complicated life is. If you would look at my pattern you can see how it is complicated, but if you look deep in it you will see that there is different paths and some are open, some are closed, and some are both. I chose the colors white, black, pink, and blue. The colors represents black as power, pink is love of life, blue as the bright side of the world and, white as survival and overcoming.
In class we looked at different patterns and symbols from different cultures. We got to draw patterns and guess what they meant, then we had to writer a story using three patterns. After that we had to look at the real meaning of the symbols and correct the stories. My layout arrangement is a half drop, my layout type is random, and my pattern direction is non-directional.
We are printing our designs on fabric. On a Field Experience we went to a textile store and chose a fabric that connects to who we are so we can print on it. I chose cotton because it was soft, warm and easy to work with. The first step we did before printing our screens was that we had to grid out our fabric the size of the screen. We used screen printing to print our patterns on the fabric. We painted everything on the screen by screen fluid then we covered it with screen filter. After doing that we started mixing paint and printed. It was a great experience for me to learn about screen printing.
First layer of my print:
