Screen Printing Techniques by Silvie Turner (review)

Books 347 The Art of Print Making: A Comprehensive Guide to Graphic Techniques. Erich Rhein. Evans Brothers, London, 1976. 238 pp., illus. £5.95. Reviewed by Romas Viesulas· This is a very useful book within its intended scope. It is practical and quite thorough. While its aim is to provide a basic understanding ofgraphic media, in some instances it offers more than that. Although it is not and claims not to be a workshop manual, in some media it gives sufficient technical information to be utilized as one. It has a handy format and is well printed. The first 30% of the book deals with introductory graphic techniques on a beginner's level and is aimed to induce a general interest in the graphic arts, offering a number ofways for readers to explore the graphic touch for themselves. This part, though useful, is rather tenuous. There are detailed and clearly presented chapters on most intaglio media. The book deals well with dry point, etching, aquatint and etching grounds. There is a good chapter on the complex medium of lithography. Other surface techniques are only touched upon very briefly. 'Resist' techniques, as the author calls them, and some other less well-known media (mezzotint, stipple engraving) are dealt with briefly as well as color hatching. Copper engraving is presented as a medium of the past to the neglect of present-day use and development by, fOT example, Stanley W. Hayter. A reader will find very little on woodcut and wood engraving techniques, reproductions notwithstanding, in spite of the fact that they are among the most accessible ones for any level ofskill. There are 181 illustrations in black and white and nine in color, and their quality is good. But the data for them is seriously flawed. For instance, some reproductions lack the names of artists or titles or year ofexecution. Dimensions are not provided and some lack the indication of medium. There are other flaws; for instance, in the table of contents a process has been referred to correctly as monotype (p.II), but in the text he refers to it as 'monoprint' (p.58). A monoprint is generally understood to be a single print in any medium. The section title Machine Graining is misplaced above the section dealing with chemical treatment of the litho stone (p. 146). A concise, clear and fascinating chapter on the history of printmaking ends the book. There.is an index of artists and an index of innovators, but the latter omits present-day contributors. An adequate glossary is provided. Screen Printing Techniques. Silvie Turner. Batsford, London, 1976. 120 pp., illus. £4.95. Reviewed by Ruth Faerber** Although there are many books on screen printing, this one could be called the answer to a beginner's prayer. Turner is an experienced printmaker and teacher, as witnessed by the acknowledged examples that are reproduced to show the possibilities of the medium. Moderately priced and sized, the book is easy to read and is well illustrated. Unlike some in-depth treatments, it is more likely to prove encouraging by its limitation on the amount of information provided. Yet it covers a broaderfield than the usual how-to-do-it manuals. This is particularly so as regards the use of improvised equipment made from household or simple shop parts. Special materials and tools are listed and illustrated in the step-by-step instructions. The advantages and disadvantages of cotton organdie, silk and nylon for a stencil support are described. The properties of various printing surfaces such as paper, glass, vinyl, canvas and other fabrics are discussed and procedures for mixing inks (including home recipes for making inks) for the use on the surfaces are given. Methods of stencil making, colour registration, pulling and 'flooding back' of the squeegee, and instructions on setting up of a work area and on care of equipment are simply presented without compromising standards. The chapter, Faults and Remedies, provides helpful information for the often frustrated inexperienced printer. There is a list of screen printing suppliers in Britain and the U.S.A., a glossary of special terms and an index. *Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19126, U.S.A. **69 Headland...