Member of the Month - Alfamarama - In my studio

by Pedro Vieira aka Alfamarama

I don't really have a studio. My studios are my kitchen table, my spot at the local library and my screen printing table at East London Printmakers.


I use the library when I'm working on Illustrator, marketing, sales and all computer work. It's quiet and there are no distractions or biscuits on sight. The only problem is that the world's loudest whisperers are there.

At home I have all my stuff stored in a wardrobe and I take it out when stuff needs to be done. I try to put it all back after I'm done with work every day but unfortunately I'm not always that tidy. Most of the time my kitchen table is more than enough. However, every so often, especially before market days, things get out of hand. Alfamarama simply takes over the whole flat and there is paper, cards, boxes, mugs, packaging and all kinds of stuff everywhere.

I arrange regular screen printing sessions to print my notebooks, cards and prints. I normally prepare my work a few days in advance in order to try to have everything ready on the day. That way I can use as much time as possible actually printing. I also decide in advance, the layout of my screen and how many items I'll be printing. All this preparation not only saves time but avoids the need to make important decisions when there is ink everywhere and not a single clean finger left!
On the day, I have to prepare my screen, create my photo stencils and get all inks ready to start printing. Notebooks and cards are ready with just one colour but prints that have several layers of colour often have to be done in different sessions to allow the ink to dry. It can be difficult to decide when to stop because one more layer can make a big difference or simply destroy what you had before.




But that's the magic of screen printing, it can be very precise and reliable but also very spontaneous and surprising.




text and photos by by Pedro Vieira aka Alfamarama

2 comments:

  1. Gosto tanto destas visitas :) Adorei o texto do Pedro. Experimentei umas coisinhas em serigrafia, em casa de uma amiga que tinha o atelier no vão das escadas :D e adorei, na altura! Estes artigos são deliciosos. Bom trabalho com a Alfamarama, Pedro!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Obrigado Nena! Ainda bem que gostaste, fico contente! Bom trabalho para ti também !

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