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How to Create Computer Generated Art for a Screen

Silk-screening is a method whereby paint is pressed through a stencil embedded on a silk or other fine mesh screen. The paint passes through blank areas on the screen onto the printing surface, according to whatever design was embedded in the screen beforehand. That image can then be used as a work of fine art (like many paintings from the Pop art movement) or for simple objects such as T-shirts. One can use computer art to make screening stencils through the use of a computer art program such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.

Things You'll Need

  • Drawing pencil
  • Sketch paper
  • Several sheets of vellum
  • Black ink pen
  • Scanner
  • Computer art software
  • Printer (ink jet or laser)
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Instructions

    • 1
      The first step is finding an image, whether it be drawn or photographed.

      Start the silk screening process with an image. Find a favorite image from the plethora of images on the Web or through other resources, such as books or magazines. Draw this image using pencil and paper. Take your time. Choosing a photograph is also an option.

    • 2
      The process continues by bringing the image into the computer.

      Scan the image into a computer. To begin, attempt this simply in black and white. Adjust your scanner to grayscale and the resolution to 300 dpi.

    • 3
      Now the drawing is opened in an 'image-editing' program, such as Photoshop or Illustrator.

      Open the newly-scanned image using a software specifically designed for computer art, such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. Make the image a bitmap at 100 dpi.

    • 4
      After the image is outlined and ready, the layers are flattened.

      Create a new layer above the original and decrease the opacity of this layer until the original layer below can be seen through the upper layer. Outline the lower layer with a basic drawing tool, such as a pen or pencil, in the computer art program you are using. Add colour with the 'paint bucket' or 'paint brush' tools. Save these layers with a new name and choose to flatten the layers into a JPEG file.

    • 5
      Add type, if needed, on a separate layer.

      Create another layer for Type, if type is needed on the picture. Flatten picture again, when done, saving as a JPEG file.

    • 6
      The colors of the image are separated into their component parts.

      If the image is in colour, you will need to change the mode to CMYK (process color silk screen printing) through the "split channels" function. This will separate the image into its component colors.

    • 7
      The transparencies are printed and can be used as stencils in the silk screening process.

      Now to print CMYK, you will have to print a transparency - or 'vellum' - for all of those four colours - cyan, magenta, yellow and black. You can now use this computer art to create your silk screen.

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