On Thursday week five this term, Mr Sunarya’s Year 9 Visual Design class had the opportunity to visit Aisle6ix, a commercial screen printing factory, and were immersed in the fabrication process of fine art prints, T-shirt designs and posters. Screen printing, also known as silk screening, is a versatile and artistic printing technique that involves transferring ink onto a surface through a prepared silkscreen frame. In semester one, the Year 9 visual design class used Adobe Illustrator to create a brand that stemmed from their own personal interest and printed a logo they designed onto a t-shirt using silkscreens.
Shannon, the owner of Aisle6ix screen printing company, invited the class to the factory to witness how a commercial screen printing company handles large quantities of print requests. The experience that Aisle6ix provided the class was beyond the expectations of the day, allowing the class to be involved in daily production and screen printing a tote bag each to take home.
Following on from the visit to the factory, Joel, the Art Director of Aisle6ix volunteered his time to follow the class back to the College to give the class a workshop on his design process in Adobe Illustrator. Joel showcased the design steps that are needed to be followed in order to prepare documents for print at Aisle6ix as well as other design tricks. Joel, who prepares all files for print, as well as creates designs if one is not provided, also gave a tutorial on how to create a cartoon graphic in Adobe Illustrator with specific instructions on the pen tool and half tone ben day dots.
The day was a huge success, with some students claiming it was one of their favourite days at school this year. The following images highlight the experiences that Aisle6ix provided for the class:
Mr Sunarya
Art Teacher