In this new episode of Deep Dive with Colin, we’re diving into a super cool project—a spooky pumpkin design! Instead of sticking to a plain white base, we’re giving it a twist with a puff foundation in an off-yellow color. From there, we’re layering on some bright top colors using a technique called a split fountain. Let’s break down how this design came together and what tricks helped us achieve a multi-dimensional, eye-popping look!
THE SETUP AND MATERIALS
The base layer is done using an off-yellow puff ink. We’re using a 110 mesh screen to hold that texture while creating a soft background with a subtle halftone (about 15% dot at 40 LPI). For the top colors, we went with two blends.
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Fluorescent Green Mix combines fluorescent yellow and green to create a lighter highlight tone. Fluorescent Orange Mix is a custom blend of fluorescent red and yellow to get a bright, lighter orange.
SPLIT FOUNTAIN TECHNIQUE
Imagine blending two colors right on your screen so they smoothly merge into one another. That’s what a split fountain does! The key here is how you place your inks.
In this design, we set the focal point around a flame in the pumpkin. So, instead of splitting the colors equally, we offset the center to match the flame’s position. This keeps the eye naturally drawn to the key detail. Use just the right amount of ink on each side of your focal point. If you want your blend to stretch, add more ink towards the center; if you want to tighten the blend, build up the ink on the sides. Think of it like building a dam for the ink to corral it where you want it!
BLENDING FLUORESCENT INKS OVER A PUFF
This design gets its pop from the combination of the puff base and vibrant fluorescent inks. But with these inks, you’ve got to watch the flashing! Fluorescents take longer to set, so balance your heat carefully. Too much heat on the puff and you risk losing that texture!
We laid down a soft print first to gently merge the colors, followed by a harder print to really solidify that blend. Think of it like fluffing and smoothing until everything is evenly mixed. Subtle halftones beneath the top colors let the base peek through, giving the design added depth and avoiding harsh transitions between the blends.
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TROUBLESHOOTING AND ADJUSTMENTS
The magic in screen printing often comes from making adjustments on the fly.
We saw that the orange needed to extend a bit more, so we moved the ink carefully and tweaked it until we got the coverage just right. When the ink started to creep out of place, we added ink on the sides to stop the blend from spreading too far. Think of it like managing a river—sometimes you’ve got to build up the banks to keep the flow controlled!
THE FINAL PRINT
After tweaking, blending, and a few flashes in between, we ran the design through the dryer. The final result? A layered look that uses just three screens but gives the impression of five or six. The puff base provided that dimensional texture, while the split fountain added the depth and color variation to really make the pumpkin pop!
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TAKEAWAY TIPS
Blending is an art, so don’t stress if the blend isn’t perfect the first time! Keep feathering the ink and adjusting until you hit that sweet spot. Choose your inks carefully. When mixing custom colors, test for contrast to make sure your highlights stand out. Remember to tweak and test; each print is a new learning opportunity. Make adjustments to your setup, inks, and registration as you go.