There’s no sign of Winter here in Houston, Texas, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t welcome the springtime!

Coming up in March, Flatstock will make its appearance in Austin, Texas, in celebration of the all-mighty screen printed poster. For the uninitiated, Flatstock is a gigposter convention and sale which coincided with South by South West. Participating artists and print shops register with the American Poster Institute, and roll our their wares for the general public to check out and purchase. Where else could you add 5 unique pieces of art to your collection for around $100?

Being in the thick of the t-shirt industry, a lot of people forget that screen printing is responsible for much more than just ink on fabric. For example, the process finds a home in the manufacturing plants which produce many of our electronics. Modern circuit boards, touch screen membranes, and other internal components can’t be produced with out resorting to the “black art” of printing.

Similarly, many forget to think about products also producible by screen printing when planning out a foray into print. Business cards? Art Prints? Custom labels and packaging? Screen printing can add a twist to any of them in a way that only adds value. Also worth mentioning is the ease at which screen printing can “get along with” other print mediums. Still need the ease of CMYK printing without the cost of screen printing, or potential loss of detail? Consider printing CMYK elements of the design via digital or offset, and then add screen printing into the mix for unique spot colors, embellishments, and more.

Designers and artists should also take note when planning out how to monetize their products. Although your brand may be rooted in street wear and fashion, stop and ask yourself what makes a design successful on a shirt. Is it because of the shirt, or the artwork? If the latter is what really pulls together the look, doesn’t it make sense that people might want to buy it as a print? The same artwork, printed on a good paper stock, can be produced without a heavy investment into t-shirts (often at $3-$4 per shirt), and often sold for the same price.

Scared of taking a chance on something new? Material costs on printed editions are almost next to nothing, so it’s not going to break the bank. With a healthy edition size of 50 or more prints, it’s easy to recoup the production cost by selling 5-10 prints.

So, looping back to our celebration this month of all things Flatstock, we’re offering several price specials on prints. All specials include screen fees, ink, and paper (either on our 100# cover white stock, or on chipboard), and begin at $180 for 50, 2-color 18×24″ prints, or $240 for 50, 3-color 18×24″ prints. Additional color runs, different size pricing, and more are available as well. All you need to do is send the artwork and description of the project to us via our “Services” page, or direct to production@blackswanscreenprinting.com.

Happy Spring from Spring Street Studios in muggy Houston, Texas!

I will be in a group show On February 24th At the ABB gallery located in Austin,TX. The show title pretty much sums up what you will see. Lots of animals,people,and probably some animal people. My mural partner Kristopher Kotcher will also have some great work as well as a premier of his new video project How to Paint a Self Portrait.

Here is the event page on Facebook if you would like to RSVP. The opening is from 7-10 pm on Friday the 24th. ABB gallery 1601 east 5th st Austin,TX

Hope some friendly faces can make it out for the evening!

-Adrian

Starting this month we will be selecting artists from all over to contribute to a new collective here at black swan. Each series released will have 3 artists work printed at Black Swan. These will be very limited prints on paper and shirts. We are looking at this endeavor as a way to make affordable pieces of art and show what can be done with the right artists and printers at work. Silk screening is a lot less limited than some might think. The options are limitless!

I am happy to announce that we have picked our first 3 artists whose work will be printed in the coming weeks…

First up is the talented Mark Cross.

Mark cross is a tattooer from San Francisco; currently based in Brooklyn and working out of East River Tattoo. Focusing primarily on old-world American traditional tattoo and folk art, his tattoo style is simple and bold; comprised of hard lines and heavy black shading. In addition to tattooing, Mark has been making art and photographs for several years and has shown his work in galleries and museums in New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Amsterdam and curates the photo website muddguts.com.You can contact him at mark@muddguts.com.

Next up is EYESORE.

EYESORE reigns from the Houston streets and is probably one of your favorite artists if you live in TX. The beautiful and often bleak imagery leaves you wanting more, as the line work has a perfect mix of hard lines and delicate texture. This artist is a true gift to the Houston streets. Drive around and take advantage of the free gallery show because I have a feeling EYESORE is going somewhere. See more at My Coffin Hands.

Last but not least is DUAL…

DUAL is an anonymous Houston-based street artist with a specialty in wheat paste and a noteworthy presence for over a decade. His work takes on a variety of different backgrounds, gracing everything from rundown buildings to gessoed canvases. With blatant graffiti influences, DUAL brings a fresh face to the city be it with a paint brush, squeegee, marker, or computer mouse. Follow him along on his lifelong city beautification project by keeping an eye on his blog at www.dualstreets.com.

These three champs will have prints available exclusively on our brand new web store. Each design being released was especially made for black swan and will be printed in very limited amounts. Keep checking Black swans blog and Facebook for updates!

-Adrian Landon Brooks

We’re planning up a series of monthly workshops on screen printing in order to start of the year right. Past participants in Black Swan workshops have learned about everything, from producing fine art editions on paper and wood, to the process that goes into launching a t-shirt line. We’ve even worked with a few top secret projects to help launch some experimental techniques. In short, there’s probably some room for everyone to learn when it comes to screen printing, which is part of why we continue to offer classes as a part of our operation here in Houston.

Workshops will be open to a maximum of 3 students per student, and generally begin at $200 per participant for a full day. All usual materials are provided, but specialty techniques may require students to bring their own supplies. At the end of the day, in addition to learning all about your chosen aspect of screen printing, you’ll walk away with a set of prints to show off your accomplishments, or even sell!

Interested parties should drop us a line at production@blackswanscreenprinting.com, or via the contact form on this site.