Foiling is a process were adhesive is applied to a design and using a heat press, metallic foils are attatched to a design to create a reflective finish. Foils come in many different colours and styles.
From my list of things I wanted to achieve this year I wanted to learn how to foil. I think that the finish it gives to typography creates a certain elegance and flair to a design which is a skill I wanted to obtain. In my studio development time I went into the drop in sessions and Blenheim and tried out this process and recorded the steps it took for me to complete this, to see the outcomes and also as a guide for future reference.
Step 1: Choose a Screen
To start the process I took a fabric screen to clean, in order for the foiling process to work.
Step 2: Clean a Screen
I then put on the protective gear in the print room and used the orange b-solve to get rid of the previous screen users design and because the emulsion was blue.
instructions
I washed the inside of the screen first and then the outer side leaving it for 10 minuets before rinsing it again. I then had to wait for the screen to completely dry before going any further with preparing the screen.
Step 3: Coat a Screen
After you clean the screen you have to screen on the emulsion before you expose your image, so it will transfer onto clearly. When the emulsion was on I then had to wait for it to dry again.
Step 4: Print a Negative design
Whist the screen was drying it left me time make a quick design to practice on. I wanted to use simple serif letterforms as I thought the stems and leaves would look interesting on different stocks and foil colours.
I tried creating a logo out of my initials on illustrator but in the end opted for just the simple J because the letterform had a lot of depth and shape for the foil to work into. Also for a first attempt I thought it would be easier to try some thing simple.
Step 5: Buy stock & materials
I then brought 3 different stocks for the design from the college library.
Grey Paper A2: Cost 30p
Black Card A3: Cost 20p
Red Paper A2: Cost 30p
I then brought 3 different coloured foils to experiment with
Fushia: Cost 50p per 10 cm
Gold: Cost 50p per 10 cm
Champagne: Cost 50p per 10 cm
Finally I brought a glue that would be put over the the screen for the foil to stick to when it was applied to the stock and heat pressed. Costing £2.60. It was advised to add a few drops of water to make the consistency smooth before applying it to the screen.
Step 6: Expose a Screen
After the screen had dried and I printed off my design. I exposed it onto the screen using the press.
By using soapy water and high pressured water the image started to show up on the screen.
Finally I put gum paper around the areas that the emulsion didn't take to so that the foil wouldn't leave marks around the design and again wait for it to dry.
Step 7: Glue a Screen
When the design was dry, I then applied the foiling glue to the edge of the screen and by using a squeegee, and swiped it from side to side, about 3-4 times.
Initially I found this process really hard because the glue only has a set amount of time before setting to the screen and no longer being usable. Because I used a registration plate for my first go, all the density of the glue had went on that, so when it came to me applying it to my stock there was less on there.
I learned that I didn't need to use a registration and that possibly applying more glue to the screen could have saved me from making this mistake.
Step 8: Heat and Foil
After that I cut and applied the foil facing upwards on the image. I then used the heating press to make the foil stick to the glue. First of all I applied newsprint to the bottom layer of the press, then putting the design on to top, and finally another sheet of newsprint over the top of the design like a sandwiching process. Then I set the press to 160 degrees and left it on for 12 seconds.
Finally after the pressing, I had to wait a few seconds for the design to cool down before peeling off the access foil off and the final design appeared.
Attempt 1:
Although the glue hadn't set correctly on the first go, the design still came out how I expected and had added a bit of texture to the design that I thought look interesting.
I then went on to try my other designs concepts. Unfortunately when I came back to do them all the heat presses were being used after I applied all the glue to my stock so I had to wait and 1hr 30mins until one was available, which could have affected the design.
Attempt 2:
Attempt 3:
Final Shots:
I then took one of my designs and framed them, like in my research pictures to see what it would look like and really liked the outcome.
Evaluation of process:
The foiling technique is something I really enjoyed experimenting with and now I know how to do it I can approach this process confidently. The different stocks, foils and finding new outcomes was an informative and fun experience. I would like to try this process again trying with texturerd stocks like newspaper, patterned or flock paper to see how the design would transfer.
However with wanting to do this process in future designs there are a lot of things I have to consider in regards to time and cost. In total it took me 3 days to complete this process and cost £6.90 which is quite expensive for only a few pages and a small design. This is valuable information for my to recover as it has allowed me to see the boundaries of designing with foiling techniques but also the great visual and experimental side of it.
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