This was a flattened Photoshop file with the background included. I knew I would need to separate the black line work apart from the background. Luckily the wording was on separate layers which made the task a little easier.
After about 15 minutes of pulling the image out of the background, I begin the separation of the colors. The order in which I demonstrate is the print order on the press and how it will look as it builds while printing. The sequence in which I separate is quite different and usually takes anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half, determining on the number of colors and the difficulty in determining how I am going to pull it off.
In this particular design, I have the liberty to go for a full range of color to make the design match the original on the press. Sometimes, determining on how many colors a press can print and the budget on that particular design will determine how I will separate and mix the colors.
The White Base underlay will be the first color to print.
After the White Base is flash cured, the red plate is printed. Red is the strongest pigment color and I always leave it weaker visually as I separate, knowing it will gain the most on the press.
Yellow is the next color. At this point, we start seeing the development of the image as it blends to mix in other colors.
Since I have more liberty with colors, I make the Purple/Pink in the girl a spot color. If I were creating reds with a magenta and yellow, it would not be difficult to create a purple with a cyan and magenta.
There are two shades of blue. A green shade and a red shade. They both intermix together and other parts of the design. This is the red shade blue and it appears in the browns, skins and shadings throughout the image.
Next is a Green spot color, that could be made with cyan and yellow if I did not have the option to use a green.
The other blue is a cyan color for the brighter, greener shades of blues.
The next is a process or translucent black. Even though the design us printing on black, we are mixing to make the browns, the shadows and shades of the other colors and the tinting of James Earl Jones' skin color. (I love this guy!)
The Highlight white ads dimension to the design as it blends into to make the whites brighter and helps to blend colors together.
Usually, I don't need a second black, but the line work printed after the other colors are flash will give a design a crispness that is in the original art.
Last, we get rid of the black shirt color, save as a DCS format and place the file in Illustrator. From there we can add vector graphics, a legend and registration marks. Stretch and size the design if needed without affecting the original linked file. Then print out the separate colors on film!
Next week, the "King of Horror Movies".
Vincent Price!
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