Tree Ape Stencil

I'm taking a silkscreen printing class this semester. This is the stencil for my first project. There are actually three parts to it. First I will apply a photo emulsion of cotton swabs in the background in a very light faded yellow or off-white. Secondly, I will block out the screen with ripped paper to make the leaves and grass. The ripped paper will give it the right texture. The color for that wil be a muddy or olive green. The last step is the actual stencil that i have to cut out. The stencil will be of the monkey and the tree bark which will end up being a dark to medium brown.

I'm planning some changes in this design. The tree bark just doesn't work. One person thought it was a cactus at first. I gotta make it look more in the style of the ape. And the arm is looking a little funking at the moment. I may add a hat or a banana or something, cuz something is missing. The design is not final, so I'll keep posting until this project is done. It should take a week or two or more maybe.

below: the original sketch on a post-it. I love my post-its. I also love the way they break the sea of white in my sketchbook. It's really rough but i got the overall style down pretty early. It was just a matter of blowing it up and tracing over it.

My other idea was a really graphic overhead view of a mouse in a maze with cheese at the end. I'm glad i stratched that idea.