Screen printing is perhaps the most versatile form of printing and used widely in industry and art alike. It is a process by which a stencil is used to create a sharp edged image. Adopted by artists in the early 1900’s, it is commonly used to print images on clothing, CD’s, ceramics, vinyl, glass, paper, metals, and wood.
The method is simple and the materials easily accessible making it a fun activity to try at home. The “screen” is made out of any type of porous material. Originally silk was used but these days polyester is more common, and a cheap and easily available option is to use a pair of old nylon stockings. The material is stretched tightly over a frame – an embroidery hoop is inexpensive and can be purchased in any craft shop.
In order to transfer the image you want to use, either draw or print out an image from your computer (in black and white) then trace it onto the stretched out material using a lead pencil. Use an acrylic glue to block out the areas where you don’t want the ink to go - that is, the white parts – then it must be left to dry well. Once it is dry, put some special screen printing ink on the material then use a piece of cardboard to squeeze the ink down through the porous material onto the garment you are printing. If it’s a T-shirt, make sure the ink doesn’t bleed through to the back of a shirt by using some cardboard in between the two layers of the shirt.
Carefully peel off the screen and your image should be left on the shirt. You can dry the ink with a hair dryer then follow the instructions on the bottle to make the image permanent. This usually involves ironing the image through some paper for a set period of time.
The method is simple and the materials easily accessible making it a fun activity to try at home. The “screen” is made out of any type of porous material. Originally silk was used but these days polyester is more common, and a cheap and easily available option is to use a pair of old nylon stockings. The material is stretched tightly over a frame – an embroidery hoop is inexpensive and can be purchased in any craft shop.
In order to transfer the image you want to use, either draw or print out an image from your computer (in black and white) then trace it onto the stretched out material using a lead pencil. Use an acrylic glue to block out the areas where you don’t want the ink to go - that is, the white parts – then it must be left to dry well. Once it is dry, put some special screen printing ink on the material then use a piece of cardboard to squeeze the ink down through the porous material onto the garment you are printing. If it’s a T-shirt, make sure the ink doesn’t bleed through to the back of a shirt by using some cardboard in between the two layers of the shirt.
Carefully peel off the screen and your image should be left on the shirt. You can dry the ink with a hair dryer then follow the instructions on the bottle to make the image permanent. This usually involves ironing the image through some paper for a set period of time.