With just a few simple items on this screen priting art starter kit checklist you can begin creating art!
Screenprinting is not only a hobby where you can use your creativity and imagination, it is an excellent way to begin a small home business. With just a few simple items you can begin printing. Add three other handy items and you can complete sophisticated printing projects. A computer and one or two software programs will provide a professional setup where the sky is the limiting for screen print projects. This article will provide the checklist to get you started.
Frame/Screen
It is best to begin with a small screen until you have developed your personal squeegee technique. These can be purchased from a local hobby shop or constructed at home. Craftsmanship is not important. The wood can be old, but the mitered corners must be a tight fit.
Materials:
8" X 10" Screen Frame
10" X 14" Screen Frame Base
Options:
Larger screen and base for larger images
Hinged screen. (Connect the top frame to the bottom base at one side)
Several 8" X 10" Screen Frames (One frame for each color ink)
Silk
You can purchase silkscreen kits online or from larger hobby stores, but it is easy to make your own frame. Buy silk online or order from fabric stores. This fabric is designed specifically for the art process and either natural or synthetic silk will work well. If you are on a budget, buy the best quality silk you can afford because the silk makes or breaks your design. Allow the silk to overlap at least three inches on each side of the frame to have enough fabric for a tight stretched silk. Use a staple gun, with long staples, to attach the silk to the frame. Avoid small staples or nails, since the silk will gradually tear away from these hooks as you use the squeegee.
Inks
Experiment with different brands of ink until you find the right color and consistency. The basic colors can be mixed to create other colors. You can add colors when you have decided on a project. The black inks will allow you to experiment on paper and fabric with your squeegee.
4 ounces of Black fabric ink
4 ounces of Black acrylic ink
Squeegees
A painter needs a basic collection of brushes, and a silkscreen artist requires a collection of squeegees. The choices will enable you to ink various designs. The squeegee is the device used to carry the ink over the pattern on the silk. Depending on the look you want, the squeegee could be made from hardened plastic or softer foam. Fabric and paper projects will require different squeegees. Start with two basic squeegees, one for fabric and one for paper. After you have mastered the basic technique, experiment with several types of squeeges.
4 inch fabric/textile squeegee
4 inch hardened rubber squeegee
The Stencil or Image
The first thing you will need to decide is to use a prepared screen image or create your own design for the project. A computer can be used to make an easy design using downloaded images. Convert the image to grayscale using any photo or drawing program. Using the purchased product designed for silkscreen image creation, use the computer printer to print the image onto the film. This will provide a stencil to place on the silk. Each product has specific directions and it is important to follow the instrucions carefully.
If you are artist, draw an image on paper and use a small tool to cut the openings out for the ink to print. This process takes some practice to design images where centers of images stay intact. If the image is too detailed, the ink will not penetrate all of the openings. Begin with simple newsprint paper to practice. If your design works well, allow the newsprint to dry and transfer the design with a pencil on to a thick plastic sheet. This will give you a permanent screen design. Follow the same procedure as with the paper, but cut the openings on the plastic. A larger cutting tool will be needed.
Newspaper (want ads work well!)
Cutting tool
Pencil
Fine tipped marker
Cardboard to put under newsprint for cutting
Chemicals
Certain chemical products will be used to set up the screen for production. The screen filler, sometimes called screen block, is needed if your image does not fill the entire silkscreen frame. Filler keeps the excess ink from flowing around your stencil and printing on your artwork. If your image fills the frame completely, firmly tape your stencil to the frame. If you have used a computer-made stencil, it may also adhere to the entire frame. Hold this image to the light to make sure all of the silk openings have been filled. Any open holes will allow ink to pass through. If there are any unfilled holes in the inkless parts of the image, the filler can be used with a small brush to fill those spots.
Materials:
4 ounces of Screen Filler
Options:
These items allow you to draw on the screen or develop your own image using film and custom images. The process is much the same as developing photographic film. The part of the film that is blocked, will not allow ink to pass through.
4 ounces of Drawing Fluid
4 ounces of Photo Emulsion
1 gram of Sensitizer
The Process
The basic process of sikscreening is quite simple. Even children enjoy creating art using smaller framed silkscreens. Lay the item to be screened between the base and the frame. If the item is thicker, such as a shirt or t-shirt, attach the silk frame with adjustable hinges. Once the image has been attached to the screen, you will need to align the image on the fabric or paper. Some artists like to use a small compass mark in the corner. This can be a washable mark for fabric or a pencil mark on paper and both can be easily removed. The compass is an easy way to have one mark where the screen can be placed for alignment. If only one color ink is used, then a point will not be necessary.
Once the item and the screen are lined up, make sure you have applied the filler to all areas that should not have ink. If there are any additional open screen areas that need to be covered with the fill solution, add those at this point and allow the fill to dry. This solution is necessary to confine ink to areas of the design.
Test your design on a piece of paper to make sure the fill doesn't have pin sized holes that will leak ink. The test also allows you to look at your completed design. More importantly, this test allows you a chance to test the amount of ink to place on the screen. Use a spoon or scoop to place ink at the top of the screen just under the edge. Place the squeegee in front of the ink ridge and, with one sweeping motion, drag the ink slowly across the design. Do not stop or shutter the squeegee, as this will show ink lines in the design.
Once the ink has been applied, make sure the item remains attached to the base and lift the screen in one smooth motion.
Some Hints:
When silkscreening t-shirts, place a piece of cardboard between the pieces of fabric. It will absorb a bit of the ink and not allow the ink to spread.
Leave the cardboard on any screened fabric until the ink is nearly dry. There is a danger that the ink will be smeared if you attempt to pull the cardboard from the fabric. If you wait until the ink has completed dried, then the cardboard might dry on the piece of fabric or t-shirt.
Clean your squeegee often during the printing process.
Detailed or complicated screen designs can be used only a few times before it is necessary to clean the screen.
Allow the screen to dry completely after washing or applying images. A wet screen will absorb the paint and ruin the design.
The last hint is to make additional pieces of the art, since you will find that others share your excitement and they will want to have copies of your design. It is easier to make one or two extra items than to take out the screen and begin again.
