If you are looking for a most enjoyable hobby that can feed your artistic needs with a bit of creative challenge then consider taking up screen printing. Read on to learn the basics of screen printing.
If you are looking for a most enjoyable hobby that can feed your artistic needs with a bit of creative challenge then consider taking up screen printing.
What Are The Basic Tools Needed?
There are a few basic tools needed to become an effective screen printer including:
• An aluminum or wooden frame
• A choice of fabric mesh to use as the screen. When you choose tighter mesh, you produce greater image detail
• Use film positive stencils (this is a vellum-like transparent material)
• Emulsion fluid
• Sensitizer fluid
• Frame glass
• Black cloth
• 250-watt photo bulb
• Access to a water supply
• Rubber gloves
• Squeegee
• Special screen printing ink (different for paper vs. fabric)
• Material to screen – T-shirt, tote bag or other choices
Make sure to wear clothing that you can afford to get very dirty during your screen printing project.
A Good Stencil Makes The Difference
The difference between an excellent design and a bad one is that your design is dictated by how good a stencil is used. Keep in mind that using images that possess large contrast areas will show up best on a T-shirt or tote bag. Your many commercially available stencils for purchase but you can also create your own employing a variety of different methods. When making your own stencil make sure you create a photocopy of the image on a transparent piece of material, such as a sheet of film positive.
How To Create The Print
Here are the steps needed to create a successful print:
• Make sure the screen is secured to the frame
• Create your stencil
• Apply a mixture of sensitizer and emulsion to both sides of the mesh. Use the squeegee to even it out. Make sure to do this step in the dark since the motion will be sensitive to light. This will prevent the new motion from drawing without hardening
• After drying, place one side of the screen image on the black cloth
• Put the stencil on the frame and then the glass upon the stencil
• Expose a screen side to your lighting source
• After drying (in about 20 minutes), remove the glass and stencil
• Rinse and dry the screen
• Place the screen on the material to be inked an squeegee an even amount
• Lift the screen to reveal the printed image
If printing with multiple colors, always rinse and thoroughly dry the screen before applying an additional color.
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