You can make your own unique, detailed, screen-printed shirt at home with a few simple materials! This method uses Drawing Fluid and Screen Filler to easily create your detailed design on a screen. There are other cheap methods you can use for screen-printing, however I really like this method because it allows you to create more detailed designs than you would using Mod Podge to paint on a screen and it's much easier than using an exacto knife to cut out fine details from contact paper. Also, it's less expensive than purchasing screen-printing frames from art stores, which are usually $15 & up.
If you'd like to see some finished products or view my other tutorials, check out my etsy shop & blog , or follow me on twitter ! Also, your constructive feedback on this tutorial is greatly appreciated! Thanks for looking and message me with any questions!
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If you'd like to see some finished products or view my other tutorials, check out my etsy shop & blog , or follow me on twitter ! Also, your constructive feedback on this tutorial is greatly appreciated! Thanks for looking and message me with any questions!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/anotherwaydesigns
http://anotherwaydesigns.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/anotherwaydsgn
Step 1: Materials
You need a few inexpensive materials which can be found at art stores & most craft stores.
- embroidery hoop (only about $2 for a basic hoop, available at craft stores)
- mesh material (nylon, polyester, silk - something with tiny holes that can serve as a fine screen)
- Drawing Fluid (I use Speedball, available at most art stores)
- small paintbrush
- newspaper
- Screen Filler (I use Speedball, available at most art stores)
- plastic spoon
- screenprinting ink
- squeegie
- shirt or bag to print on
- embroidery hoop (only about $2 for a basic hoop, available at craft stores)
- mesh material (nylon, polyester, silk - something with tiny holes that can serve as a fine screen)
- Drawing Fluid (I use Speedball, available at most art stores)
- small paintbrush
- newspaper
- Screen Filler (I use Speedball, available at most art stores)
- plastic spoon
- screenprinting ink
- squeegie
- shirt or bag to print on
Step 2: Assemble Your Screen
Take your mesh material and place inside embroidery hoop. Tighten hoop. Stretch material evenly across hoop and tighten hoop again. Should be tight or your material will shift and you won't have a clear print.
Step 3: Draw Your Design!
This is the fun part! Flip hoop over so that the screen is facing up. Shake your Drawing Fluid bottle. Using your paintbrush and drawing fluid, draw a design onto screen. (This Drawing Fluid will be washed out later after the Screen Filler is applied.) Make sure your brush strokes aren't TOO thin or the design will not be clear. Allow to dry fully (about an hour, or if you're impatient, speed the process along w/ your hairdryer)
*If you would like to be more careful when drawing your design onto the screen, you can draw your design onto paper using a marker first, then tape drawing to underside of screen and trace the design with drawing fluid.
*If you would like to be more careful when drawing your design onto the screen, you can draw your design onto paper using a marker first, then tape drawing to underside of screen and trace the design with drawing fluid.
Step 4: Apply Screen Filler
Place newspaper under screen to avoid making a mess. Shake your Screen Filler bottle. Spoon a couple tablespoons of Screen Filler onto top of screen (same side as the Drawing Fluid). Using squeegie, drag Screen Filler at a 45 degree angle from top to bottom of screen. Repeat a few times (2-4x) until you cover the whole screen. Do NOT do this more than a few times because it will become difficult to wash out the Drawing Fluid. (This Screen Filler will remain on the screen, and the Drawing Fluid will later be washed out.) Check the underside of the screen to make sure the Screen Filler isn't seeping through. If it is, don't worry, just use your squeegie to scrape off excess Screen Filler. (And next time, use a finer mesh material with smaller holes).
Allow to dry fully for a few hours or overnight (again, impatient folks can bust out the hairdryer). Should be completely dry to touch.
Allow to dry fully for a few hours or overnight (again, impatient folks can bust out the hairdryer). Should be completely dry to touch.
Step 5: Rinse Out Drawing Fluid
When screen is dry, rinse screen w/ water (use shower head if possible) to remove drawing fluid from screen. (This is where the ink will pass through the screen to create your image on your shirt or bag.) The Screen Filler should remain on the screen. It will block ink from passing through the areas that are not part of your drawing/design. Allow to fully dry again!
Step 6: Test Your Screenprint
Place your screen onto test paper/material and place a few spoonfuls of screen-printing ink onto the top of your screen. Hold screen down firmly in place with one hand. Using pressure with the other hand, drag squeegie at a 45 degree angle across screen to distribute the ink. Flip squeegie over and drag squeegie upwards. Do this about 3 times. Once you have made a satisfactory test print...
Step 7: Screenprint!
Print on a t-shirt, tote bag, pillow case, cardstock..anywhere! Have fun with different ink colors, too! You can print for around 15-20 minutes at a time, making sure the ink doesn't dry in the screen by "flooding" the screen between prints. To flood the screen, drag ink across screen using your squeegie WITHOUT applying pressure. This will distribute ink into the screen holes so the ink doesn't dry up too quickly.To clean up, simply scrape excess ink off screen with squeegie and rinse screen. Let screen dry and reuse later! You may have to stretch and tighten screen across embroidery hoop before your next printing session.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments. If you'd like to check out my etsy store or blog, please do... I love visitors!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/anotherwaydesigns
http://anotherwaydesigns.blogspot.com/
Let me know if you have any questions or comments. If you'd like to check out my etsy store or blog, please do... I love visitors!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/anotherwaydesigns
http://anotherwaydesigns.blogspot.com/
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thanks for sharing your ideas!
I've got a kit. I'm giving it a shot.
Plus I got to make myself some shirts with the kids' designs, which were very cute and funny! Thanks again for the instructable.
i have had results bleed or some areas not have ink even with a squeegie that is bigger than my printing area??
also i have a screen but there seems to be a lot of instructions that say i have to tape the edges?? can i skip that? it looks like you get around it.
can't wait for the reply, i have been put off trying again as my first to printing attempts have not worked (one invovling cleaning filler out, so i am going to read over your steps for that too)
thanks
also, since the screen is round, i didn't tape it. i do tape screens when i buy rectangular screens. if you have the $, i'd buy a screen from the store since they are stronger and tighter; if not, then this is a good cheap alternative.
Just one question as this will be my first attempt doing this myself, what kind of paint do you use? Does it have to say specifically "Screen Printing Ink", or will any kind of fabric type paint work? Basically I'm looking for what would be the most inexpensive paint but that would still wash and wear well. I see only one store listed in my city on Speedball's website, so I'm hoping I have more options than them LOL.
Another question, and I completely understand if you are not wanting to share, but I was wondering if you have a preference as to where you get good quality shirts and other things to print on, but at a good price? I've been on the search for a while but feel overwhelmed by the choices and not knowing who is really good with supplying these things.
The screen needs to have some important properties:
- It must have holes that are big enough to allow ink to pass through easily,
but small enough to allow the stencil to properly adhere.
- It needs to be rather stiff with only a small amount of give, so that it returns
to its original position instantly.
- It shouldn't be made of an overly-fibrous organic material (cotton, wool, etc),
as the fibers tend to soak up and hold in the ink,
and can degrade the quality of the print.
Silk or nylon ought to work, as those materials don't "shed" fibers.
The right screen material is key. The reason professional ones are called "silk screens" is because silk is the best material to use (it's fine, strong, doesn't shed, and keeps a good amount of elasticity, as well as re-use longevity). My advice is to try something out; start cheap, give it your best guess, and you'll quickly learn what makes a good fabric while not wasting money!
The mesh material I used is nylon from Jo-Ann fabrics. I looked for a material with tiny holes that looked like fine mesh. I'm not sure another t-shirt would work too well b/c the fabric may be woven too tight, and the cotton may absorb the ink instead of letting it pass through. You can also look for polyester or silk fabric with small holes. If you have an art store near you, stop in and check out the screen printing frames that they have, so you have an idea of what the mesh material looks like. Also, make sure the material isn't too stretchy (ie nylon stockings) b/c the material will move around during printing.
rogeromc23@yahoo.com
Congratz for the awesome tutorial.
love it ^^
A. had a hard time getting the drawing ink to wash out
B. was suposed to keep the liquid used to fill the screen under a light for several hours
Do you ever have issues with this?
Unfortunately you probably over exposed the screen or the image negative was not as opaque as you thought. Which would at best washing out the screen difficult at worst the screen its ruined and you either need to strip the emulsion and restart from the beginning or if really bad toss out the the screen (though keep the frame).
Usually using a soft tooth brush or scrub brush will help clear out those stubborn areas.
GraduallyGreener:
A. When applying the screen filler, how many times did you drag the squeegie across the screen? I try to do it as little as possible so that the screen filler doesn't start to fill in where the drawing fluid is, maybe 2-3 times across the design. You also may want to draw thicker lines with your drawing fluid, sometimes fine lines get filled in with the screen filler. Also, if you have trouble washing the drawing fluid out, I like to take a toothbrush and scrub the areas that aren't washing out (gently at first, then gradually applying more pressure as necessary). This always helps me..
B. I'm not sure what kind of screen filler you used. With Speedball screen filler, you don't have to expose to light...
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have more questions!
Thanks lots
You are the queen of this topic! Very helpful for making T-shirts for my meetup.com groups at an economical price. Thanks bunches.
Print it out.
Put the printout behind the mesh for step 3.
Another method you can use (that doesn't include screen-printing) is using iron-on transfer paper. You print your image onto the paper and then iron the paper onto your fabric, transferring the image. Check this out: www.ehow.co.uk/how_6099117_transfer-paper-fabric.html
If anyone else has another method, please share!
are you referring to the screen or the shirt? because they both hold up well to washing!
screen: can be used over & over, so long as you are using a fine material with very small holes. if the holes are too big, the screen filler will start to wash out after a couple of uses..
shirt: after you print your shirt, allow it to dry for a day or 2, then heat set the fabric by doing one of the following:
1) ironing on both sides of shirt for 3-5 min with a piece of fabric between iron & shirt (different ink brands may have different instructions)
2) throwing shirt into the dryer on high heat for atleast 10 min (I prefer this method, especially if you are making multiple shirts; ironing is very time consuming!)
3) adding a small amount of "fixative" to your ink (1-3% fixative) and you won't have to heat set your ink! i've never used this myself, but i've heard of this and am planning on trying it soon. Versatex makes this product: http://www.dharmatrading.com/products/vfix.html