How to Make a Hand-Drawn Stencil for Silk Screen Printing

A stencil is what the art on a silk screen is called when it's ready for printing. There are a number of ways to prepare art for silk-screening. This is the most direct and immediate.

Difficulty:

Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Brushes
• Drawing Fluid For Screen Printing
• Screen Filler
• Garden Hoses Or Sprayer
• Masking Tape
• Sponges
• Stiff Cardboard
• Water Sources
• Old Toothbrushes
• prepared silk screens (framed, stretched and degreased)

1. Collect the materials you will need: drawing fluid, screen filler, small paintbrushes, and some sponges and an old toothbrush for texture.

2. Place your silk screen on your work surface flat side up (in other words, you don't want to be working inside the well).

3. Use drawing fluid and any combination of the brushes, sponges and toothbrush to draw or paint your design directly onto the stretched silk screen (see Tips below).

4. Allow to dry for at least an hour.

5. Pour a thin bead of screen filler onto the silk screen just outside of the area to which you've applied drawing fluid. The bead should extend just past the drawn-on area.

6. Use a stiff piece of cardboard to quickly squeegee the filler over the drawing. Your goal is to apply a thin film of screen filler to the entire drawn-on area with one swipe (working back and forth will dissolve the drawing).

7. Allow to dry for at least an hour.

8. Rinse the entire screen with water and a hose or sprayer (mild pressure), which will dissolve and wash out the drawing fluid, leaving open mesh in whatever shape you've drawn.

9. Use screen filler or overlapping strips of masking tape to fill in the rest of the open area (the area around the drawing) that you don't want to print. Hold the screen up to the light to check for open areas - if you see any unwanted ones, use screen filler or tape to fill them in.

Tips & Warnings

• The drawing fluid acts as a placeholder for the ink (it's technically called a "resist" because it resists the screen filler). Put drawing fluid - as outline, as texture, or as solid - anywhere you eventually want ink to be. Another way to think of this is that any place you put drawing fluid will print as a positive - i.e., ink will come through the open mesh during the printing process.

• Screen filler is fluid and thus flexible, so it's the easiest way to outline the image. You can use it to fill up the entire screen - but masking tape is cheaper for the large areas. Think of screen filler (and/or masking tape) as the opposite of ink - they will block the mesh, so that any place you put it, ink will not come through.

• Remember that your drawing will print in reverse - think of it as a mirror image. This is particularly important if you are including type.

• After you rinse out the drawing fluid and let the screen dry, you can touch up or refine your drawing with screen filler.

• These are not toxic products, but good ventilation is a good idea during any printing process.