How To Block Print a T-Shirt When Printing at Home
Create art you can wear by decorating a T-shirt with a block print. Block printing allows you to show off your creativity while adding a personal touch to your wardrobe. The designs you can add to a shirt are nearly endless, from an elegant design to the image of a beloved pet to a signature catch phrase. Best of all, it's easy to set up a block printing work station on almost any surface, making it a cinch to print a T-shirt in the comfort of your own home.
Things You'll Need
- Ironing Pad
- Glass plate
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Linoleum block
- Pencil
- Linoleum block carving tools
- Craft knife
- Water-based fabric ink
- Brayer
Instructions
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Set up a work station in your home by clearing off a countertop, table or other smooth and sturdy surface. For printing, lay out a portable ironing pad and then line it with craft paper for protection. Set up a glass plate to hold the ink when you're ready to print.
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Draw your T-shirt design on the linoleum block using pencil. Use the pencil to shade in the negative or un-inked portions of the design, helping to indicate the areas that will be carved and remain ink-free and blank. The unshaded parts of the block indicate areas that will not be carved and will thus be covered in ink and printed onto the shirt.
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Carve out the shaded areas of the block with the linoleum block carving tools. Press the sharp edge of the tool into the linoleum and push it along the block's surface to carve out the area. Trim off any unused portions on the outside of the block with a craft knife.
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Prepare the shirt for printing. Lay it out so that the side you wish to print on is facing up. Place several pieces of craft paper or a sheet of cardboard between the front and back sides of the shirt to stop ink from bleeding through to the back during printing. Make sure the top surface is smooth.
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Squeeze ink onto the glass surface at the printing station. Roll the brayer over the paint several times until the entire surface of the brayer is covered in a layer of ink.
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Roll the inked brayer over the surface of the carved block, applying ink to the block surface. Continue inking the block until all of the design is covered in ink.
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Carefully place the inked block onto the T-shirt, in the space where you want the print. Firmly press the block straight down onto the T-shirt before carefully peeling the block away from the T-shirt.
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Tips & Warnings
Carve away from yourself. Carving toward yourself can cause you to impale yourself with the carving tool should your hand slip.
When carving, keep your hand that is holding the block behind the carving tool so that you do not cut yourself.
References
- Photo Credit Goodshoot RF/Goodshoot/Getty Images
