How to Cut Out Patterns for Custom T-Shirts

When low numbers or high expense prevents you from sourcing professionally screen-printed products, you can easily produce a small run of custom T-shirt designs using a good old fashioned stencil technique! Advantages include low production cost and quick turnaround, not to mention that the low-tech feel to the finished product could help reinforce an urban or distressed brand, especially with a little extra overspray.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• T-shirts
• Sharp scalpel
• Spray mount
• Spray paint

1. 

   Create the initial design in your chosen application. In the example image, Illustrator was used with the addition of a free vector resource file from Go Media. A graphic from the wings collection was modified and combined with the Spoon Graphics logo.

2. 

   Remember when creating your stencil to plan ahead and think about what areas will be cut out. Some areas may need splitting to allow the areas of negative space to connect. If not these areas would simply fall out when the stencil is cut out.

3. 

   Print your design out onto a card of the desired size.

4. 

   Place a board inside your T-Shirt behind the chest area. Fold the material onto the reverse and stick it into position with tape. This will help prevent spray painting other areas of the T-Shirt and will stop any paint from seeping through to the back of the shirt.

5. 

   Cut out your stencil carefully with your scalpel, then give the rear a coat of spray mount to help stick the stencil down to the T-shirt. This will prevent overspray. Position the stencil on the T-shirt.

6. 

   Use plenty of masking tape and newspaper to cover off the surrounding areas, and ensure that the tape is firmly stuck around the stencil to prevent overspray. Give your spray paint a thorough shaking to mix the paint and activate the propellent, and spray a couple of test sprays to clear the nozzle. Then simply build up layers of paint onto the stencil.

7. 

   Peel away the stencil and tape once the paint is dry to reveal your design transferred onto the T-shirt.