How to Make a Simple Silk Screen
Silkscreening is an American art form made famous by such artists as Andy Warhol and Harry Gotlieb. The concept of silkscreening is simple--transfer a design to material--and while many artists and designers have taken up silkscreening as a hobby or business, many people find the process daunting because of the space and materials required. Serious, experienced silkscreeners use a plethora of special materials and supplies to produce their designs, but novices of this art form can begin learning how to silkscreen with simpler methods and less materials.
Things You'll Need
- Wooden frame
- Staple gun
- Light mesh fabric
- Photo-emulsion
- Squeegee
- Duct tape or packaging tape
- Dark-colored poster board
- Printing ink for fabric
- Paint brushes
- T-shirt
- Basin or tub
Instructions
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Prepare the Screen
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Stretch mesh material (the screen) over the frame and staple into place along the frame's edges. You can purchase your mesh material at any fabric store (if you cannot identify mesh material, tell the fabric store employees you need the mesh for silkscreening, and they will immediately know which type of fabric to get), or from a big-box retailer such as Target. The frame can be any wooden frame taken from a painting (perhaps from a garage sale), purchased from a thift store, or purchased directly from an art supply or hardware store.
Make sure the material is pulled as tightly as possible around the frame. Cut off extra hanging mesh. The front of the screen is the side with the material pulled around its edges.
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Use a squeegee to coat your screen with photo-emulsion. Coat the screen on both the front and back. Photo-emulsion is the key substance that triggers a reaction with light.
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Store the screen in a dry dark space while you wait for the photo-emulsion to dry. It should take no longer than 30 minutes.
"Shoot" the Art
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Tape down your art or design so that it is facing the front of the screen. The creative part of silkscreening is that you can use any art or design you'd like as long as it fits within the frame. Your art can be hand-painted by you, a stencil cut-out, a newspaper clipping, a printed (on paper) photo or any image you'd like to see reproduced. To start with this simple method, it may be best to cut basic shapes, such as hearts, out of poster board, just to get the idea. The art can be on cardboard, art transparency material or any type of paper that's at least as thick as newspaper.
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Flip the screen over and secure the poster board on the other side. Make sure the poster board is tight and secure, with no "gaps" or slices of light able to get through.
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Expose the print by flipping the screen over again and placing it directly in the bright lights (posterboard side facing you, not the lights).
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Allow the exposure to continue for 15 minutes before removing the silkscreen.
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Wash the screen thoroughly in cold water (after removing the posterboard and the print). Allow the screen to dry completely before advancing to the printing steps.
Print the Art
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Lay the T-shirt down on a flat work surface, making sure it is as wrinkle-free and taut as possible (for extra caution, use clamps or weights to secure the material flat on the work surface).
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Place the screen (front side down) over the material. Secure the frame's edges to the work surface with duct or packaging tape to keep the frame in place and prevent movement while printing.
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Apply the ink with a paintbrush (or another squeegee or paint scraper). Brush the ink over the screen.
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Tips & Warnings
Flood lights are effective for silkscreening.
Work quickly, when preparing the screen with photo-emulsion, since it should receive as little light exposure as possible before shooting your print.
By the last step, you will see how many different options you have for reproducing your silkscreen image on the material, using multiple designs from the screen or repeating one design on different parts of your material. You can also use multiple ink colors.
Do not overexpose your print to the light; it will ruin the silkscreen.
