Take your
Craft to the adjacent calm with silk-screen printing.
Silk-screen printing is a visual art technique that uses ink-blocking stencils and woven mesh. This art form is becoming popular in independent music scenes and for personal art making. Today synthetic fabric replaces the silk used when this art form originated. However, the name "silk-screen printing" still permeates the art form. Screen printing first occurred in ancient China. It wasn't until the silk trade opened up in the 1800s that screen printing came to the Western World.
Instructions
1. Designate a clean, flat area for your workspace. Organize your supplies so they are ready at a moment's notice. Sketch a design to use for your silk-screen printing. Carve the design into a stencil. Tape the edges of the stencil to your screen-printing device to prevent seepage of ink.
2. Mix the ink with retarder base in a paper cup. Use a ratio of 2 parts ink to 1 part retarder base. This will prevent the ink from drying too quickly when in the process of printing. For your first time screen printing, mix various ink and retarder ratios to see which works best for you. It is also a good idea to have different colors mixed up and ready to use.
3. Place paper under Mylar and make a test-run print to use as a guideline. Line up your design to print on paper. Pour the ink onto the frame starting from bottom to top.
4. Pull the ink across the design using a squeegee. On the first pull, gently and evenly cover the design. This is known as a "flood" coat. Use very little pressure to coat the design.
Take your time as you discover what works for you.6. Lift the screen and remove your print.5. Move ink from top to bottom on the second pull with considerably more force. Press the ink through the screen and onto the paper. The angle of your squeegee affects the amount of ink that goes through the screen.
