Learn How to Screen Print

Learn How to Screen Print?

Screen printing is easy, fun and cheap. You do not have to spend a fortune on the printing equipment or have to own a studio to make good prints. I was taught how I can reuse the old picture frames and curtains for making screens then burning them in the sun and cleaning them with a garden hose. The steps were easy to follow and since I enjoy doing printing the process was very educative for me. I will share some of the steps I learnt and you will agree with me that this is a cheap and nice way to learn how to screen print.

The first step is to gather the materials that one needs to use, they include; the image that is to be used, to achieve the best image photocopy the image transparently using maximum darkness. One can also paint image or draw it using a whiteout on transparent plastic. Your image on the transparency should be at maximum darkness since you want it to transfer to the screen and light should not get through. For subtlety and shading one can use dots like a newspaper image. Other materials that one needs are, picture frames preferably wooden and ones that are flat on the front surface, and old curtain-gauzy and it does not matter what color it is, dark colored fabric and it should be big to put on the frame, staples and the staple gun or a stapler, photosensitive activator and goo, an art squeegee, screen printing ink, a masking tape, old boxes such as cereal boxes, old newspapers to protect the surfaces being worked on, a garden hose and an old rag
Separate the picture frames by removing the metal and glass bits, cut a big piece of the curtain and wrap it in front of the frame and around the edges.