Silk screening
, the artistic and creative style of creating your own clothes and paper goods, has roots back to both Japan and England. Today, silk screening is used to make everything from band t-shirts to custom packages of note cards to concert posters. Doing your own silk screening puts you in charge of your closet; you are no longer tied to generic store-bought designs and can let your creativity run wild for your next paper project. Learn silk screening a variety of ways, both by self-paced study and from industry experts.
Instructions
1. Enroll in a screen printing course, where you'll learn hands-on techniques from a qualified instructor. Classes are offered around the country by organizations such as the Ryonet Academy, the Chicago Artists Resource and the Vera Project, with beginner classes ranging from a couple of hours to multi-week sessions.
2. Study screen printing from home through a DVD or CD-ROM such as the one offered by the Ryonet Academy. The program includes a 100-page manual with step-by-step tutorials, a 6-hour DVD on basic screen printing concepts, a two-hour DVD on water base printing and free personal technical support.
3. Review online tutorials on basic silk screening from websites such as SilkScreenBiz, which shares free step-by-step instruction on preparing artwork and burning and image, plus offers photos illustrating each step of the process.
4. Select a beginner's silk screening book with step-by-step instruction and plenty of images. Choose an introductory option such as "Do It Yourself Screenprinting" by John Isaacson, "Simple Screenprinting: Basic Techniques & Creative Projects" by Annie Stromquist, "Print T-Shirts for Fun and Profit" by Scott Fresener and Pat Fresener and "Print Liberation: The Screen Printing Primer" by Jamie Dillon and Nick Paparone, with Luren Jenison.
5. Purchase a small-scale home screen printing machine where you can try out options such as making your own t-shirts and tote bags. Provo Craft's Yudu offers a way to make these materials plus posters, cards and art prints, along with the accessories required such as inks, stencils and accessories.
Tags: silk screening, screen printing, Ryonet Academy, step-by-step instruction, with step-by-step
