The Making of a T-Shirt Design

There's a reason I go through the long, messy process of screen printing my art. Screen printing is amazing! And it's old - from a thousand years ago, when it was called "silkscreening" because the screens were made of real silk. And to this day, with all the digital wonders we have, it's still the best method for making a design that'll last for years.

 

Some hard-working ladies, 100 years ago

 

Me, Present Day

 

 

While digital ink sits on the surface of the garment... 

...Screen-printed ink wraps around the garment threads.

And then when you apply heat to “cure” the print, the ink fuses to the fabric, making it permanent.

        You start by "burning" your design onto the screen using a photo-sensitive emulsion.

When exposed to light, the stencil is formed.
 

Then you immediately rinse the screen to reveal the image.

Bit by bit the image appears

Then check to ensure your stencil came out.

Close inspection

When the screen is dry, you're ready to print.

                    Apply the ink...                                 then pull it across the screen.
 

Before you start printing on your final products, you always do a test print.

Once you're certain the print is good, you're ready to start production.

I'm betting that even in our digital world, the craft of screen printing will stick around for a long time.

I'm not planning to stop anytime soon!