When it comes to Screen Printing, the phrase “all the gear but no idea” comes to mind …
I have the screens, the fluids, the inks, the lot but never actually got around to learning how to do it. Simply because I don’t know how to get started and it all just seems to require so much space, organisation and looks like a pretty messy activity ie. not something I’d necessarily want to do on my kitchen table …. and definitely not in the studio where a lot of my samples and fabrics are.
So, when i saw that Kathy Hutton was holding a screen printing workshop nearby, I jumped at the idea. I even took the kids along, so they got the chance to how to do it, without me having to clear up the mess after ! It was brilliant !
Kathy taught us the stencil screen-printing technique. It was brilliant and WAYYYY easier than the photo emulsion technique that I have been reading about and felt slightly put off by.
(I previously wrote about Kathy and her work here.)
You simply draw your design on baking paper. Simple designs work best.
Cut it out with exacto knife. Note that ink goes through the cut-out part and the paper part is what won’t get printed.
Put stencil between screen and paper/fabric. Make sure you mark out where you put your screen, in order to get the right placement at this point. Use masking tape or pencil.
Put paint on one side of screen.
Print. When you can see your image through the print evenly, your print is ready.
It is that simple !
(Some of the work that the kids and I produced during the workshop.)
The only thing with this technique is, you can only use the stencil for a few prints before paper needs to be replaced but if you cut your design out on thin plastic sheet, then you can use it for a longer run.
Find out more about Kathy’s workshops here.
She is based in Yatton Keynell and her next screen-printing workshops are on 5th December 2016 and 25th February 2017. Each workshop is 3 hours long and includes amazing home-baked goodies ! Get your tickets before they sell out.
Kathy occasionally also does a block-printing & prosecco evening for those that prefer a more sociable and shorter experience. The next one is on 4th November, 2016. I will be there. Get your ticket and join me.
I totally recommend you try and go to one of her workshops if you are nearby. We all loved it ! In fact, Little Maya loved it so much that she is going back in December to have a printing party there with her friends for her birthday.
Jake + Maya [Kids] Journal 