Screen Print- Schmeen Schmint!!
Use your Silhouette (or other desktop plotter) to make a screen print/batik-like effect.
If you have ever tried to screen print something, you know how expensive, messy, and inconvenient it can be.
I love screen printing, but don't like the mess, the inconvenience, or the fact that changing designs takes so many processes. I mean, who has the space?!?
So...I will show you how to make a similar looking effect with vinyl film.
It is super easy, inexpensive, and makes customized T-Shirts fun for anyone to make!
For this tutorial, I made a shirt for my niece. Her parents are punk-rock enthusiasts (like me!!), so I wanted to make her something that looked like an old school poster print. You will see the places outside of the vinyl covered area have an outline of paint. I wanted to make it look like it was printed in a hurry.
Step 1: Buy an inexpensive shirt, canvas shoes, or some cloth...really, whatever you like.
-If you are going to use fabric markers or any transparent medium, you may want to get light colors- If you are using opaque paints, any color will do. Just be sure to do a primer coat of an opaque white paint first.
- If you are planning on using indelible markers (like Sharpie pens), be sure that you either use light fabrics or prime as above.
*I use a combination of Screen Printing ink (my personal favorite is Jacquard's Lumiere or Textile Color), fabric paint (like Tulip or Polymark), permanent markers (I am a Sharpie junkie!), and fabric markers (I like Crayola's markers. They last forever!!).
Just go with what you have and like to use.
Step 2: Make a "shirt board"
- I use a cardboard box with the sticky side of an old piece of vinyl taped to the outside. Really, as long as your fabric is held down and is stretched to keep it from moving, it will work. I have used an embroidery hoop in the past for smaller designs. As long as the fabric you are planning to use is backed in some way (to keep the front from bleeding through to the back), it si okay.
- old, unusable cutting mats that still have a sticky surface are great.
- You will want to make sure that the shirt board is wide enough to keep the cloth stretched.
Step 3: Cut your design from your vinyl. Weed out the parts of the vinyl where you would like the paint to be applied first.
-Remember to use transfer tape to get the design to lay out properly.
Nobody wants to re-align stickers when they are off of the backing. I can tell you from experience that it is NO FUN!
- You don't need to weed the entire design at first, just the parts that you would like to paint first.
Step 4: Wash your item(s) in hot water, then dry them thoroughly.
-The pre-wash gets rid of any fillers that may be in the cloth.
Step 5: Slide the shirt board inside the garment, making sure to keep it straight.
Step 6: Gather all of your fabric-safe paints, markers, findings, etc.
If you are going to let kids try this method, get aprons or dress them in play clothes.
- kids are notorious for making big messes, so be ready! Don't let them paint in their school clothes...it could get expensive.
Step 7: Apply your vinyl masterpiece to your item(s)
Step 8: Paint, color, etc. Your creation is your own!
Step 9: Let the paint or marker dry before weeding out another section of vinyl
Step 10: Weed out your next section of vinyl and paint.
Step 11: After everything is dry, remove all remaining vinyl.
After your designs are colored/painted to your satisfaction and the paint/marker is dry, turn the item(s) inside-out and put them in the dryer for 10-15 minutes.
- This will heat-set the paints/markers
-You can use an iron to heat-set your paints/markers if you would rather.
- I like to use a dryer so that I can clean up while the items heat-set, but you can do it either way.
- If you are doing canvas shoes, you can put the shoes into a pillow case then into a dryer (it is super noisy, but it works) or you can carefully iron.
After your item(s) are heat-set, wash the item(s) according to the manufacturer's directions, then dry them inside out.
Your items will be washable and wearable after you wash and dry the items for the first time.
I always turn each item inside-out so that the heat of the dryer doesn't melt any of the paint I have applied.
Crayola Fabric Marker, Assorted (Google Affiliate Ad)
It is super easy, inexpensive, and makes customized T-Shirts fun for anyone to make!
For this tutorial, I made a shirt for my niece. Her parents are punk-rock enthusiasts (like me!!), so I wanted to make her something that looked like an old school poster print. You will see the places outside of the vinyl covered area have an outline of paint. I wanted to make it look like it was printed in a hurry.
Step 1: Buy an inexpensive shirt, canvas shoes, or some cloth...really, whatever you like.
-If you are going to use fabric markers or any transparent medium, you may want to get light colors- If you are using opaque paints, any color will do. Just be sure to do a primer coat of an opaque white paint first.
- If you are planning on using indelible markers (like Sharpie pens), be sure that you either use light fabrics or prime as above.
*I use a combination of Screen Printing ink (my personal favorite is Jacquard's Lumiere or Textile Color), fabric paint (like Tulip or Polymark), permanent markers (I am a Sharpie junkie!), and fabric markers (I like Crayola's markers. They last forever!!).
Just go with what you have and like to use.
Step 2: Make a "shirt board"
- I use a cardboard box with the sticky side of an old piece of vinyl taped to the outside. Really, as long as your fabric is held down and is stretched to keep it from moving, it will work. I have used an embroidery hoop in the past for smaller designs. As long as the fabric you are planning to use is backed in some way (to keep the front from bleeding through to the back), it si okay.
- old, unusable cutting mats that still have a sticky surface are great.
- You will want to make sure that the shirt board is wide enough to keep the cloth stretched.
This is the shirt I bought at the Dollar Tree for this tutorial, stretched over my shirt board.
Step 3: Cut your design from your vinyl. Weed out the parts of the vinyl where you would like the paint to be applied first.
-Remember to use transfer tape to get the design to lay out properly.
Nobody wants to re-align stickers when they are off of the backing. I can tell you from experience that it is NO FUN!
- You don't need to weed the entire design at first, just the parts that you would like to paint first.
Step 4: Wash your item(s) in hot water, then dry them thoroughly.
-The pre-wash gets rid of any fillers that may be in the cloth.
Step 5: Slide the shirt board inside the garment, making sure to keep it straight.
Step 6: Gather all of your fabric-safe paints, markers, findings, etc.
If you are going to let kids try this method, get aprons or dress them in play clothes.
- kids are notorious for making big messes, so be ready! Don't let them paint in their school clothes...it could get expensive.
Step 7: Apply your vinyl masterpiece to your item(s)
 |
This is my weeded vinyl stuck to the front of the shirt.
I did not weed out the flower shapes at this point because I wanted to do them later.
|
Step 8: Paint, color, etc. Your creation is your own!
 |
| This is a picture of the shirt after the first layer of paint. |
Step 9: Let the paint or marker dry before weeding out another section of vinyl
 |
| This is the same shirt after I weeded out the flower shapes. |
Step 10: Weed out your next section of vinyl and paint.
 |
| This is a picture of the shirt after I colored in the flower shapes that I had removed in the last step. |
Step 11: After everything is dry, remove all remaining vinyl.
 |
| The finished design. Whaddya' think? |
After your designs are colored/painted to your satisfaction and the paint/marker is dry, turn the item(s) inside-out and put them in the dryer for 10-15 minutes.
- This will heat-set the paints/markers
-You can use an iron to heat-set your paints/markers if you would rather.
- I like to use a dryer so that I can clean up while the items heat-set, but you can do it either way.
- If you are doing canvas shoes, you can put the shoes into a pillow case then into a dryer (it is super noisy, but it works) or you can carefully iron.
After your item(s) are heat-set, wash the item(s) according to the manufacturer's directions, then dry them inside out.
Your items will be washable and wearable after you wash and dry the items for the first time.
I always turn each item inside-out so that the heat of the dryer doesn't melt any of the paint I have applied.
Not great pictures, but you can see how easy it is to make cool stuff.
Sweet! I am totally doing this!!
ReplyDeleteRight on!!
ReplyDeleteWait until I post a tutorial on glue batik! You will love it!
Too cool!
ReplyDeleteThanx!
ReplyDeleteThanx!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to add this part to the tutorial until just now:
ReplyDeleteIf you don't have a Silhouette or other desktop cutting machine, you can *carefully* cut a design out of adhesive vinyl with an X-Acto knife. Just be sure to draw the design onto the vinyl in permanent marker so that you will know what to cut. I hope this helps!