Cheap & Easy Screenprinting + Giveaway!

When I was at the Texas Art Educators Association conference in Austin last November I took a class called Cheap and Easy Screenprinted.  I was superexcited because I had been dying to try screenprinting but the whole process was kind of daunting and cost prohibitive.  The class was awesome and everything I expected!  It was cheap!  It was easy!  It yielded great results!  And now I've finally gotten around to sharing with you how it's done :)

First off, you need your materials.

• Mod Podge
• Acrylic Paint (the lady that taught the class said she always uses the cheap-o Apple Barrel brand from Wal-Mart and she's washed the tee shirts, etc that she's screenprinted and it doesn't come off or fade so that's what I'm using.  It's seriously like $2 a bottle)
• A nice stiff brush, size depends on how detailed you're going to get
• Spatula or scraper
• Embroidery hoop...size depending on how big your design is, I think the one I'm using is a 10 inch hoop
• Ball point pen or a pencil
• Polyester lining
• Something to print on, the rougher the surface the rougher the print.  If you want a nice smooth print use something smooth like paper or a nice woven cotton, the onesie I used has a bit of ribbing so there's a little distressing going on...

Go ahead and sketch out your design on paper, or if you're feeling bold you can sketch it directly onto the lining after you've tightened it on the hoop.  I drew my design then laid the hoop on it and traced.  It's important to remember that you don't need to reverse the design.  The way it looks in the hoop is how it will transfer.  The best way to think of this is if you look at the hoop from the back (i.e. it would be the back of an embroidery if you were embroidering...the inside of the hoop) The words etc. would read as normal.

Flip the hoop over so the fabric is elevated from the table or whatever surface. (See how it's now backwards?)

Now proceed to "paint" the Mod Podge everywhere except on the lines of your design.  Everywhere the Mod Podge touches there will be no paint.  The paint will only go through the non-Mod Podged area.  I like to use a stiff brush while doing this because it's easier to get in tight spots.  I used a slightly bigger brush than is ideal for the tight spots but since the brush was so stiff it worked fairly well.

When you think you're done, hold the hoop up to the light and see if you've missed any spots.  You'll know the spots you missed because you'll be able to see the light peeking through.  Cover these spots with more Mod Podge and let dry.  It should take an hour or two to dry depending on how dry your house is, but you may be able to speed up the process by using a blow dryer on a cool setting.  I haven't done that but it seems like a reasonable idea...

Prep your printing surface.  If you're using a tee shirt or something with two sides I would put a magazine or cardboard in between the layers as a precaution.  The paint didn't actually go through when I did the onesie but you never know.  Better to do that than end up with weird splotches on the back!

Center the design on your printing surface...

Add some paint.  I like to ad a good amount of paint so it doesn't run out, and then I can scoop some of it back up and do a second pull if I want.

Using your spatula or scraper, pull the paint down in one direction.  DO NOT SCRAPE THE PAINT BACK UP.  It's ok to scrape down and diagonal but do not scrape back up.  It will smear your design and end up not looking so hot...

Scrape the paint over your whole design.  I scooped some of the paint up with my spatula and pulled it once more just to be safe.

Voila!  Not bad, eh?  I love that it looks a little distressed!  I also noticed where I forgot to dot Mod Podge in the holes of the B and P, but I don't really think it looks bad.  If it really bothered me I would wash and dry the lining, and reapply the mod podge in those areas to "fix" my mistake.

Wash your design ASAP.  Acrylic paint dries very quickly so if you leave it too long you won't be able to use the design again.

The paint will not fully wash out of your design, meaning it will stain the design whatever color paint you used. This shouldn't affect any subsequent prints you make in a different color as long as you were thorough when you washed the design.

And now the good part!  I made two pulls of this design on 0-3 month Gerber onesies.  I am going to give away one of these onesies to a lucky reader!  

All you have to do is leave a comment with suggestions on designs you'd like to see.  I want to start screenprinting and adding things to my shop so any suggestions are welcome!  They can be for onesies or teeshirts or anything you can think up :)  If you want to be included make sure you make a suggestion!  I'm only counting those people that make a suggestion in their comment since I know not everyone has kids or knows anyone with kids :)

You get one more entry if you "like" my Facebook fan page, just leave another comment saying you did :)

*Giveaway is open until Friday at 11:59 PM CST*