In this method of printing a very fine mesh screen is used to transfer ink onto a substrate. A stencil blocks part of the screen in order for the design to be printed (i.e. open spaces are where the ink will show). A squeegee draws the ink across the screen to fill the design and push the colour onto the substrate. The process allows designs to be repeatable on a range of surfaces.

As I do not have the equipment at home for screen printing, I attended a fantastic workshop at the end of last year at Karimas Factory, Luzern. It was my first attempt with this printing technique and I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was very satisfying. Claudia had prepared the screens ahead of time with our own images. I used some of my daughter’s drawings. I think the images turned out really well on both cotton tops and cards. My girls love wearing their tops knowing they are made with their own creations.

I used mostly one colour but also experimented with two-tone on one piece. As it was a beginners course I’m sure there is more I could learn including how to do gradients and layers, as well as how to create the negative image stencil. I look forward to trying it again sometime.