I had the best time on Saturday; I was learning to screenprint at Peacock Visual Arts!
Here’s my highly technical, completely expert, screenprinting for beginners how to:
1. Create your image. Do this by drawing or painting on this weird acetate sheet (it’s somewhere between tracing paper and cling film) or by sticking shapes to the sheet. Christmas confetti was popular in our class, but one student made a really cute bag using a chain of paper girls she cut out herself:
2. Put some kind of blue goo on a screen. Alternatively, sign up for a one day class and there’s a good chance your teacher will have done this for you.
3. Put your design against this screen then blast it with UV light. Wherever the light can’t get through (your pencil marks/paint strokes/paperchain), the goo will burn/disintegrate and can be washed off to leave a lovely smooth, detailed stencil:
4. Put paper, card, fabric or whatever else you’re printing onto under the stencil, then squeegee paint over it:
5. Allow to dry:
6. Congratulations! You have a screenprinted item. That was totally thorough enough for you to work from… right?
I’m very pleased with this tote bag (left) which I printed using handcut snowflakes.
The class was called Print a Prezzie and some of the other students and I were expecting just that: to print a prezzie. In fact, I came home with this bag, six prints, ten gift tags, eight thank you cards and a sheet of gift wrap that the teacher had made to inspire us. Alas, I can’t show you the other items as it would spoil a few birthday, Christmas and Secret Santa surprises, but I was thrilled to bits with my haul.
Anyway, art lesson over.
This was the first time I had been up to the printing room at Peacock and I was fascinated. I thought I’d show you some of the snaps I took on the day:
And, finally, I took this on my way home:
Sarah Rooftops 