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- Herausgeber: Crowood
- Kategorie: Lebensstil
- Sprache: Englisch
Screenprinting is essentially a stencil method of printing, but is has vast potential. This beautiful book explains the techniques behind the art and introduces ideas to explore its exciting and versatile qualities. Packed with step-by-step sequences and practical advice, it not only explains the process but inspires designers and makers to experiment with the creative potential of this striking art form. It introduces the basic technical aspects of printing on fabric, as well as the equipment and materials. Ideas for designing and developing different types of motifs, images, patterns and repeats are given and how to combine the different elements together. It covers effective low-tech methods that exploit physical skills and simple tools, as well as contemporary printed textile practice with digital input and sophisticated technologies. Advice on the use of colour is given as well as dye recipes and the instructions for their use on fabric. Methods are included such as cross dyeing, crimping and mark making on fabric, which can be used in conjunction with screenprinting. Drawing on the author's over forty years of experience, it shares her practical tips and ideas for both the traditional processes of screenprinting and the latest techniques that embrace contemporary practice ready for a new textile audience.
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Seitenzahl: 458
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020
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SCREENPRINTINGON TEXTILES
The Complete Guide
SCREENPRINTINGON TEXTILES
The Complete Guide
Sue Westergaard
First published in 2020 byThe Crowood Press LtdRamsbury, MarlboroughWiltshire SN8 2HR
This e-book first published in 2020
© Sue Westergaard 2020
All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication DataA catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978 1 78500 754 5
Contents
Introduction
The basic principles of screenprinting on fabric are simple but what can be done with it is almost infinite. This book aims to help and inspire the endlessly exciting journey of finding out how you, as a designer or artist, can use screenprinting techniques on cloth. It follows the process from beginning to end: setting up a print space; creating images and designs to print; getting them on screen; the practicalities of the printing process; and ways of finishing off and mounting textile pieces. It describes how screenprinting can be used in the real world – from being a designer/maker through to working in the commercial world, ending with a series of ‘snapshots’ showing ways that textile design and print is used in real life.
It is intended to be of use both to beginners and to experienced designers and printers. In the arts, even when going over the tried and tested, there is almost always some sort of tip to be picked up, an unfamiliar idea to be built on or a difference of approach to be inspired by. Textile design and print is no different. With this in mind the book not only deals with contemporary printed textile print practice, with its digital input and sophisticated technologies, but also reminds the reader of techniques that exploit practical skills and simpler tools: processes ready for a new textile audience.
Alice Idriss, mid-print.
CHAPTER 1
Printing on Textiles – the Basics
Screenprinting is actually just a sophisticated way of using stencils. The screen is made up of a sturdy wooden or metal frame with a fine fabric or metal mesh stretched taut across it. A stencil is made on the mesh by blocking the holes in selected areas and leaving others unblocked. Printing is usually done with a squeegee – a rubber blade held in a wooden, metal or plastic handle, which is used to push a print medium through the open parts of the screen mesh onto whatever is being printed. Different stencils, on a series of screens, can be over-printed on top of one another to create multi-layered, multi-coloured and multi-textured images or designs.
In theory this is a simple process, but as with many a simple process, the possibilities of what can be done with it are enormous, exciting and almost boundless. In this book we offer a technical and creative guide to exploring the ways of using screenprint on fabric. We also touch on other methods of dyeing, printing and mark-making on fabric, which can be used in conjunction with screenprinting.
A screen being cleaned outside at the Fable & Base Workshop.
In the commercial world screenprinting is used to cover acres of fabric in repeating patterns and to create multiples of the same thing – T-shirts for example. For the designer, the maker or the artist, it can become even more – a vibrant, living element in the creative process, a method of exploring what designs and imagery can become. It can be used to play with what can be done with repeat and pattern, to discover the effect of different colours and test how these might work on different surfaces and varying fabrics.
The purpose of this book is to help and inspire you through this process. You will discover various strategies for creating images and patterns to print, how to get them on screen, which dyes or chemicals to print with, on which fabrics, and how the whole process gels with both the aesthetic and tactile qualities of the fabric. The possibilities really are vast, but exciting, so let us begin at the beginning …
Esther Smith printing leather pieces on a sampling table.
This chapter aims to provide the groundwork for printing on textiles, outlining what screenprinting is, and introducing the possibilities of what can be done with it on cloth. It starts with the fundamental practicalities of screenprinting on cloth: aspects such as sourcing screens, choosing the mesh count of your screen, and what that means in terms of printing, stretching them, preparing them for use and looking after them.
It goes on to talk about the workspace (the place to design and print in) and gives examples of how artists and designers have set up their own print rooms.
The origins of screenprinting lie in tenth-century China, although it was developed and refined over the years by the Japanese. It came to Europe in the late eighteenth century, but did not become widely used until the beginning of the twentieth century, finally patented as an industrial technique around 1907 when it was used for printing wallpapers and fine fabrics. Gradually the process was appropriated by artists, designers and crafts people. During the 1930s it was used as an art or craft process and renamed ‘serigraphy’. In many countries it is still commonly called that, although in the UK and USA ‘screenprinting’ is more usual. Historically screens would have been made using a fine silk mesh, hence the use of the phrase ‘silk-screen’ in reference to this type of printing.
Its use in mainstream textile print, by innovative designers such as Lucienne Day, and printers like Zilka Ascher (who collaborated on textile designs with artists like Henry Moore) fed into its explosion in the 1960s as a fine art and graphics medium. At the same time, industrial processes in textile print were moving forward with the breakthrough development in 1960 of a rotary multicolour garment screenprinting machine by the American entrepreneur, artist and inventor Michael Vasilantone. Developments continued both industrially and as a craft process. Now it is one of the most commonly used print techniques in the world, used on a massive scale in commercial textile printing, but equally by the small-scale hobbyist and home printer, as well as everything in between.
WHAT TO PRINT WITH: THE SCREEN AND SQUEEGEE
Print screens are made up of a strong, sturdy frame with fine mesh stretched tightly across them. The mesh has to be really taut – as ‘tight as a drum’ if possible. The image is created on the mesh by blocking some of the holes and leaving others open for the dye or other print medium to go through. The print is made by using something to push the print media through the holes or gaps in the mesh. That something is almost always a ‘squeegee’. A squeegee is made up of a blade, usually made of rubber, held in a wooden or metal handle.
The sunlight shining through this drying screen gives an indication of how the screen will print, as the unblocked areas allow the sunlight through, whilst the blocked ones cast a shadow.
The simplest, most accessible screen frame can be made from an embroidery hoop with the mesh stretched across it just like fabric being embroidered would be. These work for a short, fun project although they are too fragile to last through intensive printing. For a serious printer it is best to use screen frames made for purpose. These are not hard to come by, nor, depending on how many you need, ridiculously expensive.
A good quality screen should be supremely sturdy, made with robust joints at each corner. It must be resilient enough that the stretched mesh does not pull it out of shape or warp it. It has to lie flat during printing and has to withstand heavy washing, so a picture frame, for example, simply will not work. They are either made from tempered wood or from metal, usually aluminium. Both metal and wooden screens have their advantages and disadvantages; the obsessive printer will probably have some of each type.
A small metal-framed screen. The tightly stretched mesh has a ‘ghost’ image on it. This is the remains of a previously printed design but it will not affect anything printed through it again. Although the dye has left its mark, none of the holes have actually been blocked by it.
Wooden screens need strong corner joints such as these, which will help prevent the wood from warping.
A homemade wooden screen that has severely warped over the years due to the lack of strength in the corner joints.
Wooden and metal-framed screens are usually bought ready stretched and, if looked after, will last for many years. Of course from time to time they do wear out, developing blockages, holes or tears through use, not being cleaned properly or incorrect storage, but there is no need to buy new screens as they become as good as new when re-stretched with fresh mesh. Manufacturers which supply screens usually offer re-stretching services too. Wooden frames can be re-stretched by hand using a modicum of strength and a decent staple gun, particularly if they are smaller screens being stretched with one of the coarser, softer, meshes. With practice it is possible to stretch even quite big screens, although they will never be as taut as a professionally stretched one. Metal-framed screens cannot be stretched this way so it is best to get them done by an external agency.
Thermofax screens are a contemporary innovation, popular for small-scale experimental and hobby work. They are light, thin and pliable compared to conventional screens. They are easy to store, easy to use and have a non-precious, playful air about them. They are cheaper than conventional screens although not as hardwearing; nor do they print as precisely. The mesh tends to be slacker, and they are more likely to shift during printing, but they are fun to use to create all-over textures and backgrounds and are a good introduction to the screenprint process.
Rotary screens are used for large-scale printing of textiles and wall coverings. They are hollow drums with dye or ink inside them, which is pushed out through the stencilled mesh surface, printing in a continuous rolling motion. They are used in industry, rather than by individuals.
Screen sizes
Screens go from tiny to huge. They are most commonly available in standard sizes relating to paper, the width of cloth, or the proportions of the body, but non-standard, bespoke sizes can be ordered. Small ones can be wonderful for dotting images all over a piece of fabric. Big ones are good for printing whole upholstery or garment-sized pieces, large-scale repeats, and playing with giant mono-prints. Large screens can contain one single image, the component layers of a complex multi-coloured design, or a group of coordinating motifs that could be masked off and printed in different ways in conjunction with one another. There is no definitive perfect size, except what is practical in the space and facilities you are working in, and what suits your work.
A big screen can be extraordinarily satisfying to print with. The sheer scale and how much area can be covered in such a short print time engenders a sense of satisfaction that is hypnotic. One can explore designs and repeat on a huge scale. But it does not have the playfulness of a little one.
John Allan printing a furnishing fabric repeat in his Deptford workshop.
Small screens are easy to handle, easy to clean and easy to use creatively. A screen you can wander around with as you print, resting it on your hip as you ponder, can be a joyous experience. It might take a while to fill a big piece of fabric and whatever is printed won’t be precise or exactly repeatable, but that may not be a priority. Think about the space you have to work in, the size of your print space, how big the table is, what your washout facilities are like and what you want to do. Choose your screens accordingly.
Screen mesh and mesh counts
Screen mesh, the mesh that stretches across the screen frame, has several purposes: it provides the surface to attach the stencil to; it keeps the stencil flat and stable during printing; it manages the amount of print medium being laid down so that surface of the print is even and flat; it enables the printer to be in control; and it means that one can print multiples with ease, and that they will all be pretty much identical. In short, it regulates the whole screenprint process.
The mesh must have as little give in it as possible; a screen mesh that moves or stretches during printing will result in uneven printed images that tend to ‘bleed’ at the edges.
Lots of media can be printed through the screen mesh, as long as they are of a consistency that will go through without blocking it, spreading all over the place, and not destroying the mesh or the screen in the process. From oil-based inks, to dyes, chemical mixtures, glues, latexes and even glitter, there is a wide array of things one can print with. This is enabled by using meshes that have different numbers of threads per inch – different mesh ‘counts’. Bigger or smaller gaps in between the threads can cope with different consistencies of print media. The number (the ‘count’) of gaps and threads per inch is indicated by a capital T next to a number. The lower the number, the fewer the threads per inch and the bigger the gaps in between them; the higher the number, the more threads per inch there are. A lower thread count means that coarser, heavier print media can be used, even something like glitter or diamond dust. More of the medium is laid down with every squeegee pull, so low mesh counts are also good for working on absorbent fabrics. They are also good for printing things like devoré where one needs a decent deposit on the fabric. But they cannot support a really fine image because there simply are not enough threads to hold it.
Dorothy Wedderburn uses a small screen to print discharge paste on this vintage jacket. It means she can play with the position of the screen, the amount of discharge paste that goes through it and so on, thus printing in a way that relates to the shapes and pattern pieces that make up the jacket.
Higher mesh counts are good for getting fine detail on screen. They are good for printing tonal work, where light and shade is created from different densities of tiny solid marks. The disadvantage is that the print media is more likely to dry in and block the stencil, preventing it from printing properly. That is much more likely to happen when working with textiles than paper. In truth it is a waste to use a very fine mesh screen when printing on cloth. No fabric is as smooth as paper, and all have their own inherent texture, in which a very fine image can easily get lost.
THREAD COUNTS
• 9T is the sort of mesh count to use for very coarse print media.
• 43T, 49T, 55T are good all-rounders for fabric.
• 62T is fine on fabrics with a smooth finish and can hold comparatively fine imagery, but will not give a good deposit on a more textured fabric.
• 71T, 77T, 90T are usually too fine a mesh for fabric, except with maybe a very finely woven, smooth fabric like silk Habutai.
This floral design by Justyna Michalowska has been printed in a gold metallic pigment on leather. Metallic pigments are made with metallic powder mixed into a specialist binder, a mixture that will block a fine mesh screen. A fairly coarse mesh screen was needed to print this floral design or the gold would not have gone through on to the leather. Nevertheless, the stencil on the screen is still fine enough to hold the detail needed to make the half-tone effect in the design.
A series of fine mesh screens were used to create this co-ordinating collection of fine line designs on all sorts of varying fabrics and papers.
Screen storage and care
Most holes and tears in the mesh are down to incorrect storage or careless usage so it is important to make sure that these are done properly. Having screens re-stretched unnecessarily is a waste of money and time, but as long as they are treated with care and respect there will be little need for it. The thing is to make sure that the mesh never comes into contact with any protruding edges or corners, both when stored and when in use. Stack screens leaning one frame on the adjacent screen’s frame rather than on its mesh; if the frames are all the same size this is easy, if they are different sizes try storing one in a landscape position and the next in the portrait position, so that only the frames are touching each other. When printing, if you need to put the screen down rest it on its frame rather than on its mesh. Avoid sharp edges and protruding corners in the print room and storage areas, and take care when moving or handling them.
Dorothy Wedderburn layers up her screens with corrugated plastic in between so that the mesh is protected, whereas in his studio Matthew Meadows has storage with solid dividers that keep the screens from leaning on each other. John Allan wraps fabric scraps around anything that might accidentally make a tear in the mesh.
Wood framed screens in varying sizes stacked carefully so only the frames lean on one another.
Dorothy Wedderburn uses corrugated card and plastic to protect her screens when they are not in use.
A set of small screens, all of similar size, are stored on shelves with wooden partitions between them to prevent them resting too heavily on one another.
John Allan stores his large repeat screens above the long repeat printing table in his workshop. They are made of aluminium so are light enough to manoeuvre easily and are almost all exactly the same size as one another.
Mending and making good
Holes in the mesh of the screen can easily spread, becoming rips that make it useless for printing with. Mend these holes quickly and effectively; replacing screens too often can become expensive so it is good to keep a screen going for as long as you can, even with the odd repair.
Small holes can be patched with tape, and bigger ones can be fixed with a small square of scrap screen mesh stuck over them. Use either the glue used to make screens, or something similar. Screen coating can be used at a pinch. The important thing is that it must not disintegrate while the screen is being used or cleaned. Patches will block the screen, so that bit will have to be avoided when placing any image on it.
A hole that is too big, or a tear, usually results in the screen losing its tautness. Once that happens it will be impossible to get a good quality print with it, so it would have to be re-stretched.
Stretching and re-stretching screens
Most screen suppliers offer a re-stretching service. Screens re-made this way will be as good as new. As mentioned earlier, it is possible to re-stretch a wooden screen oneself using muscle power and a good staple gun, and this saves money, although the screens are never as tight as the professionally stretched ones. However, fabric printing tends to be more forgiving of this than paper printing, so it can be worthwhile. The finer the mesh (with a thread count of 77T or 90T, for example), the firmer it is and therefore the more difficult to stretch by hand.
Stretching a wooden frame screen by hand
Cut a piece of screen mesh approximately 10cm bigger than the size of the screen. Cut with the weave of the mesh.
Staple the mesh to one edge of the frame using a staple gun at approximately 3cm intervals throughout. The weave of the mesh should lie straight along the frame. Make sure the staples are roughly parallel to the frame edges, rather than at right angles to it, as this holds the mesh more securely.
On the opposite frame edge, start in the middle and pull the mesh as tightly as you can over the wood. Use your thumb and forefinger to pull it really tight then staple the mesh to the frame where it is being pulled tightest. Here you can see that the mesh is being stretched taut by the staples on the opposite sides of the frame.
Pulling it taut, staple the mesh to the third side of the screen frame. Be careful to keep the weave of the fabric straight as you do this. Then stretch the mesh tightly over the fourth side of the frame and staple it. The mesh must be stretched as tightly as possible across the frame – as near to ‘tight as a drum’ as is possible by hand. If it is not tight enough, pull out enough staples to re-pull it, and staple it tighter.
Once it is tight enough, fold over the excess mesh two or three times and staple it to the frame, going over where you stapled before. This strengthens the joins between the mesh and the frame.
Fold over the excess fabric at the corners and staple it down to make sure it lies flat.
Where and how to work: the studio and print workshop
Whether you prefer to have a workspace at home or away from it, a reasonable working environment is important. What you end up with depends not only on what you want or need, but also on what is available, what you can afford, how far you can travel and other practicalities. In some places there are sizable studio complexes available at affordable rents; in others space is at a premium and they are few and far between. Even in the most perfect of worlds there are advantages and disadvantages to the various choices, so it might be helpful to offer some generalized observations about them.
Many people work at home – a room in the house, a big garden shed, or an empty garage becomes their studio and workshop space. The obvious advantages are that it adapts around the commitments of everyday life, and that is usually cheaper than paying for a separate space. The disadvantages are that it can be terribly easy to be distracted by the minutiae of everyday life like the washing up, it can be lonely, and it can make it more difficult to connect with other like-minded creatives.
The alternative is to rent or buy an external studio or workshop space. In many areas there are studio complexes and thriving art/design communities with access to rentable spaces. An Internet search is the first step in finding them. Look not just for ‘artist studios’ but look for ‘open studio’ events, workshops and the like; artists and designers want people to see their work and often earn money doing teaching so these will give you a good idea as to where artists and designers operate in your area. Ask around – word of mouth is often the best way of finding something.
The advantages of having a studio away from home include the fact it feels like going to work and gets you out of the house to a place where you can be someone different – the artist, the designer. It provides access to other practitioners. There will probably be some sort of public interface and infrastructure in place. However, beware of thinking that it is going to be a constantly lively hub, chock-a-block with like-minded individuals all of the time. Most artists and designers do a multitude of things to earn money so at any given point only a small proportion will be in their studios. You will be part of a community but will also need to be self-reliant. You could try a ‘best of both worlds’ option and mix it up. Have a workspace at home but do things that also get you out into the world. Go to private views so you meet and socialize with other like-minded people, use a café or museum to work on your sketchbook or laptop, and find useful classes or courses that give you access to equipment and experience.
When you need to print you could book yourself into one of the open access print workshops that are becoming more and more common. These are often a very effective way of accessing well-maintained equipment that might be prohibitively expensive for an individual to buy. Time and energy can then go into the making of work rather than maintaining kit. Again, word of mouth and Internet searches will help to find them. Some examples are suggested in the Resources section at the back of this book.
Whatever you end up with, bear in mind that although few of us can afford that ideal studio space we dream of, we can make the most of what we have. Work with what is available and adapt both the space and your practice so that you can make it work for you.
EQUIPMENT
People who print often find inspiration in the nature of the materials, processes and equipment they have access to. Here we offer a list of suggestions for things useful in a studio or workshop. It is neither all-encompassing nor finite, and will vary according to who you are as an artist or designer, what you make, the space you have, the facilities available and, of course, finance. To start with, you need the materials to form your ideas, to design and create with: from pencils, to a camera, to paints, to found objects, to a photocopier, to a laptop … and on and on and on ….
For printing on fabric you will need:
• Access to water, preferably running, for dye mixing, cleaning screens, etc.
• Safe access to plug points near the print table for irons, hairdryers, fan heaters, etc.
• Somewhere to dry screens and fabrics
• Media for creating images on screen (see Chapters 3 and 4)
• Drafting film, acetate etc. for creating screen positives (see Chapter 4)
• Masking tape
• Clear sticky tape
• A reliable staple gun
• Newsprint, like the paper that newspapers are made from, but unprinted
• Old newspapers
• Fabrics for printing onto (white, cream or pale pre-shrunk, natural fabrics are most useful, although it depends on what you are trying to achieve in the work)
• Sharp scissors used exclusively for cutting fabrics
• Pinking shears can be useful for finishing off fabrics after printing
• Fine stainless steel dressmaking or T-pins for pinning down fabrics to print
• Reference books and personal technical information
• Dyes, pigments and chemicals for making into print media
• Dye-pots – decent-sized watertight containers with lids, to make and store dyes and other print media
• Mixing area for mixing dyestuffs and print media
• Spatulas and wooden spoons for mixing and applying print media to the screen
• Electronic scales for weighing out dyes, fabrics, etc.
• An electric hot-plate and large saucepans for dyeing fabric pieces
• Masks to protect against inhalation of chemicals and fibres
• An electric mixer for mixing dyes and print media. A hand-held food mixer is usually good enough
• Clean rags for wiping down and cleaning up
• A container to put dirty rags in so they can be machine-washed and re-used
• Print table – this can be bought new or second-hand, but a basic one is not hard to make (instructions follow later in this chapter)
• Screens – 43T is a good standard mesh count for most fabric printing but other mesh qualities can be useful depending on what you are printing
• Squeegees – these usually have a D-shaped blade, although other blade shapes can be useful depending on what is being printed onto (see Chapter 5)
• Coloured sewing threads for marking out print guides on the print table
• Tailor’s chalk can sometimes be useful for marking print guides on the fabric
• Weights of some sort to hold the screen in place while you are printing
• Steam iron
• Plan chest or other flat storage for paper, positives, etc.
• Efficient, safe storage for all of the above
More specialist equipment might include:
• A wash-out booth or equivalent
• Steamer – for steaming printed fabrics to fix them and heat-manipulate synthetic fabrics and plastics
• Baking cabinet – for heating fabrics evenly to fix and process them
• Tumble dryer (which needs to get hot)
• Heat press – for fixing printed fabrics, heat transfer printing, adding foils, etc.
• Spot dryer
• Belt dryer
• Dye-sublimation printer
• Sewing machine
At the back of the book there is a list of potential suppliers. There is no need to always buy new – second-hand and refurbished items are often as good. Look out for schools, colleges, small print businesses having a re-fit selling off old or underused equipment. Think laterally and develop your making skills – things like a basic textile print-table, for example, can easily be home-made.
Make sure equipment and materials are easy to access and easy to put away, otherwise you will end up with a messy workshop, where you cannot find what you need and things may become damaged or ruined.
Keep clean and dirty working areas apart from one another as far as possible – any activities that could adversely affect each other should be separated. For example, don’t have the computer or power points near running water, don’t wash out dyed fabrics near your clean cloth store, have a dry and clean area for mounting, ironing, sewing and the like, wipe down surfaces as you go, and so on. It’s all logical but think it through so that even when you are fraught and tired, maybe finishing a print job late at night and at the end of your tether, that the organization of the space works for you rather than against you.
Squeegees should rest on their handles rather than on their blades when being stored.
A high plug point above a print table can be used for hairdryers or fan heaters to dry wet prints.
Stiff cardboard or disused bank or store cards are handy for cleaning up.
Vintage irons to be used as print-weights.
An old-fashioned twin-tub washing machine makes a perfect dyeing vat.
Drying areas for washed and drying fabrics are essential.
Efficient, safe storage of dyes, pigments and chemicals is important.
Dye notes and technical information should be easy to access and readily available.
Cleanliness and running water are basics in the textiles print room.
Making a simple textile print table
The advantages of having one of these homemade print tables are that it can be made to fit your own personal needs, and the size is easy to adapt to the space that is available. It is also cheap to construct, and easy to maintain.
You will need:
• Large scissors.
• Staple gun.
• Hammer.
• A piece of marine plywood the size that you want the print-table surface to be. (Other types of woods can be used, but marine ply is good as it is not only strong and easy to staple into, but is also resistant to the action of water. It should be thick enough not to bow or bend during use – 18mm or thicker is advisable, especially for a bigger surface.)
• A table or trestles to lay the plywood onto.
• Smooth carpet underlay, thick felt, blanket or similar, approximately 5 to 10cm larger than the print table/surface. (This is for the padded, smooth surface that fabrics will be attached to and held in place for printing. It should have some give, yet be firm enough to hold the pinned fabric taut, and avoid texture or obvious weaves as they will affect the quality of the printing.)
• Smooth upholstery-type vinyl, slightly bigger than the print table. This acts as a wipe-clean backing for the fabrics to be printed. It makes the print table easier to keep clean. (Sturdy machine-washable fabric can be used as this layer instead, although this will not have the ‘wipe-clean’ element to it.)
• Two or three pieces of plain-weave cotton fabric to be used as ‘backing cloths’.
Materials and equipment for making a simple textile print table.
Cut the felt, blanket or smooth carpet underlay to size and staple it onto the plywood, wrapping it around the edges and pulling it slightly taut as you go. Staple through it into the sides or under-side of the ply, starting in the middle of one edge and then stapling that edge regularly at around 10cm intervals depending on the fabric. (Carpet underlay is pretty static and could cope with larger distances between the staples, whereas the blanket used in the images had a loose weave and needed the staples to be closer together.) Staple the opposite edge next, again starting in the middle and pulling it slightly taut as you go along. Then do the same to the two remaining edges. The aim is that this padded surface lies smooth, flat and firmly attached to the plywood.
Use a hammer to bang in any staples that have not gone in properly.
Cut off any excess fabric.
This is the basic print table.
Staple the vinyl/heavy fabric layer onto the plywood next. This acts as a protective layer for the padded surface.
Staple it on in exactly the same way as you did before, starting in the middle of one side of the fabric, then carrying on until that whole edge is stapled. Next do the one opposite, pulling the vinyl or fabric taut, and smoothing it down as you go. Again, avoid going into the top of the table as this is what you will be printing onto. Instead go into the sides or fold the vinyl/fabric over the edges of the plywood and staple into the underside.
Smooth out creases, bumps and folds as you go. The aim is to get the whole thing as flat, stable and static as possible.
Next attach a ‘backing cloth’ smoothly over the vinyl/heavy fabric print surface. ‘Backing cloths’ have several roles: firstly to attach the fabric onto for printing, and secondly to absorb excess dye, spillages and any other mess. As they become dirty they can be swapped over, washed, dried and re-used. Hold the cloth in place using staples to hold it to the ply, or pins to hold it onto a heavy fabric. If the table has a vinyl or neoprene surface a special glue known as ‘table gum’ is often used. Once attached it must be taut, smooth and as static as possible. It should not move or shift at all during the printing process.
Optional – you could also add a thin, throw-away plastic sheet over the top, as a final layer. In these illustrations it has been stretched over the print table surface using masking tape. This can be useful if working with some binders as it does provide a wipe-down surface, but it can spread rather than absorb spillages and excess binder or dye, so is only a useful option under certain circumstances. It is usually easier simply to have a removable backing cloth as the final surface.
Maintenance is easy; simply re-staple and re-fix as you need to. For printing, the print table could simply rest on top of another table or a set of trestles, although it might then shift about during printing. G-clamps or wide sticky-back Velcro tape can be used to keep it in position, whilst enabling it to be removed when not in use, then leant against a wall to be stored until it is wanted again. For a permanent print table, screw it to trestles or an existing table at the beginning of the process, before the first padded layer is stapled on, or use wood-glue to hold it firmly in place.
PRINTERS’ WORKSPACES
Let’s have a look at how different printers organize their studios and print spaces. Jenny Samuels, Dorothy Wedderburn and Matthew Meadows have workspaces in their homes.
Dorothy Wedderburn
Dorothy Wedderburn works in a space that takes up most of the first floor of her house in Holland.
Dorothy Wedderburn’s studio is packed to the gunnels with neatly stored pieces, fabrics, dress mannequins and all the tools of her trade.
Dorothy Wedderburn’s workspace. The print table is next to a large window, so it is well lit.
Jenny Samuels
Jenny Samuels’ studio is in her garden, a space often utilized by artists and designers lucky enough to have outside spaces that are big enough.
Jenny Samuels uses clamps to attach her screen to her print table. As she prints one-off pieces rather than repeat patterns, her screen can remain static during the print process.
Jenny Samuels has a small exposure unit in her studio. She regularly re-exposes her screens, changing the images on them constantly, so for her this is an essential piece of equipment.
Matthew Meadows
Matthew Meadows’ space is small but well thought through and completely fit for purpose.
Matthew Meadows in his print shed: a compact but supremely efficient space to work in.
Matthew has constructed his own repeat table. As he prints wallpapers, which are narrow, he does not need to access the table from both sides.
Every space is essential in Matthew’s studio. Here he stores printed sample wallpapers under his print table.
Francesca Baur
Francesca Baur of Fable & Base has created a print space on an industrial estate where she has managed to equip the space with a professional standard of equipment, whilst still operating on a comparatively small, personal and bespoke scale. She has an exposure unit that can cope with furnishing-size screens, a 4-metre repeat print table and a proper wash-out booth.
At Fable & Base the print room also acts as a sort of show room for visitors, with fabric samples presented around the space. Customers are buying into the fact that the fabrics are hand printed.
Screens drying outside on the walkway at the Fable & Base studio. Air drying is a great way to dry print room kit on a sunny day.
College workshops
Colleges often have amazing equipment, so keeping an eye out for courses at home or abroad is an idea. Some colleges run open access workshops where you would be able to access high quality equipment and expert tuition, as well as picking up ideas for your own studio space.
The KADK (Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi) drying rack, where freshly washed backing and steaming cloths can be left to dry, ready to be re-used on the print tables.
KADK has a bespoke, meticulously kept area for fabric dyeing. Dyeing areas should be kept as clean as possible as any accidental marks are likely to ruin freshly dyed fabrics.
A large recycling bin for dirty rags in the London College of Communication print room. These will be cleaned and re-used.
Making a print table from an old yoga mat.
Studio spaces for hire
Alternatively you can hire print and studio spaces. These are usually well-equipped with a good standard of equipment. They often also run courses. To find local facilities search on the Internet, ask around and keep an eye out for open studios.
CHAPTER 2
Designing for Print
Before printing begins you have to work out what to put onto the fabric; this chapter is about that creative process. Beginning with visual research, it moves on to design development, then into creating different types of motifs, images, patterns and repeats to print.
This chapter should be treated as a selection of guidelines rather than a set of hard and fast rules. When working, use whichever media suit you – from finger painting to digital design – and don’t be afraid to mix them up. Adapt guidelines to fit the way you work, and play to your personal strengths using techniques you love. Work with subject matter that has meaning for you, but do not be afraid to go beyond your safety zone. Combine commitment with a sense of play, allowing each step of the journey to build on the previous ones and relishing the adventure of it all. The ultimate aim is to create printed fabrics that please the eye and make the heart sing, but before diving in it is worth going through some basics about the various arenas that printed textiles are most commonly designed for.
Sketchbook pages full of ideas and development work for the ‘Corpus Cutis’ project – Esther Smith and Sue Westergaard.
PRINTED TEXTILE PRODUCTS
In the ‘commercial world’ designs might be done digitally or autographically, including through the print process. They might be on paper, on cloth or on another substrate. If designed digitally the digital file is included in the deal, usually in layers so it can be adapted and re-coloured easily. Usually once a design is sold the original designer has no claim to it at all, although well-known designers might make designs to be licensed for a limited time span or specific use by a manufacturer.
Fashion and clothing
This is a huge market that goes from individual designer/makers to international companies. It mostly works with repeat patterns, but also with ‘engineered’ or ‘placement’ designs. These are motifs or images which relate to a garment’s shape and to how it sits and flows when worn. Repeat patterns sold to the commercial fashion world need not be perfectly ‘in repeat’ (although they often are) but usually give the buyer a sense of how the pattern would work over large areas. They are more useful if they are multi-directional, working equally well no matter which way up they are, because it makes them easier to use in clothing, but this is not a hard and fast rule. They are usually sold on paper, as fabric samples or as ‘garment-fronts’ (fabrics made up in the shape of a piece of clothing). Sometimes illustrations are used as well to show how a textile might be used.
Interiors and space
Patterns and motifs tend to be larger scale for this market. They are much more likely to be directional (that is, they have a top and bottom as well as left and right sides). Commercial patterns are generally sold in proper repeat – in other words how they repeat and flow has already been worked out. They might be accompanied by an ‘in-situ’ image, showing how the fabric would work in a room, or on a piece of furniture. Placement designs are becoming more common using largescale motifs and images that relate to size and shape of furniture, or may even be site-specific, designed for a particular space or environment. Wall-covering, although not often made of cloth, is usually designed by people trained in textile print and design.
Accessories and artefacts
Objects and artefacts might include cuff-links, make-up bags, cards and wrapping papers, cushion covers, plant pots and ceramics. Many textile designers work or sell in this arena, as designer/makers or working for larger-scale commercial companies. Manufacturers keep an eye out at graduate shows and craft fairs for designers whose work might suit a particular market they are involved in and would go through the specifics of their design needs if they were commissioning design work.
Theatre, television and media
This might involve anything from designing fabrics for theatre productions or wallpapers for films through to breaking down costumes so they look as if they’ve been through a third world war. The requirements for any job would relate specifically to that commission, but some general rules are worth bearing in mind; for example, things may be seen from a distance meaning detail gets lost, or they might never need to be cleaned and therefore can be made from materials one would not normally be able to use.
Fine art and art textiles
Fine art is not defined by the medium used; it is more about exploring ideas and ‘discussing’ concepts using visual language. Within it the use of textiles is becoming more and more commonplace. They might be used for all sorts of reasons: to exploit associations with one sort of fabric or another, or a particular textile tradition; as elements in installations; as worn ‘art’ pieces, etc.
START BY GATHERING VISUAL RESEARCH
In many ways this is the most important step. Without personal visual research your work is likely to feel derivative and predictable. Observe, create and collect your own encyclopaedia of visual references to inspire you. Don’t worry too much about originality; the journey between a seed of an idea to whatever it finally becomes has so many twists and turns that anything can act as a starting point.
The point of original visual research is to surround yourself with a gamut of visual stimuli that are personal to you. Record the things that spark even an inkling of an idea, rejoicing in the inherent qualities of the materials you are using. Make sketches, drawings, collages and rubbings. Write notes, take photographs, and collect ephemera. Work directly from things in front of you, from your imagination, from books, from anything you see or experience. Visit exhibitions and window shop too. Look at the way artists and designers have worked across the whole artistic spectrum and build on their discoveries to inform your own ways of working. Any or all of it might become the jumping-off point for motifs, designs or imagery to print.
Esther Smith’s sketchbooks, bursting at the seams with everything from sketches to embroidered fabric swatches.
Jenny Samuels’ sketchbook pages are full of doodles and words that she might use in her seaside-based prints.
The concept of the ‘sketchbook’ is integral to this process, although it need not actually be in book form. It might as easily consist of bundles of paper, 3D experiments, photographs, fabrics, objects and so on, although actual sketchbooks are convenient to use simply because they are so portable. Doing something ‘good’ does not matter particularly at this stage – just ‘doing’ is what really counts; honing and refining can come later. Visual research and sketchbooks are personal things that only have a purpose if they meet your ends and are true to your approach. Some people have sketchbooks chock-a-block with doodles, drawings, swatches of fabrics, samples of colour, 3D ephemera and more ideas than it is possible to realize in a lifetime. Others are more minimal, cooler and specific, with an end product, colour palette, and so on in mind. Neither is better than the other. It should become your unique encyclopaedia of personal responses, imagery and thoughts. A decent, on-going body of visual research will stand the artist or designer in good stead for the whole of their life. It records snippets of things that would otherwise be forgotten; things that can spark off fresh trains of thought even years after they have been done.
The words ‘drawing’ and ‘sketching’ describe a couple of the simplest ways of recording things you see or think of, using visual language rather than a written one. They are the easiest way to make something ‘yours’. A sort of magic happens when information passes through the eye and brain, through the body, the arm, hand and fingers, and out onto the paper. It does not need to be technically brilliant – it just needs to be personal and truthful. The action of doing it is the most important thing. The more you do it, the better you become and the greater the facility of your hand, your eye and your brain, and the more useful it becomes.
Jill Bryan’s sketchbook with ‘thumbnail’ designs, and mark-making experiments to help her to develop the motifs and layouts she will use in her final designs for swimwear fabrics.
Caroline McNamara plays with ideas for stylized floral roundel motifs.
Brainstorm ideas of your own, copy techniques, look at how other people work and use that as inspiration. There are no absolutes, no wrongs or rights except that in the end elements from it can be developed into images, designs and prints.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
The next stage is to play with ideas for motifs, patterns, designs and images. Any part of the visual research can be a jumping off point for design development. It might be colour, a concept, the creation of a mood, an emotion, the medium used, a tiny piece of texture recorded in the corner of a page, a scribbled note, an interesting mark, or a detailed drawing that took hours. Some of them might turn into finished designs or pieces in their own right, whilst others might be developed later on or even discarded. At this stage it can help to allow yourself a freedom that isn’t overly obsessed with final methods of production, money or taste. As the journey continues they all come into the equation, but they don’t have to be the main driver now. Some people work best when playing around without any pre-conceived boundaries, whilst others thrive on working within defined parameters. Whoever you are, play to your strengths. No way is wrong and no way is absolutely right; nor are they mutually exclusive. ‘Mood boards’ can help you to immerse yourself in the mood and aesthetic of the work you are creating, just as actors immerse themselves in their character. Cover the workspace, or sheets of paper, with images, colours, marks and textures that reflect what you are aiming for, or emphasize the themes that have started to appear.
Esther Smith develops ideas for printed and stitched lace patterns, using her detailed drawings based on cells and insects.
Sue Westergaard uses pens and felt tips to develop ideas for prints to be used in 3D sculptural textiles for the ‘Corpus Cutis’ project.
A simple mood board consisting of photographs and pebbles – Caroline McNamara.
At the Canvas Design Studio, the walls are covered with mood-sheets designed for the industry around the themes being used as inspiration that season.
Matthew Meadows’ studio walls, with cut-out ideas for screen stencils, colours, textures and drawings.
Then be brave enough to run with ideas as they develop. This is the stage when some things flounder while others begin to gel, and where a small tweak or a dramatic alteration can make a difference. Whether working by hand or on the computer the approach is the same. When you create any art or design, you want to provoke some sort of reaction in others. If you don’t feel it, how will anyone else? Follow your instinct and trust your design eye. Some things you do will ‘sing’, whilst others will do nothing. Use the techniques and suggestions already given in the ‘sketchbooks’ section above, as well as those listed below, to help you along:
• Select elements from your visual research that appeal; it does not matter if others are left behind.
• Choose similar things as your starting points, or totally disparate ones.
• Paper frames/viewfinders can be useful in helping to spot new starting points.
• Create colour palettes from the research and mood boards.
• Work on a paper shaped like a square, a diamond, a circle – or make yourself a tessellating shape (see the ‘design demos’ later in this chapter).
• Create different backgrounds using different media.
• Be simple; re-interpreting an image or motif in different media can be enough to take it somewhere else.
• Take ideas for walks, allowing each step to feed off the previous ones. You might draw a leaf, interpret part of that drawing in various different media, make collages inspired by those, and take rubbings from the collages, keep interesting rubbings, tear others up to re-configure in different ways or to work into with watercolours, photograph things as you go … and so on. Allow the changes and developments to be minimal or huge.
• Play with mixing techniques: use digital or photographic alongside hand-done techniques; drip water onto water-soluble inks; make thick painted marks over a smooth glossy image; cut and collage using nail scissors and sugar paper.
• Explore scale – reinterpret large drawings using tiny delicate media, then blow them up on the printer, photocopier or scanner. Draw something big, and copy and reduce it until it is tiny. What happens if you draw, trace, print out or copy the same things at different sizes? What if they become tiny or enormous? What if the tiny element becomes big, and the bigger element becomes little?
• Challenge yourself with your colour palette. Re-work things using similar colours or clashing ones, all darks or all off-whites, monotone with a dash of fluorescent, etc.
• Work on top of unsuccessful things, or chop them up and rearrange them.
• Bring in pattern as and when it feels right. Play with it. New rhythms and forms appear when a motif/design is put into repeat, and it becomes something else (see the ‘design demos’ later in this chapter).
• Use the process of printing to play with shapes, pattern and repeat.
• Overlap motifs, or create space between them – change the relationships between them and the background.
• Incorporate rogue elements from somewhere else that take the work by surprise.
• Work in three dimensions rather than just flat, especially if the design/print could relate to the 3D form of whatever the fabric might eventually be made into.
• Look at what you are doing from a distance. Put it up on a wall, walk away from it, then turn around quickly and catch it by surprise. Walk away and look at it in the mirror. The immediate reaction you have to that piece can speak volumes about whether it is working or not.
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