Learn to Screen Print at Home: Step by Step Process, Tips, and Tricks

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If you’ve been wanting to learn how to screen print you’ve come to the right place! I taught myself how to screen print when I wanted to make my accessory and clothing line more sustainable, and less dependent on third party manufacturers. It is such a delightful process but does require some patience, so set aside an afternoon and have some fun becoming your very own in house print shop!

SUPPLIES

You don’t need a full blown screen printing press to be able to make your own prints/shirts/etc. Speedball sells a kit that includes:

• Screen

• Black and Red Ink

• Drawing Fluid

• Screen Filler

• Squeegee

• Paintbrush

• Photo Emulsion Kit

• Craft Sticks

• Cleaning Solution.

You can get this kit here.

For this how-to we are focusing on the drawing fluid method, so if you do buy the kit just put the photo emulsion supplies to the side. I recommend having these supplies handy as well: an apron (in case you’re like me and make messes no matter what you do), a piece of glass or container of some kind in case you choose to mix your own color, painter’s or masking tape, and a pencil . I would also encourage putting newspaper, a trash bag, or drop cloth down to help with any spillage, but if you prefer the thrill of close mess encounters then go nuts! Now that we have the goods let’s dive into the process!

STEP ONE:

Get those creative juices pumping and pick your design! You can either free hand it or you can print out a stencil that can be placed under the screen and traced. Whichever method you pick be sure you are drawing on the screen with the Speedball logo facing up, otherwise your image/words will be reversed.

I went with a design of one of my favorite sayings from my Uncle Jack:

“Every day, in every way, you are getting better.”

Gosh, it just gives me so much hope, he used to give me this snippet of advice as a reminder that good is ahead, that whether I see the growth or not it is there, and that every day is a new day and opportunity to improve. A reminder I am putting at the forefront of my 2023!

TIP: I suggest going simple, small and avoid thin lines for your first screen. Create a design that feels attainable for this first go around. As you learn, you will feel more comfortable pushing your boundaries of creativity, but let’s set ourselves up for success on the first one.

STEP TWO:

Time to bust out that brush and drawing fluid! What is drawing fluid you may ask? It is essentially a water-soluble mask, anywhere you put the drawing fluid will eventually be where ink can pass through the screen. IMPORTANT: you need to flip your screen over when applying your drawing fluid(logo side facing the table).

Using your brush dip it into the drawing fluid and trace the pencil sketched design with the blue fluid. Now since we apply the fluid on the under side you’re re-tracing your design mirrored, which might feel funky, but you got this!

TIP:

Be generous!

If you apply the fluid too thin it may not be able to resist the screen filler fluid, meaning that line will be sealed over.

However, if you apply so much fluid that it drips through onto your table it is going to take longer to dry and is unnecessary.

STEP THREE:

Alright alright alright, so this is what your screen should look like (with your design on it of course). All of your lines should be a nice, consistent shade of blue.

Now step three is a hard, but an easy one: WAIT! It is crucial you allow the fluid to completely dry before moving on to step four. You can test it by touch, if it still feels sticky or tacky to the touch you need to wait longer.

This is usually the point in time where ya girl needs a snack, so take a breather go grab some food or a bevy and enjoy the riveting show of watching paint dry! Weehoo!

STEP FOUR:

For this step you’re going to need the screen filler and the red squeegee. This is meant to fill in all of the surrounding space around the drawing fluid.

Pour the screen filler in a horizontal line across the top of your screen(your screen should still be logo side down just like in step 3)

Using your squeegee, at a 45 degree angle, drag the filler down the length of your screen, completely covering your design. The drawing fluid should resist the screen filler. Don’t forget to scrape any excess screen filler off your squeegee and back into the bottle, waste not want not; since we will be using the squeegee again wash it off with soap and water.

TIP:

This is the trickiest step, so take a deep breath! You want to do this in one pass, the more you try to drag the fluid across the screen the less likely your drawing fluid will be able to resist. This is why it is best to start small and simple. You also want to place enough filler to cover your design but not so much that it will drip through the screen!

This is what it should roughly look like after you drag the filler in. Honestly, I put a tad too much filler on this one, you can tell because it seems a bit puffy in areas. But the blue fluid is showing through, which is a win! If you have filler that gets in areas it shouldn’t you can use the screen cleaner later on to scrub it off.

Now we wait for the filler to completely dry. Again, patience is key here! If you do not let the filler dry completely it will come off when you go to rinse in step five, so go replenish those snacks!

STEP FIVE:

This is my favorite part, rinsing out the drawing fluid! You can use your kitchen sink, your shower, or a hose outside. You want to try to get a bit of pressure from the water to blast the blue drawing fluid, but if you don’t have a moveable faucet to do so simply holding it under will do the trick it’ll just take a wee bit more time to dissolve the blue fluid out. If you notice that your screen filler is coming off stop, and gently pat dry and allow it to completely dry again before rinsing.

Look at that, squeaky clean! All the drawing fluid should be cleaned out exposing the areas of screen where your ink will be free to pass through.

TIP:

If you blast away some of your screen filler on detailed areas you can go back in with your paintbrush and lay it back down. I decided I wanted an outline on my sun so I added it in after the rinse.

Up next I recommend using some painter’s tape, I use this tape here. You want to place the tape around the border of your design and in any exposed areas of screen you want to patch up so that there won’t be any unwanted ink leakage on your print.

STEP SIX:

Time to bust out that ink! The Speedball kit I linked to earlier comes with a container of black and red ink. If you want to spice it up and get some other colors you can find more ink options here. I wanted to create my own color (which is totally optional), I mixed red, white, and a wee bit of black to create a rose colored ink.

If you are going to mix your own color I like to mix inks and paints on a sheet of glass.

Pro tip: go to your local thrift store and buy a photo frame in the size you may want. Save the frame for later and take the glass out to use as your mixing plate! I love using glass because it is so easy to clean, if I forget to wash it while it is wet (which is the easiest time to clean) you can scrape the dried ink/paint off. Otherwise you can use old yogurt containers, bowls, plates, etc. If you choose a plate or bowl you can reuse be sure you mark it so that you don’t accidentally use it for food later on.

Just look at that color, SCRUMPTIOUS! Now I use a palette knife that used to be my grandmothers, (art and creativity runs in the family, she was a talented painter). Now you might not have a vintage palette knife but don’t fret! Your kit comes with wooden craft sticks that are great stirring devices. Even if you aren’t going to make your own color, you will still want to use the sticks(or mixing tool you have on hand) to mix the ink of your choice in the jar, it can separate over time so it is important you stir it back up to its glossy goodness!

STEP SEVEN:

Your screen is taped up and it’s about that time to make our first print! As far as paper goes I like to use Strathmore Printmaking Paper found here. It has a great thickness, and is made to handle ink well. However, I have used regular drawing paper and watercolor paper and both work great! I love using watercolor paper if I plan on adding hand painted elements either before or after printing my design.

You will want to line your paper up with your design so that it is placed and centered to your liking.

TIP: if you are going to batch out multiple prints I suggest getting the Speedball frame and base here. You can make registration marks with your painters tape so that you place your paper in the same placement each time, creating very consistent prints.

STEP EIGHT:

Now whether you have mixed your own color or you’ve just stirred up the original ink of your choice, using your stirring tool get a nice scoop of ink. Drizzle it in a line across the top of your screen just ABOVE your design. You want to put enough ink that you can completely cover your design when you pull it across. So drizzle and re-drizzle until your have the needed amount. Is there such a thing as too much ink here? YES! You don’t want to have so much ink that it oozes all over the place, this process is all about having a good gauge on quantity, and if you find yourself struggling with this don’t fret, it’ll come in time as you practice.

STEP NINE:

The squeegee is back (and cleaned off)! Now the moment we’ve all been waiting for: THE INK PULL! Alright so things that are important: consistent, firm pressure and angles! Just like when we pulled the screen filler you want to have a 45 degree angle. You will then firmly pull the ink down the screen covering your design. When you get to the bottom switch directions and pull all the ink back up to the top.

Troubleshooting:

If after doing one pull(back and forth) you remove your screen and have areas of your design that aren’t inked, that probably means a) there wasn’t enough ink to cover everything or b) you didn’t have consistent pressure on your pass. On your next attempt add some more ink and try doing two-three passes to ensure everything gets inked.On a smaller design one pass can be enough, on a larger design like the one I am doing I will always do at least two passes.

If after a few prints you start to notice that the lines are getting fuzzy, splotchy, or bleeding out, most likely you have way too much ink on your screen and probably haven’t had enough pressure on your pulls, allowing ink to escape through the sides. You can either place your screen on scrap paper/newspaper/cardboard and do some passes (without adding more ink) to get rid of the excess. Do this until no more ink transfers onto your scrap paper. If you still have an issue then remove your ink (save for later) and thoroughly wash your screen and dry to give yourself a fresh start.

STEP TEN:

VOILA! Look at that! You did it friend! Sit back and enjoy the work you just produced with your very own hands! Print making is such a fun process, it gives me the freedom to create my work on my time, and in sustainable ways. Each print is also unique, some spots may not ink as thick as others and it gives every piece it’s own personality.

Tip:

If I have a print that didn’t ink well I do one of three things, 1) I take a paint brush and fill in areas that need more ink by hand. OR I put that print in my Island of Misfit Art, which is heavily discounted art prints in my shop. OR 3) if it is botched so horribly I use it as scrap paper for cleaning my screen. Either way I do my best to give every print produced a purpose. I encourage you to endeavor to do the same.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns or jokes drop them in the comments below and I will gladly chat with you! I would LOVE to see what prints you make, if you are on instagram tag or DM me your creations (@_morgankemp). Nothing brings me more joy than seeing you learn and create on your own!

Now as much as I love printmaking it can be frustrating sometimes, it takes patience (something I have to actively work on) and some troubleshooting, so if you find yourself struggling take a deep breath, and remember, every day in every way you are getting better!

Happy creating!