Silk screening is also called screen printing, and it is how the designs for many objects like T-shirts are created. In screen printing, a stencil is created onto a frame with a tight screen on it. The stencil is then used to run ink onto the shirt or other surface to print the image onto it.
Items Needed
The "silk screen" itself looks like a thick picture frame with a woven screen attached to one side. The strings of the screen are so close together that it almost looks solid. This screen is not actually made of silk. It is actually made of polyester fibers. You will also need printing ink, which comes in short, thick bottles and comes in many colors. You also need a printing block, which is a thick square or rectangle made of solid rubber.
Creating a Stencil
Many people create the stencil on their screen using an emulsion. This is a thick liquid substance that is normally a light green color. Draw the image you want to print onto a piece of paper with dark ink and cut out your image. Now pour the emulsion onto the screen, make sure it completely covers the screen and place your cutout on top of it. Leave the screen exposed to bright light for a full day. The emulsion will dry and harden, except where your cutout covers it. The next day, remove the cutout and run water on the screen. The emulsion that didn't harden will wash out and you'll have your stencil.
If you don't have emulsion, cut the drawing out of the sheet of paper and use the part of the paper you didn't draw on. Make sure this sheet is the same size as your screen and tape or glue it to the back side of the screen--this is the side that is flat against the frame.
Printing
Place the screen with the stencil onto your shirt, board or other surface you are printing onto. If it's a shirt, slip a piece of posterboard inside the shirt so the ink won't seep through to the back. The screen must be placed so the screen itself touches the surface and the frame points upward. Pour the ink onto the screen near the top of the frame. Dip the printing block into the ink and drag it down across the screen, running the ink across the screen. Once you have covered the entire screen in ink, carefully pull it away. You should see your printed image on the surface.
