Improvisational Screenprinting

At our Fiber Junkies meeting a while back, we ventured into doing some improvisational screenprinting. For those who don't have access to burning a screen, you can create some great images by using a "blank, unburned" screen. Blank screens can be purchased at any art supply store or online through Dick Blick, Jerry's Artarama etc. In the piece below, I started with a yellow fabric, laid torn pieces of newspaper on top and the screen on top of that. I used a green textile paint and squeegeed over the screen and on top of the fabric and newspaper pieces. When I removed the screen and newspaper, you can see where the paper created a resist, preventing the green paint from reaching those areas. You can also use freezer paper, contact paper - just about anything.

I also took a stylus and "wrote in the paint. You can also do something called "reverse stamping". The little "blocks" were created by stamping with one of those inexpensive foam stamps; the stamp lifts the paint off in those areas, creating an interesting and fairly subtle look.
I also wanted to see the difference by putting paint on half of the fabric and writing on it.

You can use water soluble crayons and markers such as Crayola water soluble crayons, colored pencils, Aqua Tone crayons; it needs to say somewhere on the package - water soluble. You can write on the front side of the screen, lay it over a piece of fabric and using an acrylic medium or colorless extender, squeegee over the writing which will loosen and transfer to your fabric. You can add color to the medium or keep it clear.

I also tried charcoal which worked great as the medium seals it. Using a medium does change the hand of the fabric but if you're creating an art quilt, I don't think it matters. The next piece was a sampler; I wanted to try as many types of writing tools I could think of.

Martine House put torn pieces of masking tape on the back of her screen - the side that faces down, and also added writing using water soluble crayons on the front.

She then squeegeed over it using a dark color paint, removed the tape and had this great design.

Mary is using a charcoal pencil in the picture below.

The softness of the pencil/crayon and heaviness of the line will determine the outcome. Carol used a crayon below

which blurred when transferred. This can be a good thing also. Carol got 2 swipes/prints on the same writing so there was a good amount of crayon used and a softer crayon. It's a matter of experimenting for the look you like best.