Screen printing is great for projects where you on want to make a lot of print of the same image.
You may even have enough supplies at home to get started with a screen printing project.
9 everyday items that you can use in simple screen printing projects
1 – Tightly woven curtain sheers
You can use curtain sheers instead of regular screen printing film/mesh. Just remember big loose weave means more ink will pass through the design. So get the tightest weave you can find at the thrift store.
2 – Plastic containers
These are essential for balancing screens and inky squeegees on when you are moving from one print to the next. Go find some in the recycling bin. You will be happy that you did. Ink management is crucial when screen printing.
3 – Small round lidded containers
This type of container is great of saving little bits of ink. Sometimes it is nice to have a little ink in a little jar for a quick test print. Round containers are better than square because ink will not get stuck in the corners.
4 – Bondo scrapers
You can find these at an auto parts store. The Big Box hardware stores may have them too. These plastic scrapers can be used in place of a squeegee. They come in different sizes, which is nice because you can pick the size you need for a specific design/screen. You can even cut them to size.
5 – Old gift cards
Used up plastic gift cards can be used as a squeegee too. These are great for small designs.
6 – Cosmetic sponge
These small dense sponges are great for tiny designs. They are used in place of squeegee.
7 – Embroidery hoops
I love these in place of the standard frame. Combine these with the a piece of curtain mesh and you have yourself a very quick screen. You can use these with paper stencils, drawing fluid method and screen filler methods and you will have a reusable screen. And no scrubbing to remove materials to reclaim the screen. Less work, more printing.
8 – Mod Podge
I often struggled with screen filler. It was messy and always seemed to be too thick or too thin. I recently found that I could use Mod Podge instead. BUT make sure you use this with screens that do not need to be reclaimed. You can not wash out the Mod Podge. So this works great with embroidery hoop style screens.
9 – Big Fat waxy crayons
I use these crayons to make rubbings. This creates an experimental resist style of screen.
If you are interested in learning more about screen printing with these types of supplies, then join us in this year’s session of Pulling Screen Prints, the online printmaking course.