Today I am making up some thermofax kits for the online screen printing class, Pulling screen prints. When you join this course you will get an 8 piece thermofax kit.
Class starts on January 11th, so you still have time to join us. It is a 4 week printing workshop to explore several easy screen printing methods. We will:
- Start with paper stencils
- Explore drawing fluid and screen filler methods
- Experiment with monotypes and wax resist
- Combine and layer thermofax impressions
In the image above I use the following screen printn:
- Green rectangle was created with a taped screen
- Blue circle is an old drawing fluid and screen filler image on an embroidery hoop screen
- Black Butterfly is a thermofax screen
- Text was made with an EZ-screen kit
I also used the inks, paints and modifiers below.
I think it is best to use the right inks for the process, but sometimes I just try what I have at hand.
I love the Createx acrylic colors screen printing ink. The squirt bottle is handy and creates less waste. But the bottles are big and on the expensive side. So I would say buy them if you are sure you are going to do plenty of screen printing.
Versatex makes several different inks for printing on different materials. They have starter kits and are a good choice if you are just exploring the screen printing methods and still not sure if the process is for you.
Golden makes a silkscreen medium that you can mix with regular acrylic paint. The jar says it is for printing on paper and wood. I am not sure what it would do to fabric. I think there will be some learning and experimenting with the mixing ratio and the type of acrylic paint, but this seems like a good choice if you already have a lot of acrylic paint in the studio.
The ideal ink will flow through the screen, hold the edge of your design, and dry slowly so that it does not clog and ruin the screen.
Join us in the next session of Pulling Screen Prints! Get the support you need to add this process to your skill set.
