DIY screen printing on T-shirts. Do-it-yourself screen printing on T-shirts Stencils for T-shirts with a pagan theme

Well, drawings on clothes turned out to be a very exciting activity, especially for children. They enjoy painting and wearing their creations.
It also turned out to be very convenient in this way to revive old clothes or hide stains, etc.)) And the gifts turn out wonderful, and most importantly exclusive)

This T-shirt was made as a gift for a 2 year old girl. I used a ready-made stencil, acrylic paints on fabric, outlines on fabric, markers on fabric.

The stains on this T-shirt are marbling, I have a description on my blog of what it is and how to do it. Along the edges of the hearts is a ready-made stencil. I used paints for marbling, acrylic paints on fabric, and contours on fabric.

Here I put dots on the fabric with markers, then I pulled the fabric tightly and alcohol dripped from a pipette onto the dots, under its influence the marker spread and such bizarre patterns were obtained. One pity is that the markers turned out to be pale; for a more saturated color you can use regular school markers, but there is a danger that when washed they will all smear and get mixed up. Something that doesn’t happen with fabric markers.

This is a gift for my daughter, she is a big fan of dinosaurs. For her sake, I scoured all of Moscow in search of a stencil with dinosaurs and finally found it)))
I used acrylic paints on fabric, 3D contours on fabric. Volumetric contours on fabric differ from simple ones in that after drying and ironing, volumetric contours remain convex - if you put dots, for example, but simple ones lose this convexity.

And now the process:
1. Find a thick cardboard (you can use a board, you can use anything that you can stretch a T-shirt onto). If we use cardboard, be sure to wrap it in cling film (you can put it in a large bag). What is this for? When painting, the paint will come through the T-shirt, dry and the T-shirt will definitely stick to the cardboard, making it difficult to peel off))))

2. We choose which side we want to apply the design on and put the T-shirt on the cardboard (for me it’s a T-shirt, but I’ll write on a T-shirt, it’s more convenient). In this way, we separate the face from the back; if we do not make a layer between the face and the back, then when applying a pattern to the front side, the back will definitely get dirty; the paint is absorbed very well into the fabric and appears from all sides.
3. We stretch the T-shirt very tightly onto the cardboard and secure it with clothespins (or paper clips) around the entire perimeter. The tighter the fabric is stretched, the better the pattern will be.
A very important point: if you are dyeing new clothes, just purchased, before dyeing you must wash and iron them, this will remove the factory composition with which the clothes are impregnated. If this is not done, it can sometimes ruin the design when applied.

4. Next, we select the stencil or stencils that suit us and determine the location of application.
If you want to create a complex, multi-layered design, then you need to work in stages, attach the stencils one by one, and let each applied design dry thoroughly.

5. If an adhesive stencil is used, then it is simply very carefully glued to the T-shirt and that’s it. If you use a simple reusable stencil, then it must be secured to the fabric using masking tape; it sticks and comes off very well.
You can completely make your work easier and purchase aerosol adhesive for temporary fixation stencils, applied to the back of the stencil; it creates a sticky layer. This layer securely fixes the stencil on any surface, without leaving marks on it. I didn’t purchase this glue because... its price in Moscow stores seemed too high to me, I made do with tape)))
Next, prepare paints, outlines, markers, brushes and, most importantly, a sponge. I use a regular dishwashing sponge and cut it into conveniently sized pieces.

6. After fixing the stencil, we begin to apply paint. When using markers, everything is simple, the main thing is not to put too much pressure on the fabric, otherwise it will pull behind the marker, folds may form and ruin the design.
When using paint, apply a thin layer of it to a sponge and work it into the fabric with a scratching motion. The paint does not need to be applied in a thick layer, otherwise it will penetrate under the edges of the stencil and the design will be blurry (if you use an adhesive stencil, you don’t have to worry about this). A thick layer of paint takes longer to dry and during use of the T-shirt there is a risk that the design will begin to crack. Therefore, it is better to apply the paint in a thin layer, maybe several times for brightness.
And another very important thing - no water! Everything around should be dry and the paint itself should not be diluted with water, the ingress of water will cause the paint to spread over the fabric and everything will be ruined.

7. After you have finished applying the paint, you should not wait for it to dry completely in order to remove the stencil. On the contrary, it is better to remove it while the paint is not completely dry because... the paint sometimes sticks the stencil to the fabric and when removed, the fabric stretches, sometimes this spoils the design.
The adhesive tape must be separated from the fabric very slowly, trying not to pull; the stencil is also separated slowly, especially for the adhesive stencil.
After removing the stencils, do not forget to wash them immediately; acrylic paint almost does not rub off after complete drying (this applies to reusable and washable stencils).

8. After removing the stencil, you evaluate the drawing; inaccuracies can be eliminated by touching up with a brush or using contours. You can make lines, put dots, complete drawings, in general, do everything that your imagination is capable of. You can combine markers and paint, you can glue rhinestones, and so on.
On my T-shirt, the astronaut is made with paints and outlines, and the rocket is made with markers and outlines.
The finished T-shirt should be hung to dry for a day, then it should be turned inside out, pulled onto an ironing board and each design should be ironed for 20-30 minutes. After this, you can wash your clothes at 30 degrees inside out.
I showed you the simplest and fastest option for decorating clothes.

9. Now about stencils:
Homemade stencils will always be the best because... they are exclusive. But it’s not easy to make them, the main thing is to get good at it)))
Personally, I used adhesive washable wallpaper to make stencils. I chose pictures from my daughter’s coloring books. Then, using carbon paper, I transferred them to wallpaper. Next is the most difficult thing, you need to decide what kind of drawing you need - it can only be in the form of outlines, look above at the rocket and the astronaut. Or, on the contrary, it will be solid, and the contours will remain unpainted. There are also two-layer and three-layer stencils, but this is a separate topic for describing how to make and use them; a separate large MK must be made))))
Well, I decided on what type of pattern I needed, drew it on the back of the wallpaper, then took a sharp paper knife and began to cut, better cut on something very hard. The first stencil was very difficult to cut out. But when it was ready, I already applied it to the wallpaper, outlined and cut through it, and the work went faster)

Printing a design on a T-shirt yourself is a fun and inexpensive way to create “branded” T-shirts for your band, sports team, or simply add a t-shirt with an interesting design or pattern to your wardrobe. To get started, buy several single-color T-shirts without a pattern and decide what pattern and what method you will apply to them. This article provides instructions on how to apply a design in three different ways: stencil, screen printing, and decal.

Steps

Drawing with a stencil

Prepare everything you need. To apply a design to a T-shirt using a stencil, you most likely already have everything you need on hand. If not, you will need to find a hardware store or art supply store. You will need the following

T-shirt. An ordinary one-color cotton T-shirt without a pattern will do just fine. Keep in mind that when designing on fabric, some inks and dyes may bleed through, so if this is not desired, choose a thicker fabric. The color of the T-shirt should be light enough (or vice versa, dark enough) so that the color you use to apply the design contrasts well with the background.
Stencil. You can buy a ready-made stencil at an art supply store or make your own from cardboard.
Paint or ink. Acrylic fabric paint is perfect for applying a design to a T-shirt. You may also want to use fabric ink or another dye. Find a dye that won't come off in the washing machine.
Small paint roller and paint tray. A roller is needed to apply paint evenly to the fabric. If you don't have a roller, you can use a wide brush.
Scotch. The tape is needed to keep the stencil level while you apply the paint. Masking tape works great.

Wash your T-shirt. A cotton T-shirt may shrink a little the first time you wash it, so it's important to wash and dry it before applying the design. If you apply a design first and then wash the T-shirt, the design may become distorted. When the T-shirt is dry, iron it.

Prepare your work area. Cover a flat, hard surface with wrapping paper or old newspapers. Place the T-shirt on top and straighten it so that there are no uneven spots or wrinkles anywhere. Place the stencil on the T-shirt where you want to apply the design. Tape the edges of the stencil to hold it in place.
- If you're concerned about the dye bleeding through the fabric, place a piece of cardboard inside the T-shirt. This way the paint won't bleed through to the other side of the back.
- To avoid getting paint splattered on your nice weekend shirt, wear something older before you get to work.
Prepare the roller. Pour paint into the tray. Dip the roller into the tray several times until it is evenly coated with paint. Make a test stroke on a piece of paper.

Apply paint to the T-shirt. Using firm and confident strokes, fill all the holes in the stencil with paint. You can cover the stencil itself with paint a few centimeters, the main thing is not to jump beyond its limits.

Remove the stencil. Carefully remove the stencil from the T-shirt and set it aside. Do not touch the T-shirt until the paint is completely dry.

Iron the T-shirt. When the paint is completely dry, iron the design through a thin fabric (such as a thin towel) with an iron on high heat. Thanks to this, the paint will sit tightly on the fabric and will not fall off.

Wear and wash your T-shirt. There are no special restrictions on wearing a T-shirt with a homemade design. The first few times the T-shirt should be washed by hand in cold water. Over time, it will become possible to wash it in the washing machine with the rest of your laundry.

Prepare your work area. Cover a flat, hard surface with wrapping paper or old newspapers. Place the T-shirt on top and straighten it so that there are no uneven spots or wrinkles anywhere. Place the stencil on the T-shirt where you want the design to be. Place the mesh on top.

Apply paint to the mesh. Pour a dollop of paint onto the top of the mesh and spread it down evenly using a rubber roller. Run the roller over the mesh a second time, now across the frame.
- It can take some time to learn how to properly distribute the paint across the mesh (and the T-shirt underneath). Try to learn how to make do with just two strokes of the roller: one vertical and one horizontal. This method is optimal for evenly applying a sufficient amount of paint.
- Make sure the edges of the paper extend beyond the edges of the grid frame, otherwise you will end up with an unintended streak of paint on the t-shirt.
Remove the grids from the t-shirt and let the paints dry. Carefully remove the mesh and check the quality of the pattern. The paint must dry completely before the T-shirt can be worn and washed.

Reuse the grid. When you remove the mesh from the T-shirt, the paper stencil is probably stuck to the ink on it. You can use the same mesh to duplicate the design on another T-shirt. Repeat the previous steps for as many graphic t-shirts as you need.

Kindergarten is a troublesome business. Constant homework for parents can make life very difficult if you don’t have such an excellent automation tool as a stencil at hand! That's what we got this time - for a children's sports event, we need to provide the whole group with branded T-shirts, and there is only three days!

The task was as follows: on the T-shirt there should be a symbol of the group, Kolobok, and on the back - the name of the child. To make it beautiful, we decided to use stencils and fabric paint. Since the drawing is small, with delicate details, we decided to do it with glue stencils.

Before removing the backing from the adhesive stencil (this is also true for stickers!), you need to smooth the top transparent mounting film well. The fact is that this film has temporary adhesive and during storage/transportation it peels off from the stencil. Before application, it must be smoothed well with a squeegee or any other object with a smooth and even edge. Then the mounting film will re-adhere to the stencil and the backing can be easily removed without taking small parts with it.

Turn the stencil over and carefully remove the paper backing. The more small details there are on the stencil (or sticker), the more carefully you need to do this. When passing particularly critical areas, the paper must be bent at an acute angle and smoothly pulled off the stencil. If any part of the design remains on the backing, you need to return the paper a centimeter back, press at the location of the unruly part through the backing, and slowly continue to remove the paper.

After gluing the stencil in place, be sure to place a sheet of paper under the fabric. The same backing that we just removed will work perfectly for this purpose - it is not needed for anything else, and the size is the most suitable. You need to place the paper so that the paint, having seeped through the fabric, does not stain the other side of the T-shirt.

The next step is to remove the mounting film from the stencil. Before doing this, you need to press the stencil well against the surface - otherwise the mounting film will take away with it those very small details of the design that we carefully protected when removing the backing. You can smooth the stencil with the same squeegee or object that we used earlier.

In this way we glue the stencils to all twenty-four T-shirts. Just a real continuous production. Looks impressive! We are lucky - we have a huge table. If you don’t have one, and there are just as many T-shirts, then you can stack them one on top of the other - the stencils hold very firmly.

Preparing drawing tools. If you have one T-shirt, then you can get by with a brush or sponge. But if the number is more than three, your hand will get very tired, believe me. So we armed ourselves with a cheap foam paint roller of the appropriate width. The cheapness of the roller is not a desire to save money! It’s just that a foam roller is much better suited than any other. Pour a little paint onto a disposable plate or dist plastic and roll out the paint well. until the cake is evenly soaked. Make sure there is not too much paint!

Let's start drawing. It’s easy with a roller - we continue to roll over the stencil until all areas to be painted acquire a rich color. The most important thing is to carefully watch the edges so as not to stain the fabric! Although fabric paint comes off easily unless ironed, it is best to avoid this.

The paint needs to be given a few minutes to dry, and the stencil can be removed. You can check the degree of drying on the paint on the margins of the stencil. We remove the film carefully, as it sticks well to the fabric.

The advantage of an adhesive stencil is that there is no need for “bridges” and you can depict almost any design. But this advantage turns its inconvenient side when we remove the stencil - each smallest part must be peeled off separately. In our case, this is not so difficult... But imagine some kind of “bamboo-and-sakura” with 1836 elements? But it’s beautiful!

Let's see the almost finished result. Thanks to the adhesive stencil, you have almost no fear of leakage and can safely paint over the smallest details. Therefore, the face came out very well. Do not forget! This is not the final result yet - until the paint is ironed on the fabric, it is easily washed off even without washing powder.

Let's move on to names. Here the use of an adhesive stencil is justified by the fact that each T-shirt has its own name. Therefore, using a self-adhesive stencil is not only simpler than a reusable one, but also cheaper.

In the same way as with the emblem, we glue the stencils to the T-shirts, smooth them well and remove the mounting film. Then we paint it with the same roller.

As a result, in just an hour and a half, we applied 48 designs to 24 T-shirts. Moreover, the result is no different from industrial printing on fabric. True, after application, the drawings need to be ironed from the inside out, for at least 3 minutes each! This is really long, but it’s not about wine stencils, it’s about paint application technology. But in the end, the manager and inspectors from the commission should be happy! It's a pity that the children won't appreciate it - the holiday is more important to them, what do they care about some tarfarets. We will show you what it all looked like a little later - the holiday itself will take place on October 29.

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The simplest technology that allows you to make designs on T-shirts with your own hands is stencil painting. Accordingly, this stencil painting master class describes in detail the stencil technique of applying a design to a T-shirt with your own hands at home and using available materials.

While fulfilling the order, we simultaneously made a detailed photo report of the technological process. The test subject will be a purchased T-shirt already dyed yellow (chicken) color. The drawing was chosen by the customer and, in our opinion, is not too difficult to repeat.

There are several different technologies for applying patterns to fabric, but only three of them involve doing it yourself: stencil printing, contour drawing and batik (cold or hot). All other technologies are industrial, for example, thermal transfer or direct printing on a T-shirt. Industrial technologies are beyond the scope of our story, but we’ll talk about screen printing now.

Preparatory procedures

Before you start painting, before applying, it is advisable to iron the fabric. If the T-shirt has just been purchased, then it should be washed, because the fibers of the fabric may contain starch, or substances with which the weaving factory processes the fabric to protect it from moths and other adverse effects.

The fabric is “stretched” over the tablet. For such purposes, we have a thin plate of real Austrian chipboard, which is ideal in size for painting T-shirts. The main thing is not to overtighten, otherwise your T-shirt may become oversized. And don’t use push pins.

Fig.1. Preparing a T-shirt for printing. We pull the T-shirt over the tablet.

Stencils for painting on fabric

A little about stencils for painting on fabric.

We once used the same pattern to decorate a bag with a printed stencil design and in the article we gave some recommendations on stencils made from self-adhesive film. In this article we will expand this issue a little, namely in the second part of the material, which is devoted only to stencils and is completely theoretical.

Next, we will assume that you already have the future film stencil. Most likely it will be a piece of film on which a pattern is cut. You need to select areas of the film from those places that will be painted over in the future. If small parts do not come off, we select them with a needle. This is how we get a stencil image.

Rice. 2. Select the white spaces from the stencil.

The most difficult part of the job that screen printing offers us is transferring the screen image directly onto the T-shirt. This is done using the so-called mounting film.

The piece of mounting film should be slightly larger on all sides than your stencil design. This is necessary for its secure fixation, and then you will understand why. The mounting film is pasted onto the stencil, starting from the corner and one side, then gradually rolled out. Gradually, so that “waves” and “wrinkles” do not form.

Figure 3 shows this process from start to finish.

Rice. 3. Roll the mounting film onto the stencil.

For knurling we used a felt squeegee. You won’t be able to do it this neatly with a rag and your hands, so in any case you will need to have something soft but elastic enough on hand, like felt.

After the mounting film has been rolled into a stenciled image, the film backing must be peeled off. This is the most difficult procedure that can require a lot of patience, nerves and skills. Sections of the film may stubbornly refuse to peel off from the backing, and even the smallest parts may try to tear. It is hardly possible to give any recommendations in this matter. Just don't start with complex stencils, but try on something less significant until you understand how this technology works.

Rice. 4. Separation of the film from the substrate.

Applying a stencil to a T-shirt.

Now we will be helped by the fact that the mounting film is slightly larger than the stencil design.

Place your stencil on the T-shirt in the desired location and as precisely as you can, but do not press or glue yet.

Rice. 5. Placing the stenciled image on a T-shirt.

When you are sure that your stencil lies flat and in the right place, then glue it. Fix the stencil well on one side with the protruding part of the mounting film.

Rice. 6. Fixing the mounting film on the fabric.

Lift the other side of the stencil, stretch it slightly and begin to roll it onto the fabric in the same way as in Figure 3.

Rice. 7. Roll the stencil onto the fabric.

Here we use a hard plastic squeegee.

The film adheres well to the fabric, so removing the mounting film will be easier than separating the stencil from the backing. But still do it slowly and carefully. Watch especially carefully for small pieces that tend to remain on the mounting film.

Rice. 8. Remove the mounting film from the stencil glued to the fabric.

When you release the stencil from the mounting, carefully roll the stencil again. Especially along the edges of each piece so that the paint does not flow under the film.

Drawing on a T-shirt.

Applying a design to a T-shirt is a very simple operation that stencil technology provides us with. Place a sheet of paper under the T-shirt so that it absorbs excess moisture and the paint does not spread on the wrong side of it.

The paint must be acrylic for fabric. There are special acrylic paints that are used to paint on fabric. Paint color as desired. The paint is applied either with a foam swab or with a hard bristle brush 2-3 times. It is better to try to paint on the fabric in 2 passes, otherwise the paint will already give a dense crust.

Start painting areas from the edges, moving inside the white space. Try to apply and spread the paint so as to immediately cover all the gaps, all visible dots and bubbles. Don't be afraid that the paint will leak onto the wrong side. It should leak, because the main condition is to leak and saturate the fibers of the fabric. You can just change the piece of paper you put in there more often.

Rice. 9. We begin to apply paint.

There is nothing left to explain here. Just paint over it, but be careful not to let the paint splash or drip. You won’t be able to wipe off and clean off random splashes “where they shouldn’t be.” This is the peculiarity of acrylic paint for fabric.

In Figure 10, on the left is the stencil image after one pass of paint, and on the right after two.

Rice. 10. Stencil image after one and two passes of paint.

How to paint over everything and make sure that the paint is applied evenly and tightly, that there are no streaks or unpainted areas. Now let the T-shirt dry, after which simply tear off the film stencil. Do not tug or you will damage the fabric.

Rice. 11. Tear off the screen film.

We pick out small parts of the now former stencil with a needle.

Rice. 12. Select the remaining small areas of the film.

Now the paint needs to be fixed. It would be more correct to say “bake”, but not in the oven, but with an iron at the maximum temperature allowed for a given fabric (which is indicated on the label). We bake the paint, ironing the T-shirt well from the wrong side with a hot iron.

Rice. 13. Bake the paint with an iron.

That's all. Dress and wear. Our master class on stencil painting of T-shirts is completed, the stencil image is applied, the decor of the T-shirt is done, the T-shirt looks like it came from a store.

Rice. 14. T-shirt with a finished stencil design.

I took the logo and added the phrase “What will you do today?” and website address. The result was a good, but at the same time simple design for the drawing. I decided to make two screens of different sizes for children and adults. If you use one screen for different sizes, the appearance is lost. Images for adults are 30 cm across, and for children - 22 cm. The image will be printed on the back of the T-shirt, and on the front - only a small logo in the pocket area. The logo is 6 cm in diameter.

Step 1: Assembling the frame

In order to make a screen for printing, you need frame. Let's take the dimensions of the image and then add a few centimeters of buffer space around them. Adult frame dimensions 40*40 cm, children's - 30*30 cm, logo frames 17*17 cm. This should give you plenty of room to work with your images.

The frames were made from 5*5 cm bars. The result was a heavy, durable frame with a sufficient side height to hold the paint. After measuring and cutting the bars, we glue and fasten them with screws.

Step 2: Install screens

Screen printing fabric was chosen as the material for the screens. Cut pieces for each screen, leaving enough to wrap the material around the frame. The fabric was attached to the frame using an industrial stapler. Ask someone to help you. The material must be in tension.

Place the frame on the stencil fabric. Place your hand in the center of the frame (on the screen), pull the opposite sides, install one paperclip in the center of each side. Then rotate the frame 90 degrees and repeat the steps. We repeat everything slowly, heading towards the corners of the frame. Let's minimize the possibility of inconsistent screen tension. We cut off the excess, being careful not to damage/cut the surface of the screen.

Step 3: Preparing the emulsion

The project used Speedball photo emulsion. Follow the directions on the bottles to activate the light-sensitive chemical. Wear gloves when working with substances. After the substance has become a uniform color, use a scraper to evenly distribute the material over the surface of the screen. Wear protective clothing and protect your work area as the step is very dirty.

After this, we place the screens in a dark place to dry. Protection from light is needed to prevent premature hardening of the emulsion.

Step 4: Adjust the Exposure Lighting

There were two large frames that needed to be processed and exposed at the same time. To do this, a kind of double installation was built using wooden slats, a pair of electric sockets, consecration lamps and foil molds. First, we will screw the forms that will act as reflectors to the slats, the length of which is about 1 m. Then, using hot glue, we attach the cartridges in the center of the reflectors and stretch the wire to the center of the slats. The lamps were installed in reflectors. 150 W lamps were used to illuminate the photographic emulsion. The device was installed using a double fastening system.

Step 5: Create Transparent Stencils

To transfer images to screens, you need to make stencils. The projects are larger than standard paper, so I had to separate the images into multiple pages. But due to problems with the printer, I made several sets (in 2 layers), in addition to this I touched up a couple of areas with a black permanent marker. All this allowed us to make an opaque mask for image transfer.

Step 6: Emulsion Curing

After the emulsion has dried (in a dark place), install the stencil on the screen. Place them under the lamps, carefully aligning them in the center, and align the templates. Don't forget to put them in a mirror... This is how the image is translated. Place a piece of glass on the frames to firmly fix the template on the emulsion. Given my size, lamp power and distance to the source, the exposure process took 1 hour 15 m.

Step 7: “Mom washes the frame”

After the emulsion hardened, the color on the screen changed. A light shade will appear in those places where the surface was protected with a stencil. Wash off the emulsion with water. This whole procedure will take some time. It is best to use a shower to use water pressure to clean the surface of the screen. Some areas may require mechanical intervention for cleaning. Use extreme caution in small areas with small parts to avoid accidentally removing hardened emulsion. Let's check the screen in the light to make sure that all unexposed areas have been cleaned.

Step 8: Stamping

Now that the screen is ready, you need to wrap all the edges of the frame with masking tape to prevent paint from bleeding through. Let's leave only a small free area around the image.

Step 9: Printing on T-shirts

Place a piece of cardboard inside the T-shirt to prevent the paint from bleeding onto the other side of the garment. Place the screen on the fabric and apply ink to the free areas. Using a rubber roller, spread the ink over the surface of the screen. Then, using a scraper, move the ink to the bottom of the frame. Let's repeat the procedure several times. Small parts should be painted only once to avoid the details rubbing off.

The simpler the image, the easier the printing process.

The screen can be reused, just wash it with water when we finish printing.

Creative inspiration to everyone!