Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today? Hope you're feeling really good.

My name is Ms. Absal and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson.

I'm really pleased about that because today we're looking at printing, which is one of my absolute favourite things.

Our lesson is called Printing Inks and Dyes.

I wonder if you've had any experience of printing before? If you've used inks, if you've used dyes and how you've enjoyed that.

Well, we're gonna be having a go today, that's for sure.

Our lesson comes from the unit of work, "Foundation workshops: an introduction to the areas of study." So, I think that's enough introduction.

Let's move into our lesson.

If you're ready for some focus, energy, and enthusiasm, we'll begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is, I can draw, paint, and print my design using colour mixing on a silkscreen.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them.

silkscreen, squeegee, and textile medium.

So what do these keywords mean? Silkscreen is a frame with fine mesh used to press ink through a design onto fabric or paper.

Squeegee, a tool with a flat rubber edge used to pull ink across a screen for printing.

Textile medium, a liquid mixed with paint to make it flexible and washable on fabric.

These are our keywords: silkscreen, squeegee, and textile medium.

Let's look out for them, let's listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called Printing Inks and Dyes, and it has two learning cycles.

First of all, drawing to make a print, and next, printing your design with inks and dyes.

Let's begin with drawing to make a print.

And let's zip ahead to the end of our lesson and take a look at what some outcomes from today might be.

Oh my, take a look at this T-shirt, take a look at these designs, wow.

Pause the video and share with someone what do you think of these outcomes? Thanks for sharing.

Contemporary First Nation artists in Northern Australia mix ancient storytelling with modern materials.

They paint their ancestral designs onto silkscreens, then hand-pull prints onto fabric using bold, symbolic forms inspired by flora, fauna, and ceremonial stories.

Do you know of any silkscreen artists in your local area? Pause here and share with someone if you do.

Thanks for sharing.

Silkscreens are widely used in the design world to create bold patterns, vibrant posters, and custom prints on textiles, T-shirts, and home decor.

They were originally made with wooden frames and silk mesh, but the silk would stretch and tear over time.

Today they use aluminium frames and polyester mesh because they're stronger, don't warp, and give more precise prints.

A squeegee is also needed to pull the ink smoothly across the mesh so the design transfers cleanly onto the fabric.

Silkscreens have traditionally been used to print bold designs onto T-shirts and remain hugely popular in the modern fashion industry for creating vibrant, long-lasting prints.

Silkscreens can be used alongside a stencil to create multiple prints.

The stencil is laid over the screen and then the squeegee pushes the ink through the silk mesh.

And we can see an example of a stencil there.

Love the message, love that question, "Feeling good?" Artists can also paint directly onto a silkscreen.

The screen is then placed ink side down onto a surface, and the squeegee is pulled across to transfer the ink.

This allows for one singular print to be pulled from the screen.

And we can see someone that is painting there directly onto a screen.

How do you think a blank T-shirt becomes a wearable artwork? Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think the process is that it goes through? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Here's Jacob, "I want to design my own T-shirt.

Do you think I need loads of fancy equipment"" And Sam, "Not really.

You can use a silkscreen to print your design with textile inks and a squeegee." Simple as that.

Artists and designers working with silkscreens include: Lorna Simpson is an artist who combines screen-printing with photography and painting onto the screen.

Althea McNish uses loose painterly brush strokes in her repeat patterns using a silkscreen to print with.

Ciara Phillips is an artist who prints photographs and text onto fabric via silkscreen, layering vibrant inks across the mesh.

Rob Ryan makes very intricate paper cuts that are used with bold colours in screen printing.

So we can see, there are a number of artists and designers working with silkscreens.

Check for understanding.

What is a key feature of painting directly onto the silkscreen? A, it will only produce one singular print.

B, it produces hundreds of identical copies.

C, it doesn't need a squeegee to transfer the design.

D, it works best for printing photos onto fabric.

Pause here while you decide.

What's the key feature of painting directly onto the silkscreen? Well done if you selected answer A.

Indeed, a key feature of painting directly onto the silkscreen is that it will only produce one singular print.

So how do you think a blank T-shirt becomes a wearable artwork? Here's some ideas, here's Izzy, "Think about an object or image you want to use as inspiration." Alex, "Make a drawing or painting of your chosen object to plan your design." And Jun, "This design can then be copied and painted directly onto the silkscreen for printing." Here's Jun, "I chose a pepper because it has an interesting shape and vibrant colours.

It's a simple object to draw and paint carefully for my design." Love your thinking there.

Why not a pepper? Ang Jun again, "I drew the pepper in pencil, then painted it to explore its shapes and colours.

This helps me plan before painting onto the silkscreen." Love that drawing and painting.

Beautiful colours used and really expressive lines.

Pause here and share with someone your impression of Jun's drawing and painting of the pepper.

Thanks for sharing your impressions.

And now, it's time for your first task.

I would like you to produce a drawing in preparation for a print.

Select the stimuli you would like to use, decide if you're going to produce a painting and/or a drawing.

Use an A4 piece of paper to make a vibrant painting or a pencil drawing of your stimuli.

Photocopy your drawing or painting and enlarge it to the size of the silkscreen you're going to use.

So pause here while you have a go at this part of your task, producing a drawing in preparation for a print.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with producing a drawing in preparation for a print? There are many possibilities that you may have created something like this.

Let's hear from Jun.

"I have produced two outcomes.

I'll use the painting to copy onto my silkscreen as it will help me when I'm adding the colour." Good thinking, Jun.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle, printing your design with inks and dyes.

How do you think the artist will start the painting on silkscreen? What materials or processes might they have used? Pause here and share your answers to these questions.

Thanks for sharing.

Artists use a silkscreen and squeegee with special textile printing inks and dyes.

Or they mix dyes and paints with textile medium to print onto fabric.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? Mixing paint with textile medium is not important when screen printing onto fabric.

Pause here and decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And now, I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause here while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this, "Textile medium is essential because it helps the paint flow smoothly through the mesh and keeps the screen from clogging.

It also ensures the colours stay flexible and bond to the fabric properly." So it's a pretty important part of screen printing is textile medium.

When painting onto your silkscreen, the process may look like this.

Cut a piece of white cotton to the size of your screen if you're printing on fabric.

If you're printing on a T-shirt, place cardboard inside to stop ink bleeding.

Check that your screen is clean and clear from any images.

Tape a photocopy of your design inside the screen, facing up.

Make sure you can see your drawing or painting through the mesh.

Mix equal parts textile medium and paint if not using ready-made textile inks.

Trace your image with pigments using loose, painterly brushstrokes.

Keep adding your selected colour scheme to the surface of the screen.

Mix colours on the screen and keep paint thick to avoid drying.

Turn the screen onto the fabric and add a little textile medium on top.

Use your paintbrush to spread it out evenly.

Position the squeegee at a right angle at the top of the screen.

Press firmly and pull the squeegee with textile medium down the full length of the screen.

This is a really fun part of the process.

If you have printed on fabric, you might develop your sample further.

Take a look at that.

Pause the video and share with someone your impressions of this screen print.

Thanks for sharing.

How could a silkscreen print be developed further? Pause here and share with someone what do you think.

Here's Jun, "Once my silkscreen print is dry, I'll add embroidery to develop it further.

I'm using stitches to outline shapes, add texture, and bring out details in my design." I love that idea.

"This makes my fabric sample more decorative and unique." There are many ways to develop a silkscreen print.

Many artists develop their silkscreen prints by adding embroidery stitches to create texture and surface detail.

Pause here and share with someone your impressions of the stitching that has been added to the screen print.

Thanks for sharing.

Artists developing their silkscreen prints include: Khosrow Hasaanzadeh works with silkscreen and oil to address social issues.

He often paints directly onto screens for mixed-media works.

Omeima Mudawi-Rowling is known for combining dye, screen printing, and devore techniques, exploring Arabic geometry and accessibility in textiles.

Timorous Beasties uses screen printing to create bold, detailed textile designs blending modern and historical styles.

Andy Warhol used screen printing for his iconic works like the soup cans and the cow heads.

So we can see there are a number of artists developing their silkscreen prints.

Materials you might need for silkscreen printing include, finish the sentence.

Pause here and share with someone what are some of the materials that you might need for silkscreen printing? Thanks for sharing.

Perhaps you came up with these materials: silkscreen, squeegee, printing inks, a white T-shirt, textiles medium, acrylic paint.

Well done if you came up with these materials.

And now, it's time for your next task.

I would like you to print your silkscreen painting onto a piece of fabric.

Check your silkscreen is clean and dry.

Tape a photocopy of your artwork face up inside the screen.

Prepare premixed inks or mix acrylic paint with equal parts textile medium.

Copy your image onto the screen, mixing colours as you go.

Keep enough ink on the screen to stop it drying too quickly.

Add a little textile medium to the top when finished.

And then use the squeegee to pull the textile medium through the screen.

So satisfying.

So pause here while you have a go at this task, print your silkscreen painting onto a piece of fabric.

Enjoy your task and I'll see you when you're finished.

So, how did you get on with your task, printing your silkscreen painting onto a piece of fabric? There are many possibilities that you may have created something exquisite like this.

Let's hear from Jun.

"Printing onto fabric was fun and very expressive, creating interesting marks.

Adding embroidery helped me enhance my artwork with extra detail and pattern." So many possibilities.

You may have created something like this.

"I like that I've learned how to print onto a T-shirt.

It was easier than I expected and now I can be creative and try out different designs." Yes, you can create your own unique items for your wardrobe.

Pause here and share with someone your impression of Jun's T-shirt that he's created with the pepper print.

Thanks for sharing.

And now I'd like you to share some ideas of what might be some designs, objects, items that you'd like to print on a T-shirt for you to wear.

Thanks for sharing.

And now I'd like you to share your creation with somebody and tell 'em about your process, how you chose your idea, and what it was like to create your silkscreen print, and how you feel about the finished creation.

Pause here while you do this.

Thanks for sharing with each other.

In our lesson printing inks and dyes, we've covered the following.

Painting directly onto the silkscreen allows artists and designers to create expressive, one-off designs by applying pigments and dyes mixed with textile medium onto the mesh surface.

The textile medium helps the paint flow smoothly through the screen and bond to the fabric.

Once the design is ready, a squeegee is used to pull more textile medium or ink through the screen, transferring the painted image onto fabric with a bold, unique effect.

Oh my, I'm so impressed with these creations.

I really think that printing is one of my absolute favourite ways of creating an artwork and I love how they can be wearable.

I hope you enjoy wearing your T-shirt, if that's what you've created, and may go on to enhance your wardrobe evermore through the medium of silkscreen printing.

I really enjoyed teaching this lesson, and I hope you've enjoyed it too.

I look forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.