Screenprinting Your Own Cards

Participants will draw their own card designs, they will use opaque pens to trace their designs onto transparent film which they will then use to create photo stencils for screen printing. We will look at different design possibilities including size, layout and working with one or two layers of colour. As well as screen printing participants will learn how to register one or two layers of colour.

Course Structure

Introduction with examples showing each stage of the process including;

• different designs suitable for photo stencils
• different layouts
• simple ways to add a second layer to designs
• examples of finished one and two colour screen printed cards
• Health and safety information.
• Demonstration of how to coat screens with photo emulsion / Participants will each coat a screen with photo emulsion.
• Demonstration of how to set up to screen print / Demonstration of how to screen print cards using a photo stencil including registering different layers of colour and printing both one colour and two colour cards.
• Demonstration of how to clean screens and squeegees.
• Hand out with step by step instructions.
• Participants will decide how many different card designs they would like to screen print. They will sketch designs and work out the layout.
• Participants will use opaque pens to draw their cards designs onto transparent film.
• Participants will expose their card designs onto the screens they coated and then wash out the exposed screens to create photo stencils.
• Participants will set up to screen print and print their first layer of colour onto card. Once dry they will register their second layer of colour and finish about ten cards.

About the Tutor

Karoline Rerrie is an illustrator and printmaker based in Birmingham. She has specialised in screen printing for ten years and exhibits her work in galleries and at print fairs around the UK. As well as using photo stencils, Karoline also works with hand cut paper stencils to create colourful limited edition prints. Alongside making her own prints she enjoys teaching screen printing and regularly runs workshops for children, young people and adults.