How to Build a Silk Screen

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My sister Katie and I first tried making silkscreened cards for Christmas gifts back in 1978. They were very popular, so we started giving them as birthday presents and as gifts to special friends. (One of those friends is my piano teacher. She likes her cards so much she doesn't even use them!)

Not long ago, when Katie and I went to a church fair and saw other people selling their handmade products, we decided to sell our cards. So we rented a booth and "went into business".

Silk-screening note cards can take a long time, but the results are worth the effort. You may want to make some yourself. It can give you a chance to be creative and an opportunity to make some money for extra expenses such as skating and bowling.

HOW TO DO IT

First of all, you'll need a screen for printing your cards. My dad made ours. You can also buy one at a good crafts store.

Second, you'll need to create a card design. Make the drawing the exact same size that you want it to turn out on the note cards. And keep your design simple (don't use any small lines or little details). This will make it easier for you to do the next step: transferring your design to the screen.

To do this, put your drawing under the screen and then lightly copy the entire pattern on the screen with a pencil. Next, go over the pencil marks with silkscreen drawing fluid. (We buy a brand called Speedball.) Use the smallest brush possible when you do this.

When all the areas covered with drawing fluid are completely dry, spread screen filler or blockout solution all over the bottom side of the screen and let this liquid dry completely, too. Then run or spray cold water onto the top of the screen. Make sure the water hits the areas covered with the drawing fluid. This will wash the screen filler and drawing fluid off the areas that will be printed on your cards. The rest of the screen should remain covered with the blockout solution. (You can use more filler to repaint any small holes that may appear on the covered part.)

After that, draw lines on the board under the screen to show you where to place your paper so the design will be printed in the right place on the card.

Now, you're ready to gather paper and ink for printing. You'll have to buy the silk-screening ink. You can use ready-cut plain stationery and envelopes, too, or you might want to cut your own cards from large pieces of watercolor paper. The sheets are expensive, but they do make very pretty cards.

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