Thursday 23 May 2019

Textile Printing/Design

This is not a how to guide but more of a come learn with me, I love trying new art techniques mixed medias. So when I heard about Lino printing (and when I say heard I mean scrolling through hobby craft website drooling at the art supplies) I thought this is defiantly what I need to do! Especially since I saw the Colourious block printing stamp at the textiles fair, I was looking for a way to make my own tesxile printing without using other peoples block designs I think this could be the answer!

So Lino printing is essential designing and making your own stamps, not really meant for textile design, but I'm a maverick what can I say. I will probably try it for its intended purpose for some of my card making. 
Enter shameless plug: if you want a handmade card I have a Etsy shop (UK only): https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AbbysCardGame.

Anyway back to Lino printing, it's not the easiest but its not that hard either, its fun to play around with, so here is my step by step but I am no way an expert I just been doing it for about three days. 





Step 1:
So I bought this kit which is all you need to start Lino printing from The Range at for £19.99. If you want to try i think this is the cheapest way you can but parts separately but at the end of the day you need all of the parts and it will work out cheapest overall.

Step 2:

Choose your design the first one I did was a trace of a tulip, I traced hard and flipped it over and transferred it to the Lino. ( I went with the soft Lino it comes with)  I then went over the outline with biro. 



Step 3:
So you get the flat tool in the box and you need to twist the handle of and inside is the cutters I deiced cutter 3 was the best for now, then with the metal ring half screw it on put the cutter in place and tighten. 


Step 4:
Start to cut, I went around the border of my design first, the first design I did I cut away quite randomly but in my nest few attempts I actually tried to do more systematic lines, which worked a lot better. 
So push the tool light over the Lino where you wish to cut. (Its quite satisfying getting a long line but I digress.) I found digging in too hard it gets stuck and for the best result to cut your area once and then go over and over until its done.


Step 5:
This is the tricky bit for me. When is it done? I found when the design is more prominent but its hard to know and its the bit I find is stilling letting down my printing. But practise is key. 


Step 6:
Now it's time to print now I want to design a textile so I used fabric paint on to scrap calico, but the set comes with ink so you can use that with paper also. 
I rolled the paint on and was ready to go.
So my first attempt there defiantly wasn't enough paint so round two.
And yes it worked! Defiantly not perfect but I feel you can see its a flower. 
What I like its that I can add to it by hand or make another stamp or make a repeat pattern. Once done if are doing textiles printing is to iron your design when it has dried. 

So those are the basic steps, as I said if you like you stamp keep going feel a whole pieces of fabric and fashion yourself a skirt or top. 








But for me I wanted to keep experimenting.  So the next part is just me experimenting and my thoughts.


So I thought for a better design I wouldn't go with a flower, but lines lines are repeated easily and you can build them into a textile design.  Also I think it would work better with a thicker line and I wanted to practise the cutting too.  So I did a stamp with four lines, which I think was alright but it was a bit patchy and like the tulip there was a bit of excess paint where there shouldn't be. 



So I went out and I picked up these two new colours I loved the blue especially. I thought this time I would make two simple wiggle line stamps and just repeat them and layer them up.  I loved the Blue colour printed the most. The stamp worked best yet when I got the right amount of paint on there, with minimal paint printing where it shouldn't and I just touched them up a bit by hand too. 







 I think although I haven't designed a print I would use yet it's given me some ideas I like playing around and the freedom. I would either design a print I like and printing it on a cotton to make a piece with or scan a print into Adobe and use that to edit it and build on it and then maybe get it digitally printed. The possibilities are endless and that what I love and about designing fashion! 



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