I began experimenting with different kinds of paints and dyes and decided I liked the look and feel of the Lumeier paints by Jacquard.  And everyone I talked to who had used them, just loved everything about them.  Although I just love the pearlescent nature of Lumeier, some people wanted the clearer colors of the Neopaque line which has no metallic…they are just beautiful opaque colors. 

And, because this is paint…you can silk screen on absolutely every type of fabric or surface you can think of.  Nylon, Polyester, Denim, Wool, Cotton, T-shirts, Sweatshirts, Silk, Linen, Leather, Wood, Paper…you can use glass etching paste and work on glass using this process!

These screens are pieces of nylon screen with emulsion on one side with the artwork pattern having been “burned” away by ultraviolet light.  They were beautiful and very long lasting.  In fact, I have never worn out a screen yet, even though I have been screening for over three years now.  If you take care of these screens, I believe you will have to will them to someone because they just don’t wear out!    Even with as much as I have used them, and demonstrated with them, and my students using them...my first ones are still going strong! 

In the fifty plus years I have been sewing and creating, by far, this is the easiest and quickest method I have ever seen to make something beautiful, very quickly!  You can literally screen print something, use a hair dryer to dry it, wrap it up and be on your way to the party with a great gift that everyone will “Ooh and Aah” over.  It’s just so simple!!!

I have enjoyed the process and I have absolutely loved helping students in my classes and people watching my demos to find a simple and elegant way to be creative!  Once you try this, you will be hooked too! 

To see just how easy this new version of an old technique, be sure to watch my video series for up close view on just how easy this is.  Click here to get to the video…

Click on the link below for our how-to videos or to shop online:

How-To Videos  |  Silk Screen Designs  |  Silk Screen Paints

FOR A LITTLE HISTORY ON SILK SCREENING…

Screen printing, sometimes called silk screening or serigraphy, has long proved it's worth as a fine arts and commercial medium.

In 1907, Samuel Simon of Manchester England was awarded a patent for the process of using silk fabric as a printing screen. Using materials other than silk for screen printing has a long history that begins with the ancient art of stenciling used by the Egyptians and Greeks as early as 2500 B.C. A few years after Simon's patent, John Pilsworth of San Francisco developed a multicolor process of silk screening called screen printing. The term of 'serigraphy' for screen printing in artist printmaking and the English name "silkscreen" refer to the originally used fabric of silk (Greek seri = silk), which is substituted by synthetic fabrics as nylon or polyester nowadays.

The screen, a fine fabric which is stretched into a frame, is left uncovered in the areas which are going to be printed, whereas the areas which will not be printed are sealed. Printing is done with a squeegee, which is used to squeeze the ink through the fine meshes of the screen onto paper or other materials.

Compared to other printmaking techniques, the advantage of screen printing is the low costs, even for huge sizes. It is possible to create shiny, transparent and opaque colors. And it is possible to print on many different materials.  This made silkscreen a very attractive new medium for many artists.

In 1914 John Pilsworth of San Francisco also patented for multi color printing with a single screen. This process started off as an industrial printing process in America during the First World War and was being widely used for making flags and banners. Later it started being used as a source for advertisements and for point of sale advertising. With the passage of time new and improved technology was being introduced and there were improvements in the type and materials of utensils, inks and chemicals used.

Andy Warhol who was one of the popular artists in America popularized this style of printing. Michael Vasilantone who was one of the popular artists and entrepreneurs of America developed and sold the first screen printing machine in 1960. He also filed for a patent in 1967 for his invention and the machine he developed was capable of printing logos and team information on bowling garments. With the emergence of latest technology new silk screen printing equipment were produced and these machines are now widely used for screen printing on t-shirts.