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Fabric colouration and decoration: screen printing and hand painting

In the Design area of study you will investigate different methods of fabric colouration and decoration. This tutorial focuses on screen printing and hand painting as a fabric decoration technique.

Outcomes
This material addresses aspects of the following syllabus outcomes:

H1.3 The student identifies the principles of colouration for specific end uses
H6.1 The student analyses the influence of historical, cultural and contemporary developments on textiles.

Source: Board of Studies NSW, Stage 6 Textiles and Design Syllabus, Preliminary and HSC Courses (2007)

Screen and block printing
In printing, coloured designs are applied to the surface of the cloth in the form of patterns. Colour is usually applied as a paste containing pigments and a binding material. This is fixed by steaming or heating, and the excess colour is removed by washing. Designs may be printed with stamps or carved wooden blocks, an art requiring great skill and accuracy on the part of both printer and block-maker. Silk screen printing is basically a stencilling process. The stencil carries the design to be printed. The screen consists of gauze stretched on a frame. A sqeegee is used to force the dye through the exposed sections of screen. Block and screen printing are mostly used for small print runs, craft work and one-off original designs.	Screen print

Screen and block printing

In printing, coloured designs are applied to the surface of the cloth in the form of patterns. Colour is usually applied as a paste containing pigments and a binding material. This is fixed by steaming or heating, and the excess colour is removed by washing. Designs may be printed with stamps or carved wooden blocks, an art requiring great skill and accuracy on the part of both printer and block-maker. Silk screen printing is basically a stencilling process. The stencil carries the design to be printed. The screen consists of gauze stretched on a frame. A sqeegee is used to force the dye through the exposed sections of screen.

Block and screen printing are mostly used for small print runs, craft work and one-off original designs.

Screen print

Activity

Write step by step instructions for the screen printing of a one colour design.
What happens if you introduce a second colour like the leaf? How do you line up the colours correctly?

Hand painting
Painting on cloth is one of the freest and most readily adaptable ways of creating surface pattern on textiles. Virtually any type of fabric can be hand painted for any number of uses. Fabrics can range from sheer silk to coarse cottons and corduroys. The range of design is unlimited and the effects which can be achieved are only limited by imagination. There is also a huge variety of colouring materials.	Hand painting on silk inspired by microscopic photos of chemicals

Hand painting

Painting on cloth is one of the freest and most readily adaptable ways of creating surface pattern on textiles. Virtually any type of fabric can be hand painted for any number of uses.

Fabrics can range from sheer silk to coarse cottons and corduroys. The range of design is unlimited and the effects which can be achieved are only limited by imagination. There is also a huge variety of colouring materials.

Hand painting on silk inspired by microscopic photos of chemicals

Activity

Select one of the following regions:
- Africa
- Americas
- Asia
- Europe
- Oceania.
Identify motifs, colours and cultural images for that region. You may need to use reference books, magazines or the Internet for your research. Draw and paint an appropriate image on fabric or paper.
How could you enhance the hand painting with another fabric decoration technique, such as embroidery, beading or applique?
Analyse the influence of historical, cultural and contemporary factors on your design.

Answers

- Prepare stencil.
- Prepare fabric. Lay the fabric on padded table, use newspaper or felt.
- Place the screen on the stencil, tape in place. Position the screen on the fabric.
- Place printing paste at the top end of the screen. Ask someone to hold the screen firm. Squeegee the printing paste towards you.
- Lift the screen off the fabric. Scrape excess paste from the squeegee.
- If there is only one print run wash the screen and squeegee in cold water and allow to dry.
- Allow the paste to dry.
- Iron the fabric to set the colour.
If you introduce a second colour you need to create a second stencil and a second screen. Each colour needs its own stencil and screen.

To obtain an accurate register or lining up of the colours, mark where the frame was for the first colour and line up precisely on these marks. On a larger print operation there will be slots where the screen fits exactly. To ensure the colours line up correctly you need to check registration by trialling the print on scrap paper or fabric before printing on the final fabric.