PRINTING TOOL

DIY Silkscreen Painting With Acrylics

Use your DIY silkscreens to print and stamp an authentic screenprinted look on your substrates. The handmade screen is great to print on fabric and even on your art journal pages.

Creative Toolbox

DIY painted silkscreen

construction paper and cardstock

fluid, OPEN and heavy body acrylic paint

plastic paint scraper and palette knife

STEP 1: Paint Screen

Place the screen with silk side down onto a piece of construction paper. Squeeze a dollop of OPEN acrylic paint onto the back of the screen. Scrape the paint across the screen with a plastic paint scraper. I like to use an old hotel room key.

STEP 2: Add Paint

Squeeze more paint from tubes and drizzle a few drops from bottles onto the screen. Use the paint scraper to spread the paint over the back of the screen.

STEP 3: Cover Screen

Cover the entire screen with paint.

STEP 4: Reveal Print

Lift the screen to reveal the multicolored print on the construction paper.

STEP 5: Stamp a Ghost Print

You can use the excess paint to stamp more designs with the original painted screen. Place the wet paint-covered screen onto a piece of paper and scrape the back of the screen with a plastic paint scraper. Move the screen around the paper and repeat a couple of times.

STEP 6: Add More Paint

Once paint is removed from the screen, apply heavy body acrylic paint with a palette knife onto the backside of the screen and scrape it through the screen with the plastic paint scraper.

STEP 7: Lighten Color

Move the screen to a different section on the paper and add more paint. Repeat the scraping process. Move the screen again and add white paint to the back of the screen and scrape it across the surface.

STEP 8: Print Reveal

This is the final print on paper. You can use this as a collage paper or a background for a painting.

Acrylic Silkscreen Printing Tips and Ideas

• Use a heavier bodied paint for better print results. I prefer Golden OPEN paints because they stay wet longer and allow you to continue to paint without worrying about the paint drying on the screen too quickly.
• Keep a piece of paper or art journal page on the side to paint ghost prints and use up the rest of the paint on the screen. If you use a spiraled journal, it’s a fun way to keep a record of your experimenting and to create unique layered prints to use in collage or other art projects.
• Also try painting smaller sections of the screen and repeat the pattern over a surface.
• Add different colors each time you print the screen to create a multicolored background.