DIY Screen Printed Canvas

 Small canvases are very inexpensive at the craft stores.  With just a little effort, they can pack a big design punch!  This time around I've used some graphic Ikat style fabric, which we stretched and stapled around the original canvas.  Then I created a pretty permission free graphic (you'll find it below) that I burned on a screen using the Tulip Screen-It.  This was so easy to do and if you follow the video instructions on the ILTC website, you'll have a stunning screen you can use up to 75 more times! Simply fabulous!

You will need:

12"x12" blank canvas

Black Tulip Soft Fabric Paint

Aleene's Repositionable Tacky Spray

Tulip Screen It

Painter's Tape

Staple Gun and Staples

 1.) Print your image in black ink.  Set yourself up in a light free room with the ScreenIt and a small lamp with the yellow bulb provided in the machine.  Turn off over head light and turn on yellow bulb.  You'll need to spray the platform, place the screen on the platform.  Use squeegee to remove any air bubbles.  Spray your image, place image down on screen, use squeegee to remove any air bubbles.  Place cover on top, turn machine on and burn screen for 8 minutes.  8 minutes later, turn top of machine 180 degrees, turn back on and burn screen for an additional 8 minutes.  2.)  Soak screen in a tub of cool water for 10 minutes.  Gently rub the emulsion off of the burned areas with your fingers while screen is submerged.  Remove from water and use a soft sponge to remove remaining emulsion from the burned areas, you can do this on your printing platform.  3.) Set the screen on a towel to dry.  4.) Cut fabric to fit around edges of canvas.

5.) This is a two person job, really, but you can do it alone if you work slowly and methodically.  Stretch fabric tight and staple, start with the center and work out to sides, three staples per side is good.  To get the sides done, you will need to cut a little square off of one side of the folded fabric, then tuck, fold and staple.  6.) Tape the screen flat to the front of your canvas with painter's tape. Make sure there are no bubbles, you don't want the paint to spread outside of the printed areas. 7.) Place canvas on Screen-It platform.  Squirt out a thick line of paint and squeegee it across the screen.  8.) Remove tape and screen and let your canvas dry.

 Here is the image I used, just right click and save to your computer.  Print to fit 8.5x11 in jet black ink.

It's so much fun to screen print, you may find it just a little addicting.  I'm thinking about using my screen on some t-shirts and maybe even some pillows for our outdoor porch.  Have you ever screen printed?  What would you like to create with the Tulip Screen-it?

Get more great DIY tutorials on iLovetoCreate.com and find more DIY Fashion and Style at DIYDoyenne.com!

Cheers,

Madge