Silk Screen Printing on Textiles

In this 4-week course, you will dive into the art of screen printing as applied to textiles, including both synthetic and plant-based fabrics. Uses include printed tapestries, collage-based artwork, as well as printed fabric applicable to fashion and interior design uses.

In this course we will be learning to apply textile specific inks and dyes to fabric substrates with our own designs. Beginning with the more common textile inks that produce graphic results, we’ll transition into printing with dyes, known for the more painterly effects that they can achieve. We’ll go over the chemistry as well as the technical side of printing with these mediums, which are water-based and known for their ease of cleanup and suitability for home use.

During the course, you’ll acquire fundamental knowledge about the screen-printing process, including how to create and burn your screens using hand-drawn imagery, paper stencils, and free hand painting directly onto the screen. By the end, you’ll have crafted numerous sample swatches featuring your own printed designs, as well as finished printed artworks.

** Some basic cotton muslin will be provided, but we encourage you to bring your own fabric swatches to class to experiment with the effects achieved by printing on other types of material.

The class meets on Tuesdays for 4 consecutive weeks for a total of 10 hours.

Class breakdown:

Class 1:
Demo Coating screen
Demo Burning screen
Demo printing on fabric
Students will coat screens.
Students will work on design + burn screen.
Homework: Bring in Fabric swatches to experiment with

Class 2:

Intro to dyes and hand-painting techniques on screens
Demo on layering
Students will print designs from previous class in both methods- with ink and dye
Students will layer dye-printed imagery and ink-printed imagery
Homework: Students may dye or pre-treat fabric to print on, develop new designs

Class 3:

Photoshop demo for design manipulation
Print/make new designs
Coat screens/ clean screens
Prepare screens for final class
Homework: Bring in fabric to print on

Class 4:

Show images of screenprinted artwork and textile designs
Students will print final artwork with the medium of their choice
Students will reclaim their screens
Pin up best work – talk about it.

The class meets on Mondays for three consecutive weeks for a total of 7.5 hours.

About the Instructor:
Born and raised in Miami in the 1980s, Nick Mahshie’s print focused textile designs reveal an infatuation with natural forms and patterns emboldened by a saturated palette. He earned his BFA in painting at Rhode Island School of Design and a Masters of Design in Fashion from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Selected Exhibitions include “No Vacancy Miami Beach”, “Printed Matter”, NADA Miami, “Diverse Networks”, Oolite Arts, and “Smoke/Screen”, solo exhibition at Art & Culture Center, Hollywood, FL. He has been invited as an artist-in-residence at AGA Lab, Amsterdam, NL, Residencia Corazón, La Plata, AR, and as the Printmaking Artist-in-residence at Oolite Arts, Miami Beach, FL (2018-22). Mahshie currently serves as a professor of Printmaking and Drawing at New World School of the Arts, and maintains his studio practice in affiliation with Laundromat Art Space in Little Haiti, where he also manages his independent clothing label, Tranqui Prints.