Screen printing supplies have arrived and I am preparing to print a new series of shirts. I haven’t printed new shirts in over a year so I’m ready for some new things to wear. It took a couple weeks and the screens just got here today. Who else loves getting packages from Michael’s in the mail? Art supplies are always fun to get. I also got a new White Posca Paint Pen, which is crucial for good highlights on my marker and watercolor paintings. More on Posca Paint Pens on another post. (They are soooo fun.)
Bella Canvas Shirts
The t-shirts are I’m trying on this run are Bella Canvas 3001. These shirts are 100% airlume combed and ringspun cotton which makes them really soft. I’ve tried lots of brands over the years and it is always a tough choice. Sometimes the thin, soft shirts are so thin and small they don’t fit anyone. The shirts that fit a little better can feel like wearing cardboard. Bella Canvas is supposed to be a really nice in between and are also great to print on.
I’m hoping to upgrade my process this year with some fixer. When added to the ink it helps it cure so it is permanent without heat setting. This should make printing shirts way more fun and enable me to add more prints on each shirt. It will also make it easier to print on different things.
I also picked up some new emulsion. I’m pretty sure if I haven’t printed anything in the last year my old emulsion has gone bad.
You can’t see it really great in this pic but one of my most crucial tools is my homemade screen printing machine. You can see it better in on this post.
Looks like I have work to do.
More updates later this week!
Mark Bray
Screen Printer, Cosmic Archeologist
Crystaleyezed Fine Arts