Yesterday I took a class on making blocks for printing fabric. The instructor had blocks made by students, and traditional blocks carved from wood hailing from India, Indonesia and Africa.
I doodled around and didn’t make anything memorable, but I did learn how to make prints w/out smearing the ink. Inspired by the images from the class, I went into my own image library and made my first two laser-cut blocks.
I used scrap baltic birch ply (I recommend sealing it after glue-up, but before first use). The images came out nice and crisp. It didn’t take as much paint as expected, so the design continues randomly down the back of the shirt, as well.
I use an acrylic fabric paint, dabbing the paint on to the block, then pressing down. Once the block is down, don’t flinch; count to 10 then lift off with one hand while holding the print/fabric down with the other. The other ‘secret’? I go to that zen place I used to inhabit when flying.
thanks! During class, the instructor showed such matching blocks, and they were all made by hand. I thought to myself, “there’s got to be a better way; what do I have at home that would help?”
Cool! I took a similar class and that teacher suggested you put your ink down, and then put a piece of felt into it - and dab the felt. I still gets the stamp covered, but the felt stops the problem with blobs or the like
My grandmother and my mom showed me block printing when I was little. They made some cool stuff. I still have a box of hand-carved blocks around here somewhere.
What a great way to transform a shirt that you’re tired of but don’t want to replace! And I’m just cleaning out my closet … hmm… Great job! And I really like your design.
That’s a good idea; my instructor didn’t have felt pads. it may have also been driven by the drying time of the paint…acrylic fabric paint. Fast drying, so we applied directly to the block.
I like your stamps; I’ll bet your instructor was thrilled.
@evansd2 The instructor used a fabric paint (“cheap”, she said) direct from the bottle onto a small dish. Transfered paint from dish to block with the foam brush. She emphasized dab, don’t wipe because our block material was shallow. Mine are much deeper, so I didn’t get unwanted blobs.
@tjleasa Good for you! My instructor asked us all to teach a young person how to do this. It’s up to us to teach the next generations. Hand skills of any kind are necessary for success as an adult: surgeons, machinists, artists, cooks, sewists, musicians, etc.
