This past Saturday, Holland Reno volunteers along with Rainshadow students and other interested parties convened at Rainshadow CCHS to teach and learn the fine art of silkscreening! Kyle and Chase led the crew through the steps and we came away with some really awesome Holland Reno and Reno Bike Project paraphernalia and some new arts and crafts skills. The process was fun and everyone got to know some new people!
First we got our Holland Reno and Reno Bike Project images together on transparencies.
Then we got all of our tools together including picture frames, staple gun, screens, emulsifier, inks and squeegees!!!
Kyle showed us how to stretch the screen over the frames. Up, down, left, right, up, down, left, right, up, down, left, right, up, down, left, right, up, down, left, right, etc. from the middles to the corners ‘til its nice and tight. Use hammer when necessary.
Chase teaches Nate how to apply the gooey emulsifier to the screen. Let dry.
Using the 500 watt bulb for about 10-15 minutes, we burned our images right onto the screens.
Next we washed out the part that we burned using cool then warm water. Allow the screen to dry.
Find a shirt (or hoodie or jacket or beanie, or paper, or whatever really, be creative!) and put down some ink on the screen and squeegee it on through. With some luck and skill the image will come out great!
And even if the image doesn’t come out as perfect as you had hoped, it will still look awesome. The minor inconsistencies are ART!
And whala! Now you have an awesome Holland shirt! DIY or die!
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