- 1). Choose your art. It can be a photo or a drawing, created on a computer or created by hand. However, it is important to note that images with strong contrast work best for silkscreening. Keeping the design simple and with clear lines will result in a better finished product.
- 2). Size your art appropriately, to ensure that it will fit the size screen you have in your home silkscreening kit. Most purchasable kits from art stores have a screen which is either 8 by 10 inches or 10 by 14 inches, so you will want your image to be quite a bit smaller than this since the edges of the screen are unusable for printing. If you have an 8 by 10 inch screen, your image should be no bigger than 6 by 8 inches. The closer the image is to the center of the screen, the better the result.
- 3). Create a transparency of your art. This can be done simply by taking your design to a print shop such as Kinko's. The transparency will serve as the image to be burned onto your silkscreen. Once you have this, you will be ready to create your silkscreen.
- 4). Create your silkscreen image. When preparing the silkscreen all work should be done in a darkened room, as the emulsion which you will spread on your screen is photo-sensitive. Spread the emulsion onto the screen until it forms a thin layer that covers the entire screen. Leave it in the darkened room for one to two hours to allow the emulsion to set. Next, set the transparency onto the screen, held in place by the glass sheet which will come in your kit, and leave it under the 250 watt lamp for 20 to 30 minutes. Immediately after this time has passed, spray cold water on the screen to remove the sections of the emulsion blocked by your image. Continue to spray until your image appears on the screen.