Printing paper fashions to perfection
Screen stars share the secrets to the perfect print
By Lauren Shopp
Published: August 27th, 2007 | 1:31pm
Silkscreening is a somewhat lengthy process that combines an initial design, some tinkering with Photoshop, inking, and emulsion in order to add visual interest, texture, color, and messages to design projects.
Apparel designer Desira Pesta, who operates her business Veritas et Pulchra from her Brooklyn apartment, transforms recycled textile materials into print-covered dresses and tops. “I’ve taken fine arts and architecture studies and applied them to the shape,” she says. “I call it wearable art.”
Guli Essa, who runs Self Apparel in Houston, ignites debate through fashion by imprinting her T-shirts with messages promoting self-esteem in women.
Wendy Fong, a San Francisco-based designer who runs the line My Windup Bird, views her work as accessible art projects. For example, she made a T-shirt with a bird design, and each bird depicted had physical mutilations — she used the silkscreen to convey a message about global warming’s effect on wildlife.
We asked Pesta and Essa to show off their screenprinting prowess on paper. Pesta used a soft, natural-colored Thai paper called Momi to print her design. Though she had reservations about its resilience — “I put the dress on and was terrified of it ripping open and exposing myself to the photographer,” she says — the dress held up. And, she says, don’t bother ironing; the paper’s wrinkle won’t alter your final image.
Essa used textured and plain paper to create her dress and employed Velcro to make the dress come on and off with greater ease. Essa chose Thai unryu paper for her design. She then silkscreened the paper with the same ink she uses for her apparel.
Fong used plastic “thank you” shopping bags as inspiration for her design. She printed the design on three large 22-inch-by-30-inch sheets of 90-pound watercolor paper, and then cut out the A-line dress pattern. “Because of the rigidity of the paper, it stands up completely on its own, like a sculpture,” she says. “In addition to wearing it, I thought of putting light inside it to use it as a lampshade.”
Teaching yourself the trade, whether or not you were an art major, is doable — with research and experimentation, you’ll be on your way to vamping up your wardrobe.
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ADVICE FOR THE NOVICE SCREEN-PRINTER
Do your research. Fong recommends scouring the Web for helpful advice. “Thankfully there are so many resources online,” she says. “Through the Web sites, not only can you learn the techniques, but there’s a lot of support from artists and DIYers.” She recommends getcrafty.com and the Switchboard Web site.
Start simple. The designers say they made mistakes when they got started. To avoid ruining clothing, Fong recommends trying your first designs on materials or clothing you won’t mind screwing up. Pesta recommends first tries be made on paper: “It’s flat and readily accepting of any ink.”
Go easy on the emulsion. Overloading on emulsion (the liquid that separates the silk screen’s positive and negative areas) can make a design more difficult to expose. In addition, emulsion is pricey, so excessive use can quickly deplete your supplies.
Plan ahead. Always check out color combinations on the computer before taking the design to the printer. “Scan in the T-shirt, color, filter, or lettering, so you can actually look at it before you print,” Essa says. When working on a smaller scale, she says, it’s always critical to get it right.
Be resourceful. Because supplies can be expensive, Pesta has found creative ways to produce her materials using common objects. She recommends using fabric and an old picture frame to create your own screen.
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Photo 1: Desira Pesta's paper dress for Venus Zine
Phonto 2: Desira Pesta designs the Veritas et Pulchra colletion (photo by Elliot Black)
Photo 3: Guli Essa designs the Self Apparel collection
Photo 4: Guli Essa's paper dress for Venus Zine
Photo 5: printing in progress with Wendy Fong
Issue #33
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