Fashioning your own T-Shirt can be a fun, productive hobby. Designing can even bring you money if you decide to sell your creations. You can come up with the design for your shirt at home, whether you plan to print the shirt yourself or not.
Let’s find out how to make a shirt design using different ways and steps. Here are some of the methods:
Three Ways And Step-By-Step Guide
- By Screen-Printing Your Design
- Gather Your Supplies
To screen-print your design, you will need:
- A plain T-Shirt
- 50 ml bottle of degreaser
- 1 liter of cold water
- A large brush
- 500 ml of emulsion
- A small bottle of sensitizer
- A bottle of screen printing ink
- A squeegee
- A small wooden stick
- A hairdryer
- A transparency
- A printing screen
- Ready The Printing Screen
Mix the degreaser and the cold water. Put the paintbrush in the mixture and then brush it onto the screen. Let the screen dry.
- Blend The Emulsion And The Sensitizer Together
Take 20 ML of water and put it into the bottle of sensitizer. Shake the sensitizer well for a minute. Pour the sensitizer into the emulsion. Mix the sensitizer and the emulsion using the small wooden stick.
- Put The Emulsion On The Screen
Ooze a line of photo emulsion across the screen in a dim room or low red light and use a squeegee to spread it over. Let the emulsion dry in a dark room for twenty minutes.
- Position The Transparency Down Backward On The Screen
Source: Unsplash
It’s time to put your image into the emulsion. Place the screen flat, put the transparency down backward, and position a piece of glass over the clarity to secure it.
- Burn The Design Into The Emulsion
In about 15 minutes, a 500-watt light bulb will burn the transparency picture into the emulsion. The exact time depends on the light and emulsion you have.
- Wash The Screen
Soak the screen in a thin layer of water for two minutes. Rinse excess emulsion off with a hose or in the shower.
- Stick A Waterproof Tape Around The Edges Of The Underside Of The Screen
The screen’s flat side goes face down on the shirt, and the side with the frame is where you’ll use the ink.
- Lay Your T-Shirt On A Flat Surface
Ensure there are no wrinkles. Put the screen on the T-Shirt, where you’d like to place your design. Ensure that the screen and design are aligned.
- Scatter A Spoonful Of Screen Printing Ink On Top Of The Screen
Source: Unsplash
Cover the screen by spreading the ink line from top to bottom using a squeegee.
- Squeegee The Screen
Source: Unsplash
With the screen plunged, transfer your design to the T-Shirt.
- Cure The Ink
Apply equal heat to the design for several minutes during a hairdryer. Your T-Shirt will be washing machine safe if you use the proper screen-printing method and cure it.
- Wash Your Screen After Making Your Shirts
Use cold water and scrub the screen with a sponge to get the ink out. Air-dry the screen.
- By Stenciling Your Design
- Collect Your Pieces Of Equipment
Source: Pixabay
You’ll need:
- A black and white print-out of the design
- A piece of contact paper
- A craft knife
- A plain T-Shirt
- Cardboard large enough to wrap the front space of the T-Shirt
- Stick Your Design To A Piece Of Contact Paper.
Source: Pexels
A contact paper has an ordinary side and an adhesive side stripped off. You need to stick your paper to the sticky side to make the design visible through the non-sticky side.
- Use Your Sharp Craft Knife To Cut The Black Parts Of The Design
Source: Pexels
Spread the attached papers on a flat texture.
Trace the lines with an exact or craft knife. Remember, the black parts you cut out are the parts that you will fill with color.
- Strip The Sticky Side Off The Contact Paper
Remove the regular paper with the design from the contact paper. Put the sticky stencil onto the T-Shirt, ensuring it’s straight and not crinkled.
- Put A Cardboard Inside The T-Shirt
Achieving this separates the front and back so the ink doesn’t seep through to the other side.
- Utilize A Sponge Brush To Paint On The Fabric Paint
Source: Pexels
Put paint on the areas that have been cut out of the contact paper. You will then paint those spots in a dark color. Let the paint dry.
- Strip The Contact Paper Off Of The T-Shirt When The Paint Is Dry
You will now have an awesome stenciled T-Shirt.
- By Bleach Painting Your Design
- Use Bleach Safely
Bleach painting is a great, simple, and affordable way to design a T-Shirt. Just remember that bleach is harmful, so keep it away from the children.
- Gather Your Supplies
Source: Unsplash
You will need:
- Cloth safe household bleach
- A synthetic bristle paint brush
- A glass or ceramic bowl
- A towel or rag
- White chalk
- A piece of cardboard
- A dark-colored cotton shirt
- Put Your T-Shirt On A Flat Surface
Slip the piece of cardboard inside the T-Shirt. It will function as an even surface as you sketch your design. The cardboard also prevents the bleach from seeping through the back of your shirt.
- Use The White Chalk To Draw Your Design On The T-Shirt
The design could be your favorite quotes, brand name, or logo.
- Pleat The Sides Of The T-Shirt Under The Cardboard
Secure the T-Shirt to the cardboard with small clips or elastics. This process will protect the cardboard from sliding while you bleach painting.
- Ready The Bleach
Source: Pixabay
Put a few cups of bleach into the ceramic or glass bowl. Have a towel or rag to wipe any drops.
- Plunge Your Brush Into The Bleach
Pull it on the edge of the bowl to remove any dripping.
- Use Stable Strokes To Trace The Chalk Lines Of Your Design
Reload your brush every two inches for an equal bleach line. The cloth will soon absorb the liquid, so work hastily but with a fixed hand.
- Finalize Tracing Your Design
Take a break to enable the bleach to respond with the shirt’s fabric. If there are uneven spots or weak areas, go back with your bleach-filled brush and even out the layout.
- Allow The Shirt To Sit In The Sun For An Hour
Source: Unsplash
This process allows the bleach to process and lighten.
- Cleanse And Hand Wash Your T-Shirt
Hang the T-Shirt to dry. Appreciate your new lasting bleach design.
Pick Your Preferred Way
There are several ways to create your customized shirt. You can screen-print, stencil, or bleach your design.
You may try all of them then decide which one is easiest. Once you’ve perfected your preferred method, you could start your own business.
If you need to make a shirt with exceptional printing services, Printailor is your best bet. Printailor has outstanding knowledge and experience in print-on-demand services. It has excellent customer service and reliable fulfillment centers to ensure your success and growth
