Screen printing is something that I’ve wanted to learn for years, and I’ve finally gotten up the nerve to take my first little steps. I wanted to start slowly, using a stencil and sponge to create my print, instead of jumping ahead immediately and burning screens and all of that.

In this project, I took my inspiration from retro prints and drew some fun retro utensils because I had my kitchen in mind when I came up with the project. I’m a huge fan of retro illustration, and I wanted to get the same grainy, sponge-y texture that I see so much in my favorite illustrators’ works. A small sea sponge was used to create this effect. The print came out so well that I just had to share it!

What you’ll need for the project:

watercolor paper, cardstock, or another surface on which to print
flatware template (download the PDF)
Xacto knife
small sea sponge
various colors of acrylic inks/paints
masking or painter’s tape
plastic spoons (for mixing and depositing the paint)
plastic cups (for mixing paint, if you’re making a custom color)
paper plate (to hold the paint)
newsprint or newspaper (to protect the surface that you’re printing on)

Instructions

1. Print the template onto cardstock and cut out with an Xacto knife.

2. Place newsprint under your paper and prepare the background for your print (sorry, I didn’t take photos of this part of the process): If you’re using a custom color, mix your paints together in a plastic cup and, once mixed, deposit a small amount of the paint onto a paper plate using a plastic spoon. Wet the sea sponge and squeeze out any excess water before using. Take the sponge and dip it lightly in the paint, then sponge onto the plate a few times until any excess paint has been removed and the paint is more evenly distributed over the surface of the sponge. You won’t need a lot of paint on the sponge to get good coverage on your paper. Rinse the sponge thoroughly after you’re finished.

I sponged teal colored acrylic paint onto watercolor paper in an uneven rectangle, but you can use any color and shape that you’d like. You don’t even need a background color if you’ll be making the print in a darker color. Allow background to dry.

3. After the background has completely dried, you’re ready to create your print. Center your template over the paper and, using masking or painter’s tape, attach the template (see photo above). Following the same sponging technique as in step 2, sponge your foreground color onto your stencil. Depending on the desired coverage, you may need to sponge over the template shapes more than once. Again, rinse the sponge thoroughly after you’re finished.

4. Gently remove the masking or painter’s tape, remove the template, and allow your print to dry. You now have your very own retro flatware print!

If you have fabric ink, you could also use the template in this project to create matching tea towels, an apron, or whatever else you can think of for your kitchen. What fun! I highly recommend Lena Corwin’s book, Printing by Hand, for many great techniques for printing on fabric.