Initial Ideas & Homemade Screen Printing ...

I have based all of my design ideas around natural, organic shapes. I want my final design to be simplistic as I am going to add detail to my designs using applique and embroidery. Once I have decided which design works best with screen printing I will further my designs to create a wider variety design range for my 'Green' with Envy collection.

Some of my initial designs:





A slightly more delicate & intricate
twig & leaf design.



Simple leaf and bamboo design



Simple design for a cush

 
       A 'collection' of designs using an uncomplicated basic leaf and 'twig' design.



I decided that I wanted to do some screen printed test pieces for my design collection to see if this would be the best route to take for my final designs.

I handmade my screen printing frame from some old wood that I found in the garage and some organza fabric that I bought from my local haberdashery.  I stretched the organza as tight as I could across the frame and then secured it using a staple gun.  I then covered the edges with duct tape to help to stop any paint bleeding into the wooden frame.

Homemade Screenprinting Frame.



I then cut out my designs on some card ready to use as stencils for my screen printing.

  I used natural fabrics, cotton and calico, to test my screen printing on.  They both worked quite well.

I attached my stencil to the under side of the screen with masking tape, placed it on my fabric and put a line of water based paint across the top edge of the frame...



I then got a squidgy and flooded the screen with the paint - this in turn pushed the paint through my stencil on to the fabric below creating my desired pattern.



Unfortunately, the card I had used for my first stencil was not thick enough and when I did my screen print the paint bled.  This is why some of the test designs above look a bit smudged.  This was why I had decided to do test prints though, so I can learn from my mistakes ready for my final pieces.

These are some of the other designs that I printed:-

A. For my bamboo design I
used 3 different colours.
I waited for each colour to
dry before adding tone
and shaddow with other
colours.



B. This is a very basic leaf and stem
design. I feel this may be a little
too simple, although it has worked
quite well with the screen print.





C.  This is a development of the above design (B.) and I feel this works
a lot better.  It is still a basic design but slightly more intricate.
I feel this design lends itself to delicate applique and embroidery.

The above design (C.) is my favourite design.  I have started to look at how I can expand on this design to create a range for my 'Green' with Envy collection.  I am looking at how this design would work when I duplicate it and rotate it as well as creating new patterns with it. I will be enlarging my new 'Green' with Envy Collection designs and doing some more trial screen prints.  I will then start adding some of my applique designs (basic leaf shapes made from recycled materials - embroidery, etc) to the screen prints.



I concentrated on a small section of
design C. and repeatedly placed it
with the base positioned to form
 this circular design.



I 'flipped' part of my design to form this
'corner' feature that could work nicely on
a cushion or even on an upholstered chair.





I concentrated on the top
section of my design.
I thought I could 'flip'
and rotate it to see designs
I could come up with....



I think this simple idea works
well and would look good as a
repeated pattern - maybe as a
feature cushion...

As part of my 'Green' with Envy collection I have decided to incorporate my designs on a full height headboard.  I have also designed, and started to make, a hanging mobile to go over the bed, hanging from the large full height upholstered headboard:-



These are ideas for my full height headboard.....

I have taken my inspiration from magazines and catalogues - A lot of beds have huge pieces of art or a collection of images hanging above them. This has helped me to decide that my 'Green' with Envy collection should include an upholstered full height headboard ...



'Green' with Envy bespoke Headboard and Mobile.

... I have designed my headboard so that it curves back over the bed, like an old fashioned babies crib - this then lends itself for a bespoke mobile hanging to become part of my collection too.