Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Lynn Krawczyk And A Silk Screen Give-Away!

The Fibra Artysta, Lynn Krawczyk and I, after recently discovering we'll be taking the same workshop at Fabrications Retreat this year, have put our heads together to offer my blog readers a special give-away.

Lynn is launching a new Etsy shop specifically to offer her services in helping the rest of us create beautiful Thermofax silk screens based on our own photographs and sketched imagery. She is also offering her own screen images for sale, as well as a large variety of silk screen paints.

Lynn will be giving away one Thermofax silk screen and one bottle of paint to use with it to a reader of this blog! To enter, all you have to do is comment on this post before noon (Central Time) on Tuesday, July 20th. At that time, I'll use a random number generator to pick a name from the list of comments, and send that info off to Lynn. (((Please be aware that if your name is drawn but you have your blogging email turned off and haven't provided a way for us to contact you, we will have no way to reach you and will have to draw a second name to win the screen and paint!)))

I myself will be ordering twelve screens from Lynn and spent a lot of time pestering her in email about the best way to prepare my images in order to achieve clear, crisp prints.

Lynn suggests starting with a .jpg image at 300dpi...


and then using a Photoshop Elements filter called "stamp" (or whichever filter is offered on your chosen graphics program) to convert your images to black and white...



And since I wanted just the flower and none of the area around it, I took out the background and thickened the outline...


Remember, the black ares of the screen are what will burn away and that is the image you will get when you screen it onto fabric or paper! If you find you have too much black in your image, you can try the "invert" filter and it will switch the white with black and the black with white.

Because I'm addicted to chaotic abstract imagery, I'm focusing my attentions there when creating most of my designs. These are some images I created, taken from my own photographs and drawings, that I'll be having turned into screens.

















Good luck to all the give-away entrants!!

58 comments:

Karen said...

How fun! I love using Thermofax screens. Hope things go well for you. Thanks for the chance to win.

Thelma said...

What an awesome give away Judi, please enter my name.
Your going to have some wonderful silk screens.

Anita M said...

Thanks so much for this offer. I'm just begining to fall in love with Thermofax screens and am always interested in new sources.
Best of luck in your endeavors

elle said...

I'm dyeing. If you have a last request, contact me!!!
You are so very hard to keep up with. This is SO great!

Linda B. said...

What a great turorial for working up your own screen designs - but I'm pleased to have the chance to win one of Lynns, so I can see how a properly made screen will work, before I try myself!

Jan said...
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Becky S. said...

what a cool thing to do! I'd love a chance to win a screen!

Wil said...

I love your designs! What a great opportunity to win a screen

Sue Andrus said...

The images you have will make really interesting screens! I have often pondered whether I would like to give screens a whirl... The chance to win one might cause another addiction :)

Roberta Ranney said...

Thanks for the little tutorial. And for the opportunity to enter the drawing. Both are most welcome!

Unknown said...

Oh my!! The mind boggles at the possibilities doesn't it? Thanks for this info, Judi! And what a cool give away! Thanks to you both!

Anonymous said...

Absolutely Love Thermofax Screens... and what a great person to get them from! Woo Hoo

Diane said...

I love the screens she's made- Hope I win one!

Susan said...

I love your screens and would be thrilled to win one. Keep up the great work!

Carole said...

Interesting... maybe I could do it after all...
I certainly thank you Judi! and wish Lynn all the best!

Anonymous said...

This looks like fun. I hope I am the lucky winner.

Thanks.
Rosalie
rwrw@comcast.net

Ruth said...

I would love to learn about using Thermofax screens. I always admire the crisp images you get with them.

Dale Anne Potter said...

A FABULOUS giveaway Judi....I LOVE thermofax screens, need to order some more from my photos.

wlstarn said...

Lynn has some cool screens - and I was not surprised to see a few skulls in there!

Eldrid said...

I haven't used one yet ..thanks for all the info.

Judy Ferguson said...

This is one of my fabvorite blogs. I check it out regularly. Thanks for extending this offer.

Kathy said...

Super cool! I've been waiting for Lynn's shop to open since I met her and her talk about screen printing caught my imagination...and you do it, too. I may just have to learn another technique!

Cherie in St Louis said...

That is awesome. I've used screens several times before but not having access to a thermofax machine is a show stopper. What a great service to provide :)

Anonymous said...

Oh I would love to receive a thermofax screen and am a reader of this blog. Thanks for sharing another resource for thermofax screens for printing too. I am still wishing I had somehow gotten the old thermofax machine from the office where I worked. Judy Haas

jhaas@mt-rushmore.net

nidynoddy said...
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Julie said...

I would love a chance to win a screen. I have not got round to trying silkscreen printing yet although I have a print board made ready and Thermofax inks to play with. Maybe a win would spur me on :) I have a folder in my pictures file titled 'Rubber Stamps'. Now I know why I made it! Black and white images for thermofax screens!

"Rhojo" Baldwin said...

OOOHH I wanna win. Thanks for the little toot!
Just bought a screen from Lynn. Loved her designs that were available for purchase. I want to play with it before I choose a pattern for the custom ones. I think I will need the "big" set.

Dotti said...

Great screens...I'm just getting into screen printing. Thanks

Sharne Gregory said...

I would love to be entered in the drawing for the Thermofax screen please. I enjoy reading your blog.

Penny said...

Love your images. Please put me down for the give away.

Unknown said...

Wow! I've done silk-screening, but would love to experiment with something that allows such complicated images to be printed. Hmm, I sense another avenue of exploration just opened!

Kathi said...

I am mystified by Thermofax and screening. Have wanted to try it for years but have no idea how to go about it.
Would love a screen and a few instructions!

Anonymous said...

Your screen ideas are great. I've just started learning a bit about screen printing and would love a free screen.
Thanks so much.
robin
indyqltr@hotmail.com

Cathy in gorgeous Sonoma County said...

Exciting screens! best of luck with your Etsy shop.

Bethany Garner said...

Hi Judi... I am so excited to learn that Lnn will offer this service and her screens through Etsy. Can't wait to be able to place my orders!!!LOVE your screen options!
Bethany in Kingston ON Canada

Jackie said...

Wow, thanks for the chance to win, I always wanted to try it.

Joy V said...

What a great give-away, hope I'm a winner. Thank you for this.

Judy Rys said...

Screenprinting is one of my favorite addictions! Please enter me into the screen give-away.

Lindi said...

I have read about thermofax screens and have wanted to try them. To win one would be fabulous! Please enter me, and thanks for the opportunity. :)

Juli said...

Thanks for a chance to win! This would be something that I haven't tried before.

Beth said...

Best of success to you Lynn on your new etsy site. I love Thermofax screening and can't wait to see your shop.

Anonymous said...

count me in! love the architectural drawings, I'll have to have some made up with my studio plans.

Judi said...

What a great giveaway you can count me in. thanks for a chance to win, I haven't used these before but would love to try.

Brenda Williams said...

I can't wait to see where you go with this, and I would love the chance to try the technique for myself.

Dianne V. said...

I love working with Thermofax screens. Endless creative uses!

Sally said...

Thanks for the great giveaway. I recently purchased screening supplies and am anxious to give it a try. A very timely offer.

Anonymous said...

I tried this at a friends (I did an overall small stars and circles), but I wish I had seen this tutorial first. Great ideas!

Joan Kirton said...

This is a very new area for me and I thank you for the time you have put into guiding us in this wonderful creative venture.

Susan said...

Thanks for showing us how to make our own screens. I would love to win, but then so would everyone else. Crossing my fingers.


hartl1987@aol.com

fingers are still crossed.

Beth@IHaveANotion.com said...

I too like photography and quilting... and this sounds like just the avenue to bring photos to quilting!!!! Love to give it a try!

Beth-Pretoria, South Africa

Unknown said...

Thanks for the tip on Photoshop elements. I have owned that beastie for over a year and am flumoxed as to how to use it...I'll have to give the stamp thing a shot. Hopefully we have the same edition of elements.

tesuque said...

One can never have too many Thermofax screens!

Quilter Beth said...

I would love to win! I'm new to art quilting and can use all the help I can get.

just a scrap of paper said...

Wonderful give away!

janice said...

Loved what you did with the lily, I am going to have to try that. I have never tried to remove the background so that will be a challenge. Love Lynn's screens.

Michele/TextileTraveler said...

I love thermofax screens and I'm happy to hear about a new source! Thanks for the giveaway!

Lynda said...

I love your designs. And I enjoy your blog. Thanks

Meg said...

I love your screen designs - I especially love the drawn ones. Thanks again for your great posts!