DAY 1: BASIC ART PREPARATION
This introduction is designed for the art production beginner and is organized in a way that enables even the most frustrated, new screen printing artist to gain a fundamental understanding of the art creation process. Essential for the absolute beginner in art production, this overview is a chance for you to see what is needed in basic art production for screen printing: the skills, the tools, and the programs, and even the basic terminology necessary to make an educated choice about how to proceed. Some of the items covered include:
The methods and procedures to produce basic art separations.
A review of what film positives are, and how to produce them.
Tips and techniques to make the art print correctly and how to build your knowledge.
Basics about art programs needed to print positives in an easy-to-understand presentation, including entry-level ideas and solutions.
Review of screen mesh and its effect on the final print.
Tips on how resolution affects the final print.
Intended as an introduction to the more advanced art production classes, this portion of the entry-level class will answer your art questions and provide a foundation of basic competency. You will review the demands the print process has on art, plus basic tips and tricks to make your art easier to print. We will also help you make decisions on equipment types and computer programs.
DAY 2 First HALF: BASIC SCREEN PRINTING
With the fundamentals of art preparation behind you, this half of the class will help you understand the basics of screen printing. Created for the absolute beginner, it is a starting point for individuals who want the chance to see exactly what happens in screen printing and be able to make an educated choice about how to proceed.
Everyone will follow the process — from film positives to screen preparation to the printing of shirts — in an easy-to-understand way. The trainer will explain each step, identifying equipment, producing a positive film from artwork, choosing screen types and mesh sizes, making a working stencil, exposing screens, and printing garments with plastisol inks.
You will also learn how to coat a screen and how to correctly time screen exposure. Demonstrations in a group setting show how to set up your press quickly and load the garments properly. Also covered: printing on light and dark colored garments, flash curing, and final curing. Each participant will have the opportunity to print a design on light shirts and also a design with a flash on dark shirts.
You will leave the class ready to decide if you are ready to jump into the world of screen printing and if you are ready to progress to the more detailed three-day hands-on class where the "why" and "how best" are answered in-depth.
Day 2 Second Half: Basic Embroidery
Going on with the second half now it's time to move on to learning about the principles and fundamentals of embroidery. This section of the program will teach you the fundamentals of sewing or will help you improve your skills so that you may take your designs to the next level. The instructor will assist you in expressing your creativity and discovering new sources of design inspiration.
We have all of the sewing machines and equipment you need at NYC Factory to help you advance your abilities and ideas. This section will cover a variety of topics related to embroidery, including operating and threading a sewing machine, stitching, and creating designs.
Day 3 f, Direct to Garment (DTG) & Vinyl
To close off the last day, you will discover the origins and fundamentals of Direct to Garment Printing. Dtg is one of the most effective methods for printing a high-quality design on a T-shirt with such speed. The instructor will cover a variety of approaches and techniques for getting the best-looking results when printing a design. You'll also learn about the benefits and drawbacks of Direct to Garment printing, as well as the differences between it and screen printing. At the end of this section, you will have created 1-3 designs and learn how to manage a printer to produce your own design on a T-shirt.