Use what you already have at home to create wall art, tea towels, cards, wrapping paper, and more.
BLOCK PRINT AT HOME with Sue Henry, founder of Tulusa
Welcome! I'm so excited to teach you a few basic principles that will help you start your journey into block printing. I've taught children as young as 5 and adults as young as 80 to block print. Literally anyone can do it and you don't need any fancy tools to get started. Block printing is the art of using carved blocks to stamp patterns on textiles or other surfaces. The principle is that you carve away the image's negative space and what remains is the positive space that holds the ink and transfers onto your final product. While its roots are in China and India, today, block printing can be found the world over, and with just some paint, a potato, (yes, really!) and something to print on, you can produce your own art. Whether you want to have a fun activity with your kids or you'd like to take a deeper dive into the art of printing, I'm here to help you along the way. I'm a lifelong artist and I've built a business revolving around the art of block printing. In the Tulusa studio we carve our own blocks that become patterns that are hand printed onto heirloom quality linen that are then sewn into table linens, pillows, and personal accessories. You don't need years of experience to have fun with block printing just an hour to two and the desire to learn something new so let's get started!
What You'll Need The beauty of DIY block printing is that you can use objects found in your home. A roller (or brayer) helps smooth the paint on, but you can just as easily press your stamp into the paint that's been brushed on a paper plate.
Stamps Edibles: Fruits + Vegetables Found Objects: Boxes, Blocks + Rope Circles: Bottles, Buttons + Cups Industrial: Chain, Wire + Metal Brush
Materials Paint: use the best paint for the product your printing on Rollers + Brushes Paint Dish: metal tray; plastic, flexible cutting board; or paper plate for paint
Block Print Projects Here's a list to get you started but if it can be painted and is flat, you can block print on it.
Cards T-Shirt Masks Tea towel Drapes Tote bag Pillowcase Jean jacket Scarf Walls or doors Wrapping paper Canvas sneakers Furniture Placemats Bandana Trash Can
STAMPS fruits + vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are great tools for block printing. Pick something with an interesting shape or texture. Make sure your food items are not too far past their prime as firmer food will print a crisper line For a strawberry, cut lengthwise from the stem. Use a roller, brush, or gently dip into your paint making sure you've got a thin, even layer of paint on the cut side of the fruit and press firmly onto your paper without moving it. Gently lift up in one swift motion to capture the heart shape of the strawberry. And, feel free to play around! Make a circle of prints that are joined at top to make a funky flower, or create your own pattern, ink again and repeat!
Strawberries naturally turn into heart shapes
Potato Stamps Carving shapes out of apples and potatoes is a great way to elevate printing options. The more firm the fruit or vegetable, the easier it is to carve intricate, detailed shapes. Use a sharp, nimble instrument, like a paring knife or a carving tool.
Use potatoes to create more structured, detailed carvings
If you don't have a paint roller, spread a thin coat of paint on a paper plate with a brush or spatula, and dip your fruit or veggie directly into the paint. Always test your stamp out before you move on to your final piece!
Limes are easy to work with and create fun, recognizable shapes
Edible Stamps Slice + Print
Carve + Print
Strawberry
Potato
Lime, or other citrus
Apple
Onion
Pear
Cucumber
Winter squash
Broccoli
(e.g. butternut)
STAMPS boxes, blocks + rope
Rope glued to the back of a snack box
Any hard object you can hold—wooden block, metal spiral from an old notebook —can be turned into a printing tool. In the image above I used an old cardboard tea box that was headed to the recycling bin. I stuffed it paper until it was solid and then simply glued rope to the side of the tea box and made my own curvy switch back trail.
Go Exploring! What treasures does your junk drawer hold? Uncover tools, textures, and patterns inside that junk drawer that you've been meaning to clean out! The options are truly endless when you start combining bits and pieces that you just couldn't seem to toss away. Here, an old block and a few rubber bands becomes an abstract mark making tool for hand printed cards. Open your junk drawer and see what you can put together to create a fun pattern!
Found Object Stamps Wooden blocks Rubber bands Rope Pipe cleaners Spiral notebook binding Fine Chains Wires Metal brushes Wheels of toy cars Legos Potato Masher Fork tines Cut Cardboard and glue it back together into a new shape An Old Paint Brush Wine Bottle Costume Jewelry Paper Clips Shave a Pencil and Glue the Shavings Toothbrush Seeds Glued to Paper Garlic Press
STAMPS
bottles + round shapes
Bottles, buttons, cups, cans, coins, or caps -- what round things can you find at home to make large and small polka dots?
^ Upcycled wrapping paper
Newspaper becomes colorful wrapping paper Polka dots are a favorite pattern at the Tulusa studio
Working With Paint
Any liquid, water based paint you already have at home will work. Pay special attention to the instructions that come with the paint for guidance. If your end product is to function as intended (ie: tote back or a tshirt that you can wash or paint that won't rub off if it gets wet), take care to use a paint that is meant for the material you are working on. That means fabric paint for fabric, and wall paint for the walls! When you're ready to take the plunge and start printing you'll want the paint to stay put and not flow. It's a not too thick, not to thin situation. You can test it by putting a dollop of paint onto your palette or plate and then hold the plate up vertically. If the ink runs off, you know it needs to be thicker. When you are ready to dip or roll your paint onto your block or hand made tool, the paint should be smooth on the palette. A little paint goes a long way and if it's too thick on the palette the print won't be crisp on the final product.
Paint If you are in the beginning stages of learning how to block print at home you can try paints like acrylic paint, poster paint, or even wall paint. If you know you're going to be printing on fabric we recommend Speedball screen printing ink for fabric. It's non-toxic, can be mixed to get the color you want, has a rainbow of choices, and even can be purchased in glow in the dark or sparkly versions.
If you are going to print on a wall or on a piece of furniture we recommend printing with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. We love the the colors and the finish in this non toxic beauty of a paint! You can buy it from our friends at Boxwood on line or if you're local in their Old Town Alexandria shop.
Wrap Up We hope that you enjoy block printing as much as we do! If you'd like to take your printing practice to the next level or, if you'd like to check out what happens on the daily in our sweet studio, give us a follow on Instagram @tulusa.goods . You're welcome to shoot us a message or a dm and ask us your printing questions. We love to teach this favorite form of art and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Happy Printing! Sue
Sue Henry is the owner and creative director of Tulusa, a textile studio in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia. Tulusa lives at the intersection of artful creativity and everyday practicality and aims to bring joy and inspiration into her clients homes. At the Tulusa studios we design and carve blocks, print on heirloom-quality linen with inks mixed in-house, and then we cut, hem, and finish our pieces to order. Our collection includes, table linens, masks, apparel, pillows, totes, and personal accessories. We love working with clients on custom orders, including block-printing clients' walls in their homes or creating custom yardage for everything from upholstery to drapes, and more. tulusa.com
info@tulusa.com
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