I've been screenprinting at the Ideas Store. It's so much fun. I've attended the first of a ten-week course focusing on screenprinting techniques and tricks for fabric prints. Fabulous.

I had imagined that I would photograph the entire process, but wouldn'tyaknowit, I ended up covered in paint. My camera was stowed away safely in my bag. And so, all you have to go by is a few photographs of the studio, and some fabric paint. You'll have to trust me on the awesomeness.

Oh yes, we're screenprinting on fabric. We're washing and squeegie-ing, we're printing and pressing, we're cutting, folding and sketching. I mixed the greens on the left, and the very talented Julie from Kip & Fig mixed up the gold and blue. We borrowed the bronze, as you do. I had intended to stick to earthy and natural colours, but somehow the golds and bronzes and olive greens all got mixed up on the plate - and, well, that was the end of that.

In our first class, we learnt how to tape up a screen, how to apply paint, and how to paint free-form straight on to the mesh. We swirled and swished. I may have finger-painted just a little. This week, we're testing out a few image transfer techniques. 

This is Geoffrey. He's going to be a stencil for our next screenprinting project. He's homework. I've drawn him from the real Geoffrey who lives in our lounge, and watches over our books for us.

He came all the way from South Africa! It's rather far for a giraffe to travel these days.