T- Shirt making and Silkscreen printing.
Sponsored by Artists For Human Rights.
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The latter part of the twentieth century saw the birth of the relationship between t-shirt manufacture and silkscreen printing. Artists, advertisers, clothing manufacturers and campaigners used t-shirt logos and messages as a form of expression and branding.
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Ekukhoseleni CreACTive Centre™ realised that t-shirt making combined with silkscreen printing would fulfil two of their aims – facilitating creativity while also developing skills which would give the participants the potential to become financially independent.
Ekukhoseleni CreACTive Centre™ has gone about this in two ways. Firstly by teachingparticipants to make t-shirts with the ECC logo and secondly by giving participants the freedom to design and print their ownt-shirts that highlight issues in their communities and allow them to express their creativity. The participants of this project have gained various skills - from deciding on sizes, garment design, pattern making and machine sewing to logo design, silk screen printing (using the sun) and marketing strategies.
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Ekukhoseleni CreACTive Centre™ is in the process of negotiating and seeking contracts with other organisations and schools to produce t-shirts for special events and school uniforms. In this way ECC aims to fulfil its goal of moving its participants from financial dependency to financial contribution and to give the local community role models from whom they can learn what can be achieved through creativity.
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Monotype Silkscreen Printing
Monotype silk screening uses a single printing plate on which the artist uses various techniques from drawing, to painting, to stenciling in various mediums such as paint or ink. It is a technique that produces a unique one-off print. It is often confused with Mono-printing, which also produces a one-of-one print but is usually made by traditional printing processes, like lithography, etching and woodcut. When printing silkscreen monotypes the image does not reverse as it does in other printing techniques. Spontaneous painterly effects can be created by painting directly onto the silkscreen mesh with an acrylic colour.
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There are many advantages of using the monotype process: a stencil can easily be made on a screen; the artist is free to use creative strokes and expression without worrying about the edges as the image is neatly contained within the stencil; the usual screen printing rule – one stencil for one colour - does not apply and you can work with it on paper or fabric. Materials needed: 43 or 62 TW mesh (screen), system 3 acrylic paints, printing medium, brushes and paper.
The theme for the monotype screen printing workshop was ‘Tackling the issues associated with crime and violence in the community’. The objectives were for the participants to express their feelings on the high rate of crime and violence in their community, what they thought caused this and how it impacted on the youth. During this process they learned to question these issues in a pro-active manner. They were able to learn more about the factors that lead youth into crime and how to avoid this lifestyle by staying away from gangs and drugs and getting an education. Through the processes of creating a silkscreen monotype they learned about positive lifestyles and were able to reflect on their attitudes to crime and violence. Ultimately this project provided an opportunity for them to grow as human beings and improve as artists. This new positive way of thinking inspired and motivated participants to move from a position of merely attending workshops and learning about art to having a thirst for knowledge and a passion for social change in their community.
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Other future projects that ECC will embark on include:
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Ceramic Design
Music, Drama/ stage play and Dance
Painting
Sculptures
Stage plays for Sunday School
Silkscreen Printing
Potato Printing
Mosaic Making
Jewellery Design
Graphic Design
Leather Work
Craft Making
Film Making
and many other projects.
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Ekukhoseleni CreACTive Centre ™ would like to invite anyone who specializes in the above mentioned fields and other creative specialties to come and share their knowledge and skills with our community. ECC would also welcome any queries from individuals or organisations that would like to make a donation or sponsor a particular project.
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Contact details:
Contact number: 081 5387872
e.mail: mxolisithole@gmail.com or xmondli@yahoo.com
Post: Ekukhoseleni Creactive Centre, M44 Maphitha Road, UMlazi, DBN, S.A, 4066
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