What exactly are handmade & screen printed products?

The video at the end of this post is a behind the scenes look at our screen print and handmade process, from preparation to the finished product of our Nebulae linen placemats and coasters.

We have had so many people asking us about what it is we do in the studio. People want to know how our beautiful designs are made and produced. Firstly, they are designed in our Edinburgh studio, by myself, and then screen printed onto either a wallpaper or fabric of the client’s choice or ones in already in our collection. It is then handmade or hand-finished resulting in an end-product that we are very proud of.

However, I still often get a puzzled look from them.

Designing

Designing can take time, as it involves researching the subject or theme of your choice.

There’s then a bit exploration to do after that. This tends to be in the form of drawings, sketches, cutting, pasting in the sketchbook, or on various sheets of paper, card.. or whatever appeals to me at the time.

I might do a separate post from this in the future – just for the designing – several posts perhaps?

Preparation

Then there’s the preparation stage, which is 90% of where the production perspiration lies.

We first prepare the fabric or paper that we are going to print on. Then we prepare to translate the designs onto the screens, so that it’s ready for printing.

And then there’s the ink preparation.

Firstly, one must match ones ink to the design or colour swatches one has in mind with lots of mixing and ratio calculations, etc. These inks are then tested in small samples to ensure that they come out in the finish and shade that was planned.

Also, testing for wash-fastness (for fabric) is definitely a must!

Each of the above stages could probably take several blog posts or videos to explain on their own. They are all very time and labour intensive in reality.

But today, we are focusing on a summary only. This will give you a taste of what it looks like in the studio while the making process happens.

How does handmade and screen printing work?

Many have requested how to and behind the scenes videos to explain this process a little better. It is only recently that I have managed to get things going on the video front. So I have decided to make one to demonstrate of how we make our handmade and screen printed coasters as a starting point.

I have been making an effort to remember to record some footage when I am at work in the studio. Footage showing me making and working on the products we have on offer. This has proven to be a great challenge to do. Especially, when you’re so focused on practicing your craft and trying to do a great job, video-ing your process is the last thing your think of.

And now that I have had a stab at video editing, I can say that the footage I have taken from last year has finally made it out to see the light of day!

Here’s one for the curious minds..

I hope this helps in explaining further about what we do and how we do it.

I look forward to all of your constructive feedback. Please let me know what you think so we can come up with more and better videos.

Have a great week everyone!

Eliza