One of our new t-shirt designs for fall is this Soul Flower block print shirt, available in women’s and men’s styles.
The design is meant to look like a traditional block print. So how did we do it? By carving into and printing a real linoleum block, of course! 🙂
(You can buy all these supplies at your local art store.)
The design was drawn on to the block, and then carefully carved out using sharp carving tools.
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When the block was ready to be printed, water-based ink was rolled out on to a slab (piece of tin foil = easy clean up!)
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Roll the ink on to the block in an even layer.
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Block has a shiny, sticky layer of ink on the surface.
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Got our paper ready (a thin rice paper is best for block prints), and grabbed a wooden spoon.
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Lay the paper on the block, and burnish with a wooden spoon so the ink sticks to the paper and leaves a good, dark print.
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Then we peeled the paper off, starting by peeking under a corner to make sure we burnished the ink down enough.
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Finished print!
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The next step was to scan the print into the computer, do a little adjustment so the design was completely black and white (no grays), and blow it up so it is larger than the original small size of the block. Send it over to our screenprinters (another cool printmaking process!), and you get an awesome final product!
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Wanna win one?
Leave a comment on this post if you’re interested in scoring one of these tees (either women’s or men’s) free! We’ll randomly pick 3 winners on Friday, August 27.
37 Comments on Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee!
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[…] Thanks to everyone to entered, and stay tuned for next Friday’s giveaway of one of our new Blockprint Soul Flower tees! […]
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kara
August 19, 2010 at 5:19 pm (14 years ago)i love it. I remeber doing the blocks in school.
Sassy
August 19, 2010 at 5:22 pm (14 years ago)These look wonderful!! Great job soul-flower. I would love the womans T-shirt. Keep on creating and we’ll keep on buying. You are amazing. SHINE ON!!!
stephanie hartman
August 19, 2010 at 5:26 pm (14 years ago)oh that is rad! i would love this in the woman’s t-shirt. it looks really comfy.
Micah
August 19, 2010 at 5:26 pm (14 years ago)These. Are. So. Freaking. Awesome.
Casey Lee
August 19, 2010 at 5:29 pm (14 years ago)I Love These!!!!!!!!!! i do block t-shirt prints with my students its such a good way to recycle old shirts or pants!!!!
laura
August 19, 2010 at 5:36 pm (14 years ago)Awesome. I so remember doing this in school – way way back when!
shannon alexandra
August 19, 2010 at 5:49 pm (14 years ago)awesome t-shirt!!
i love block printing! such a fun, artistic pastime 🙂
jody
August 19, 2010 at 5:59 pm (14 years ago)This is awesome! Makes me want to see if I can make a block t-shirt. These are great, thanks for showing all the pics! Fun!
Julie
August 19, 2010 at 7:21 pm (14 years ago)Cool! Kinda like Pollock Phish prints… except it’s Soul-Flower! 🙂 Good stuff!
Heather
August 19, 2010 at 7:23 pm (14 years ago)I love it…I been wishing you guys would make a logo shirt…I have so many people stop and ask where I got a soul flower item I’m wearing 🙂
Jenine Perno
August 19, 2010 at 8:39 pm (14 years ago)I love it as well! Used to teach this to my students when I was teaching and now do a similar activity with my kids using styrofoam meat trays!
Stacy
August 19, 2010 at 8:45 pm (14 years ago)Very cool shirt. I would love to have one.
Laura
August 19, 2010 at 9:25 pm (14 years ago)so I was going to say something very witty, but my 5-year old hasn’t stopped talking/asking questions in the last 30 minutes. completely lost my train of thought. oh yah, love the shirt. website address on the back??
Your Buds at Soul Flower
August 19, 2010 at 9:33 pm (14 years ago)thanks, Laura! no website on the back, though… just the front print!
Anonymous
August 19, 2010 at 9:54 pm (14 years ago)Nice design and thanks for putting all the steps on what’s involved in making it. A special shirt for a special store 🙂
Sugar
sheila
August 19, 2010 at 11:38 pm (14 years ago)GREAT IDEA!!! i love it!
Marguerite
August 20, 2010 at 12:07 am (14 years ago)this is the coolest thing ever!! I love it!!
Brandy
August 20, 2010 at 3:16 am (14 years ago)Love the shirt, I may even have to try making a shirt of my own, it sounds like fun!!
Ashton
August 20, 2010 at 3:47 pm (14 years ago)Love the shirt! Too cute! Great way to spread the word about Soulflower!
-Ashton
[email protected]
Christine
August 20, 2010 at 4:13 pm (14 years ago)These shirts are great looking! I would love to show off your product!
Jackie
August 20, 2010 at 8:23 pm (14 years ago)So cool! I can’t wait to try out block printing! I’d love to win one of the shirts, especially since my birthday is the day of the drawing. 🙂
Jackie
August 20, 2010 at 8:28 pm (14 years ago)p.s. Forgot to leave my email! [email protected]
Anonymous
August 20, 2010 at 9:37 pm (14 years ago)LOVE THE BLOCK PRINTS!!! Have to try it,looks super fun and relaxing!Love and Peace to my Buds!
MUCHO LOVE-O,FRANKIE DEE
Kristi
August 23, 2010 at 8:25 pm (14 years ago)Love that look! Hope I’m a winner:)
Melika
August 24, 2010 at 5:44 pm (14 years ago)yay printmaking!
Getz
August 27, 2010 at 4:39 pm (14 years ago)Very cool. Thanks for the play by play. I now feel inspired to make a block print!
Maggie
August 27, 2010 at 4:49 pm (14 years ago)These shirts are so awesome and really display what a kind company you are! Nice work!
I’d definitely wear one with pride 🙂
I made a print block once with the same materials, years ago in high school. I made a sun, clouds and birds in the sky!
[email protected]
August 27, 2010 at 5:01 pm (14 years ago)Thanks for the step-by-step, it looks like a cool project and the shirt is great!
Nancy
August 27, 2010 at 5:33 pm (14 years ago)We all shine on … like the moon, and the stars, and the sun …. awesome shirt. LOVE it 🙂
Julie
August 27, 2010 at 5:44 pm (14 years ago)I would love to help promote your awesome company by wearing this cute t-shirt.
Bella Joli Photography
August 27, 2010 at 5:47 pm (14 years ago)Very cool, I love your clothes! My birthday list is a complete soulflower merch list, no joke!
Nancy
August 27, 2010 at 5:51 pm (14 years ago)We all shine on … like the moon and the stars and the sun !
Awesome shirt – LOVE it 🙂
Crystal Beaton
August 27, 2010 at 6:37 pm (14 years ago)Yay!!! 🙂
Crystal Beaton
August 27, 2010 at 6:38 pm (14 years ago)Yay!! 🙂 🙂
Ava
January 5, 2011 at 1:42 pm (14 years ago)These are great tees! I love T-Shirts. The first one on the list seems like it works only with a specific look but very creative anyway.I love all of them, I laughed quite a bit reading them.
crazy tees