One of our new t-shirt designs for fall is this Soul Flower block print shirt, available in women’s and men’s styles.

 

$15 Women’s Tee………………………………$15 Men’s Tee

 

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.)
Blog Image printing0 - Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee!The design was drawn on to the block, and then carefully carved out using sharp carving tools.

Blog Image printing1 - Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee! Blog Image printing2 - Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee!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!)

Blog Image printing3 - Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee!Roll the ink on to the block in an even layer.

Blog Image printing4 - Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee!Block has a shiny, sticky layer of ink on the surface.

Blog Image printing5 - Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee!Got our paper ready (a thin rice paper is best for block prints), and grabbed a wooden spoon.

Blog Image printing6 - Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee! Blog Image printing7 - Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee!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.

Blog Image printing8 - Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee! Blog Image printing9 - Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee! Then we peeled the paper off, starting by peeking under a corner to make sure we burnished the ink down enough.

Blog Image printing10 - Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee! Finished print!

Blog Image soul flow er blockprint - Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee! 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!

Blog Image bikeboy - Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee!
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.

Thank you all for the awesome comments! We picked 3 winners!

ajax loader 2x - Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee!

37 Comments on Process: New Soul Flower Block Print Tee!

  1. kara
    August 19, 2010 at 5:19 pm (14 years ago)

    i love it. I remeber doing the blocks in school.

    Reply
  2. 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!!!

    Reply
  3. 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.

    Reply
  4. Micah
    August 19, 2010 at 5:26 pm (14 years ago)

    These. Are. So. Freaking. Awesome.

    Reply
  5. 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!!!!

    Reply
  6. laura
    August 19, 2010 at 5:36 pm (14 years ago)

    Awesome. I so remember doing this in school – way way back when!

    Reply
  7. shannon alexandra
    August 19, 2010 at 5:49 pm (14 years ago)

    awesome t-shirt!!
    i love block printing! such a fun, artistic pastime πŸ™‚

    Reply
  8. 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!

    Reply
  9. Julie
    August 19, 2010 at 7:21 pm (14 years ago)

    Cool! Kinda like Pollock Phish prints… except it’s Soul-Flower! πŸ™‚ Good stuff!

    Reply
  10. 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 πŸ™‚

    Reply
  11. 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!

    Reply
  12. Stacy
    August 19, 2010 at 8:45 pm (14 years ago)

    Very cool shirt. I would love to have one.

    Reply
  13. 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??

    Reply
  14. 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!

    Reply
  15. 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 πŸ™‚

    Sugar

    Reply
  16. sheila
    August 19, 2010 at 11:38 pm (14 years ago)

    GREAT IDEA!!! i love it!

    Reply
  17. Marguerite
    August 20, 2010 at 12:07 am (14 years ago)

    this is the coolest thing ever!! I love it!!

    Reply
  18. 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!!

    Reply
  19. 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]

    Reply
  20. Christine
    August 20, 2010 at 4:13 pm (14 years ago)

    These shirts are great looking! I would love to show off your product!

    Reply
  21. 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. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  22. 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

    Reply
  23. Kristi
    August 23, 2010 at 8:25 pm (14 years ago)

    Love that look! Hope I’m a winner:)

    Reply
  24. Melika
    August 24, 2010 at 5:44 pm (14 years ago)

    yay printmaking!

    Reply
  25. 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!

    Reply
  26. 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 πŸ™‚

    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!

    Reply
  27. [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!

    Reply
  28. 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 πŸ™‚

    Reply
  29. 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.

    Reply
  30. 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!

    Reply
  31. 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 πŸ™‚

    Reply
  32. Crystal Beaton
    August 27, 2010 at 6:37 pm (14 years ago)

    Yay!!! πŸ™‚

    Reply
  33. Crystal Beaton
    August 27, 2010 at 6:38 pm (14 years ago)

    Yay!! πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚

    Reply
  34. 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

    Reply

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