[TeeShirtSamurai]

Can someone briefly go over the process of getting a drawing onto a t-shirt.

Assuming you can draw; let's say you sketch something you think would make a great shirt. What then? Did you sketch it using a tablet into Photoshop, if not, do you then scan it in? Once it's in Photoshop or illustrator what do you print it onto?

I had originally planned to go with a fulfillment service. I'm reconsidering and thinking of doing this myself but I'm totally ignorant with regards to the entire process. Any information would be helpful.

I'm trying to visualize the "assembly line" of steps needed to go from idea to product.

Thanks.

 

[Rodney]

Usually I'll have the art department take my sketch or idea and make it a reality.

But if you're handy with photoshop or illustrator, you could trace the sketch using a tablet, then add some filters, clean up the lines, color it in, and then save the file as a high resolution (or vector) graphic for the screen printer.

If you're going to heat press it, then I think you would just print on the design on the transfer paper from the graphics application.

I'm no graphics expert though, so hopefully someone with more design/graphics experience can chime in with a better answer

 

[honeyflip]

My folks usually draw in the real world, scan it into Illustrator and do cleanup there into the final vector file. One of 'em tends to favor napkins as a starting medium. He's a college art prof who teaches in his pajamas, so maybe he's not a good example...

 

[ackerson]

send me an email. i worked as a production guy in a screen printing shop for awhile. been doing graphics even longer.

 

[rabid]

Can someone briefly go over the process of getting a drawing onto a t-shirt.

Assuming you can draw; let's say you sketch something you think would make a great shirt. What then? Did you sketch it using a tablet into Photoshop, if not, do you then scan it in? Once it's in Photoshop or illustrator what do you print it onto?

I had originally planned to go with a fulfillment service. I'm reconsidering and thinking of doing this myself but I'm totally ignorant with regards to the entire process. Any information would be helpful.

I'm trying to visualize the "assembly line" of steps needed to go from idea to product.

Thanks.

What I've done:

Sketch out idea, finish with inking and then erasing the underlying pencil lines with a gum eraser or draw lightly and finish hard with a mechanical pencil.

Scan at 600dpi B&W into Photoshop. Convert to RGB and resize to actual print dimensions.

Save off the original then add a line art channel, apply line art, fill RGB with white. Select base colors and outline areas with polygonal lasso, no feather, no anti-alias and apply base colors with fill. Save at each stage of applying gradients if applicable. Apply gradients by selecting areas with polygonal lasso feathered 2 - 5 with anti-alias.

When coloring is complete, apply line art back over RGB and delete line art channel. Ready for printing to transfer paper or sending off to a screenprinter who does art setup.

The best way to do it is to create a vector right away, but I don't have the progs to do that, or a tablet yet.

 

[Rodney]

send me an email. i worked as a production guy in a screen printing shop for awhile. been doing graphics even longer.

Can you post the information to the forum here? That way others can benefit from the answer and your experience