1217PrintStudio

Back in 2014 to be exact Malik connected with (TSSC) member Marlon King via Facebook. He was in search of knowledge and creative direction for the now defunct T-shirt brand Students of the Street(s)/Students Brand. Since then Malik has gone on to build a strong friendship and creative alliance with (TSSC) founder Colin Beresford. He and Marlon were previously affiliated with The Brooklyn Circus. Malik knew how invaluable their experience was and headed for Brooklyn with an appetite for learning what it would take to produce the type of brand he wanted to develop.                                                                                                                                                                                                   Although a more authentic project is currently underway , Malik and Creative Partner Warren have been working with TSSC for quite some time now to produce hand screened Clvb Merch sold exclusively at Leisure Life Nyc. It has been and continues  to be a lifelong dream to travel to Brooklyn ,NY to aide Colin and the Clvb in realizing their own vision.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         There isn’t an amount  of Money that can take the place of the magic we Create , weather in BK printing Full Collections or at our Print Studio in Baltimore texting Colin photos of samples fresh off the press .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             To use a self taught skill set ( Screen Printing) which took many hours and mistakes to learn , to aide in the accomplishment of someone else goals and vision has been rewarding.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Stay tuned as we beat the streets of Brooklyn to make history with The Sxcial Stvdiez Clvb.               TSSCTV.tumblr.com / TSSCTV Instagram                                                                                                

Since we learned to Screen Print ( Self Taught ) our Growth has come from attempting more complex prints as we go along . As your skill level improves you realize that every aspect of a print from start to finish makes a huge difference in the outcome.                                                                                                        Our first 50 prints were all one color and text ( No pictures ) . Shortly after I decided it was time to raise the bar . This was the way we would get better.                                                                                                                 I looked down at my cell phone to check the weather and the idea came to me . We would print a 3 color design of the Sun , a Cloud and 3 Rain Drops.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              I knew the outcome would be sick if we could pull it off. This type of print is usually done on a 4 color  press. We did it with a 1 color . We used the 1 color 1 station DIY Press we bought from DIYPrintShop.com. It took some extra planning and precision . Then I sat down to draw it on paper just how I imagined it to look.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     First , When printing more than 1 color , each color must have it own screen and transparency film . Also keep in mind that we learned to print using Green Galaxy Water based Inks which require additional technique than the industry standard Plastisol.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Also , depending upon the color of shirt , a white underbase  must be printed underneath some colors in order to make them pop out from darker garments . It also results in an additional screen setup just for the underbase.

There aren’t any steps in the Screen Print process that should be overlooked and Degreasing your screen before use is no exception . Whenever a screen is not in use it almost automatically collects dirt , dust and debris . The moment you try to skip this step you risk having pinholes in your stencil that will allow drops of ink onto your garment unnoticed . In this video Malik shows you how to quickly degrease your screen right from your kitchen sink.

Arrive & Explore is the name of our new T-shirt brand and this poster was my way of celebrating the projects development phase. If you are like us and you either have a T-shirt brand or you are starting a brand , you know full well how much work is involved.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             I got the inspiration from a few pins on my pinterest boards . I took my time and the did the best I could . My original idea when I was finished the drawing was to try it out on a crewneck sweatshirt. After having my good friend and TSSC founder Colin to play around with the graphic in Photoshop we decided a lot more needed to be done before it would become a viable shirt graphic. Eager to see my Artwork printed , I opted to make a poster out of it . I am currently focusing my energy on writing for this blog but I intend to revisit this design in the future . I feel  that if executed properly it would make for a cool sweat or T-shirt.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Colin preparing Artwork for a Poster. Full Story Up Next.

It would then take me an additional 20 mins to trace and fine tune the image onto a sheet of water proof film paper , which is used to expose images onto screens once they are coated and dried .                                                                                                                                                                                                    The next steps are of course to Coat , Expose , and Washout the Screen. At the time of this print all of our other screens were in rotation as they usually are , so I was forced to use the screen with the most miles on it . I was a little weary at first because the image has some detail that may not turn out good because of the wear and tear on the screen .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

To take an idea from my mind and end up with a printed garment gives me a deep sense of personal gratification. This series of T-shirts is a perfect example of that.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Ive always loved seeing different Artists variations of Anchor inspired Artwork on both posters and t-shirts. Like any other print ,  A hand drawn sketch is usually the starting point . I wanted to give this one everything I had , so I took my time and let my creative energy guide my fingers to a finished sketch. Once I was done I ould hardly wait to Print it but there were a few more steps to go . An hour alone was spent on the sketch. 

Full Story Ahead . Anchor Print by Malik.

The first time EVER Malik coated a Screen at the ClvbHovse in Brooklyn,Ny.

It was after this commercial and less than stellar results of our brand StudentsBrand that we decided to go back to the drawing board. June 2014 . Shot by TSSC founder Colin Beresford who is also in the video.

Shortly after Malik met Colin in 2014 . The Guyana  born Brooklyn raised Creative began introducing him to some of the best grub Brooklyn has to offer . Some of the Owners/Chefs he knows personally and helps out when hes not building TSSC. Angela Head Chef and of AngelasBK restaurant changed my life the day I tasted her cooking for the first time.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            From the handpicked spices and sauces from scratch to the  grilled corn and meat slow cooked to perfection AngelasBk is the real deal.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             There is nothing like putting in a hard days work and rewarding  your taste buds with a fine meal.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Although ive had her Jerk Chicken ( You Should Try It ) before which by the way is out of this world , I am becoming more health conscious and opted for Veggie Lo Mein , Cabbage and Plantains. I washed it down with a crisp tasting Cider Beer recommended by Colin.                                                                                                                                                                                Besides the Creative satisfaction  of printing TSSC Brooknam Vetz Collection , having a fine meal cooked with LOVE ( It’s the Bk Way ) by a woman who LOVES what she does , was the icing on my cake.                                                                                                                                                                                                          The next time you are in Brooklyn , head on over to AngelasBk  @ 417 Nostrand Ave btwn Madison St and Jefferson Ave.

Each design including the Eye of Horus was first hand drawn by Malik on paper and then traced onto the film paper . These were the only designs for sale. The Eye of Horus was printed on unisex Tees and the Woman and Elephant were printed on womens Tees. The event turn out was pretty good and we sold about 9 shirts . Special Thanks to PLM for providing a Peaceful Hassle Free enviornment of Commerce for 1217 and all the other vendors present.

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnHFZUdTBxM)

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NyrvmHBqkU)

The Pan Afrikan Liberation Movement holds a monthly marketplace event to help Encourage Group Economics in the Black Community here in Baltimore City. First i painted the above pictured basket the Liberation Flag Colors : Red Black and Green. Our friend and Designer Ayana Reynolds ( SequinsQueen/Audacious & Feral ) left this bottle of 1800 Tequila , as she too had been at the studio working on new garments . Surely it took a bit of the edge off as i had been out working all night (Uber) and the event was in 4 hours. Continue on to pt 2 for more details.

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