re-creating vintage designs on t-shirts -...

1 Insights from the Experts

Re-creating vintage designs on t-shirts Michael Ploch

A client approached me recently with a shirt that he had printed. The printed design looked like it was produced by the old method of cutting out the design with an X-ACTO® knife to make each screen color. The client wanted to change the name yet keep the overall design the same.

In a screen printing shop, we see this on a daily basis — someone bringing in an existing design that needs to be re-created because it is not available in any type of electronic format, or because the image quality is just not acceptable.

In this tutorial, I demonstrate how I use the many exceptional features in the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite to get the job done.

Step 1: LayersI start by taking a digital photograph of the shirt laid out as smoothly as possible, and then I import the picture into CorelDRAW (see Figure 1).

Figure 1I then open the Object Manager docker, create a new layer, and label it “JPG File.” I will use the layering function quite a bit because I will create an overlay for all of the elements to create the final design.

Insights from the Experts 2

Figure 2Then, I make an assessment of the design elements and create layers for each group (see Figure 2). In addition to the JPG File layer, which contains the original image, I’ll be breaking this design into four distinct layers:• Basic Objects — The basic objects will be all of the water and land areas.

• Text & Markings — This layer will contain all of the text and chart markings.

• Boats / Compass — The boats and the compass are complex objects that will need to be traced.

• Name Drop — The final name drop has its own layer. This layer will include the words “Little Harbor,” which will be added above the image to replace the original text (“Bahia Beach Marina”).

I typically like to go ahead and create the blank layers now, before I go any further with the design, even though I will not be using them all right away.

Step 2: Basic objectsWhen working with a JPG file to create an overlay of basic shapes, I like to use the wire-frame view. This allows me to create closed objects and not see the fill color until I’ve completed all of the objects. In Figure 3, I have selected my “Basic Objects” layer and the wire-frame view to get started.

Figure 3


Using the Freehand tool and my pen tablet, I draw a closed object around each area of color in the design. (Tip: To make sure that the object you draw is closed, click the Auto-Close Curve button on the property bar.)

Once you’re done with each object, you can use the Shape tool to smooth out the curves. A little bit of overlap is acceptable with this technique, and you can always go in and make adjustments later.

When I’m finished with all of my basic shapes, the design looks as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4

Step 3: Basic objects / adding colorAdding the color is where the fun begins. As a screen printer, I must plan ahead for when I print my separations, so now is the time to select the PANTONE colors I will be using to fill in all of my objects. This design also uses halftones to simulate multiple colors, even though we will be printing only three top colors.

I choose a PANTONE color palette by clicking Window Color Palettes PANTONE Solid Coated. Then, I open the Color Styles docker and drag the PANTONE colors that I want to use into the list in the docker. The design is made up of PANTONE 284 C blue as the base color and two tint colors. I create the tint colors from the base color by right-clicking the base color and selecting Create a Child Color from the list box (alternatively, you can click the New Child Color(s) button on the Color Styles palette). I create one tint color at 70% and another at 40%. Using the same process, I create a child color for PANTONE 356 C green and set it at 50% tint. Before filling the objects with color, I turn off the wire-frame view. (Don’t be afraid to toggle back and forth between wire-frame view and your normal enhanced view to compare your image with the original.) Then, I drag the colors into the objects, filling each object with the color


I’ll need for printing later (see Figure 5). The end result for the blue and green objects is shown in Figure 6.

Figure 5

Figure 6Notice that I have turned off the outline color for the objects that represent the water to provide a smooth transition of color between the different tint colors. (To turn off the outline, select the object, and choose None from the Outline Width list box on the property bar.)

Before moving on to the next step, I want to add a few pointers. As I did in Figures 5 and 6, turning off the JPG layer in the Object Manager makes it easier to see your work. Also, Corel has brought back the PANTONE Transparent White color in version X3. It’s almost a must for us screen printers when we create spot-color designs to have the colors separated with CorelDRAW. Having the Transparent White helps us create a design that looks correct on the screen and then separates so it can be printed.

Make sure that all of the colors in the Color Styles docker are PANTONE colors. If they are not, open your PANTONE color palette and drag the corresponding PANTONE color on top of the non-PANTONE color in the Color Styles docker. As your work


becomes more complex, continue to check that only PANTONE colors are used in the Color Styles docker.

Step 4: Text and markingsIt’s time to insert the text and markings. I set the screen view to wire-frame mode, and then go back to the Object Manager and select the Text & Markings layer. Now I just insert text by overlaying the writing on the JPG file. I use the Rectangle tool as well as the Freehand tool to create some of the highlight lines (see Figure 7). When the text is complete, it looks like the image in Figure 8.

Figure 7

Figure 8The design is coming to life. By using the Object Manager’s layering function, along with the wire-frame view, I have been able to create an excellent copy of the original JPG file. There is still more work ahead with some of the more complex elements of the design — the boats and the compass. To re-create them, I use more of the great features of CorelDRAW X3 and Corel PHOTO-PAINT® X3.


Step 5: Boats and compassRe-creating the two boats and the compass is the most complex part of this design job. Because all I originally had to work with was a design on a t-shirt, the digital picture still does not have the clarity needed to do a standard trace for a nice clean image. But I can crop the elements out, using Corel PHOTO-PAINT. First, I open the digital photo in Corel PHOTO-PAINT and crop out the sailboat (see Figure 9).

Figure 9Using the Magic Wand selection tool and the eraser, I remove as much of the background as possible (see Figure 10).

Figure 10The next step is to print out a hard copy of the boat. Then, I use tracing paper to trace a nice clean copy and scan it into CorelDRAW. Once I have the scanned image in CorelDRAW, I use the trace function (Bitmaps Trace Bitmap) to create a nice, clean, and smooth vector image of the boat (see Figure 11) that will allow me to convert the colors to PANTONE colors.


Figure 11Once the trace is complete, I switch back into wire-frame view and place the boat on the Boat & Compass layer, resizing as necessary to make an exact fit (see Figure 12).

Figure 12I repeat this process for both boats and for the compass. See Figure 13 for the results.


Figure 13

Step 6: Name dropTo finish the design, I select the Name Drop layer, draw a circle with the Ellipse tool, and then type out the text “LITTLE HARBOR” above the circle (see Figure 14).

Figure 14The new Fit Text to Path feature lets me move and adjust the text to follow the curvature of the circle. I select Text Fit Text to Path, and then move the arrow pointer toward the circle until the text snaps to the path (see Figure 15).


Figure 15I am then able to expand or contract my path radius to get the text to fit the design perfectly (see Figure 16).

Figure 16The design work is now done. Every element has been re-created and placed to match the original digital picture (see Figure 17).

Figure 17


There is still one more step needed to finish the job, and that is creating the underbase plate.

Step 7: Underbase plateThis design is going to be printed on white and yellow t-shirts, so I need to create an underbase white plate. To do this, I select the whole image and copy and paste it into a new page. The next step is to draw a rectangle the size of the whole page and place it behind the image. I then fill the rectangle with CMYK black (see Figure 18).

Figure 18With the Pick tool, I select all of the objects, and I convert the selection to a bitmap by using the Grayscale 8-bit option, making sure that Anti-aliasing is turned off (see Figure 19). After the selection is converted to a bitmap, the image appears as in Figure 19.

Figure 19 To finish, I select Effects Transform Invert. This process creates a nice underbase print that prints only under the lighter colors that need it, not under the black plate (see Figure 20).


Figure 20

Step 8: The finished shirt printedTo the white underbase, I add the blue and green plates (see Figure 21). The black plate is the last to complete the shirt (see Figure 22).

Figure 21


Figure 22

About the author

Michael Ploch’s inspiration to be a screen printer came from being exposed to screen printing in a ninth-grade shop class. After high school, he headed off to the Navy, but he never lost his desire to become a graphic artist. In 1994, when computers were just becoming strong enough to support graphic art programs, he purchased his first version of CorelDRAW. Shortly thereafter, he formed his own company, Caleb’s Creations, Inc. He purchased his own screen printing equipment and started printing t-shirts. His 12-year-old daughter is now learning CorelDRAW and has produced some awesome designs for t-shirts.

re-creating vintage designs on t-shirts -...

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