I first met Philip when I was walking down Prince Street in Manhattan last summer, a narrow avenue where vendors sell jewelry, artwork and clothing. His screen-printed canvases of cityscapes had an understated, modern appeal that stood out from the rest. Later that year, I ran into him again, when I was working for Etsy Labs, where he teaches a popular class on screen-printing. I discovered that he had set up a successful business, Sheepshead Design, in the comfort of his own home. He stretched canvases and burned screens with a lamp clamped to a dresser drawer and created designs made with flowers and plants from a local garden. DIY to the core! Philip was kind enough to invite me over to his Brooklyn apartment for a look at how you can build a self-sustaining business on a small budget, creating things you love.
How many years have you been screen-printing?
– I taught myself to screen-print four years ago. I have always had
a thing for browsing art stores, and there was a little one within
walking distance from my apartment in New Orleans where I lived at the
time. They had a few of those Speedball kits for sale and every time
I saw them I thought it would be fun to teach myself to start
printing my own shirts instead of buying them. Seeing as how I wear a
t-shirt just about every day, I figured that even if I ended up only
making a few, I could at least make back what I invested in the kit. I
passed the kit up a few times, but one day they had reduced its price,
so I splurged. And so it began. Continue reading ‘Interview with Philip Sachs of Sheepshead Design’
Screening Demons 
