Author: susy

From Original Artwork to Printed Tea Towel: How to Send Your Image for the Best Result

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From Original Artwork to Printed Tea Towel: How to Send Your Image for the Best Result

If you have an original painting, drawing, recipe card, handwritten note or children’s artwork, the first step is getting a clear digital version of it. The better the scan or photograph, the better the final print result will be.

 

For flat artwork, scanning is usually the best option. Please scan at 600 dpi where possible, or choose the highest quality / maximum resolution setting available on your scanner. A high-resolution scan captures detail, texture and colour more evenly than a quick phone photo, and gives me the best file to work from.

 

If scanning is not possible, a well-lit photograph can also work beautifully. Use natural light, avoid shadows, keep the artwork flat, and take the photo straight-on rather than at an angle.

 

It’s important to remember that print reproduction is not always exact. Colours can shift between screens, scanners, cameras and fabric, and printing onto cotton or linen will never look exactly the same as an image glowing on a screen. I always do my very best to prepare your file carefully and achieve the loveliest result possible.

 

If exact colour matching or fine detail is very important, I recommend providing a physical approved reference or ordering a printed sample before committing to a larger run. Sampling is the best way to check colour, scale, fabric feel and overall finish before your full order is printed.

Fundraising Ideas for Schools, Community Groups, Sports Clubs & Charity Events

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Fundraising Ideas for Schools, Community Groups, Sports Clubs & Charity Events

Looking for practical fundraising ideas for your school, community group, sports club or charity event? Custom printed products can be a simple and meaningful way to raise money, especially when the design feels personal to your group, location or cause.

Tea towels, tote bags and aprons all work beautifully as fundraising products because they are useful, easy to sell and lovely to keep. The best designs are often the ones that tell a story — children’s drawings, local landmarks, club artwork, meaningful messages or designs connected to your community.

Below are some simple print ideas to help get you started.

Fundraising Print Ideas for Schools

Printed tea towels and tote bags work beautifully for school fundraising because they can become keepsakes for families, teachers and the wider school community.

  • Children’s self-portraits or class drawings
  • Whole-school artwork designs
  • School building or school grounds illustration
  • School logo, motto or mascot
  • Graduation year keepsake design
  • Student names or “Class of…” designs
  • Christmas artwork by students
  • Mother’s Day or Father’s Day gift designs
  • Local flowers, birds or animals connected to the school area
  • Teacher thank-you gifts

Fundraising Print Ideas for Community Groups

For community groups, the most successful designs are often the ones that celebrate local places, shared memories or the people involved.

  • Illustrated town or suburb map
  • Local landmarks or well-known buildings
  • Community hall or meeting place illustration
  • Native flowers, birds or wildlife from the area
  • Historical buildings or heritage designs
  • Garden club botanical artwork
  • Recipe tea towels from community members
  • Volunteer thank-you designs
  • Local parks, beaches, rivers or walking tracks
  • Anniversary or milestone designs

Fundraising Print Ideas for Sports Clubs

Custom printed products can be a practical way to raise funds for uniforms, equipment, travel or end-of-season celebrations.

  • Club logo or mascot design
  • Team song, motto or club values
  • Player names or team list
  • Premiership or milestone year print
  • Club colours worked into the artwork
  • Illustrated clubhouse, oval, court or field
  • Junior team fundraiser design
  • Supporter tote bags for game day
  • Coach and volunteer thank-you gifts
  • End-of-season keepsake print

Fundraising Print Ideas for Charity Events

For charity events, printed products can help share your message and give supporters something meaningful to keep.

  • Event artwork or campaign branding
  • Charity logo with custom illustration
  • Meaningful quote or message
  • Awareness ribbon or symbolic design
  • Memorial or tribute artwork
  • Native flowers, animals or landscapes linked to the cause
  • Volunteer thank-you gifts
  • Donor or sponsor appreciation designs
  • Limited-edition fundraising artwork

Fundraising Print Ideas for Markets, Festivals and Local Events

Printed products are a great option for markets, festivals and regional events because they are easy to display, easy to sell and simple for visitors to take home.

  • Illustrated town or region map
  • Local landmarks and favourite places
  • Festival poster-style artwork
  • Native flora and fauna designs
  • Local produce or food themes
  • Coastal, bushland or regional landscape artwork
  • Souvenir tea towels for visitors
  • Artist-designed limited-edition prints
  • Event logo with custom illustration
  • Designs celebrating what the area is known for

Fundraising Print Ideas for Art Groups and Creative Projects

For artists, galleries and creative groups, printed textiles can turn original artwork into a useful product people can enjoy every day.

  • Original artwork reproduced onto tea towels
  • Collaborative group artwork
  • Exhibition merchandise
  • Limited-edition artist prints
  • Workshop participant artwork
  • Gallery or studio logo designs
  • Botanical, landscape or still life artwork
  • Fundraiser prints for arts programs
  • Collection-style designs with artist names
  • Creative thank-you gifts for supporters

What Makes a Good Fundraising Print?

A good fundraising print should feel useful, personal and easy to support. Designs connected to a school, club, town, cause or community usually work best because people feel a genuine connection to them.

Tea towels, tote bags and aprons are practical items that people can use, gift or keep as a reminder of your fundraiser.

Fundraising FAQs

What are good fundraising products for schools?

Tea towels and tote bags are popular choices for schools because they are practical, easy to sell and can include children’s artwork, student names, class drawings, school buildings or graduation designs.

Can we use our own artwork?

Yes. You can supply your own artwork, logo, school drawings or custom design, and we can print it onto tea towels, tote bags, aprons and other textile products.

What type of design works best for a fundraiser?

The best fundraising designs usually have a personal connection. Local landmarks, student artwork, club names, meaningful messages, community stories and event artwork all work well.

Are printed products good for charity fundraisers?

Yes. Custom printed products can be a lovely way to raise funds while also giving supporters something useful and meaningful to keep.

A Simple Way to Fundraise

At Organic Print Studio, we work with schools, artists, community groups, sports clubs and charities to create custom printed tea towels, tote bags, aprons and other practical textile products.

Whether you are organising a school project, community fundraiser, sports club campaign or charity event, custom printed products are a simple and meaningful way to bring your idea to life.

Custom Product Ideas for Artists: Markets, Gifts & Events

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Custom Product Ideas for Artists: Markets, Gifts & Events

If you are an artist looking for practical ways to share your work, custom printed products can be a great place to start.

Tea towels, tote bags, aprons and other textile products can turn your supplied artwork into useful, giftable products for markets, galleries, online stores, exhibitions and special events.

They are easy for customers to take home, simple to display and a good option if you would like to create a small product range without overcomplicating things.

Below are some custom product ideas to help inspire your next collection.

Custom Tea Towels for Artists

Tea towels are a beautiful way to reproduce artwork in a practical format. They work especially well for illustrations, botanical artwork, maps, recipes, line drawings, watercolours, local scenes and limited-edition prints.

Print ideas for artists:

  • Botanical illustrations
  • Native flowers and wildlife
  • Local town or region maps
  • Coastal, bushland or garden scenes
  • Recipe or food-themed artwork
  • Handwritten notes, quotes or poems
  • Seasonal collections
  • Exhibition merchandise
  • Limited-edition artist prints
  • Gift shop and gallery products

Custom Tote Bags for Artists

Tote bags are practical, reusable and popular with customers at markets, galleries and events. They are a simple way to turn your artwork into something people can use every day.

Print ideas for tote bags:

  • Bold illustration or artwork
  • Artist logo or brand mark
  • Simple line drawings
  • Statement artwork or typography
  • Local landmark designs
  • Floral or nature-inspired prints
  • Market day merchandise
  • Festival or event designs
  • Matching designs from your tea towel range
  • Limited-edition collection pieces

Custom Aprons for Artists and Makers

Aprons work well for artists, cooks, makers, gardeners, teachers and workshop hosts. They can be sold as gifts, used in creative spaces or created as branded pieces for classes, studios and events.

Print ideas for aprons:

  • Food or recipe-inspired artwork
  • Garden and botanical designs
  • Studio or workshop branding
  • Hand-drawn kitchen illustrations
  • Cafe, bakery or cooking class designs
  • Artist signature artwork
  • Maker or creative business merchandise
  • Christmas gift range
  • Matching tea towel and apron sets
  • Event or workshop uniforms

Custom Gift Ideas for Artists

A small printed product range can give customers more ways to buy your artwork. This works especially well around Christmas, Mother’s Day, gallery openings, local markets and special events.

Product ideas for artist gift ranges:

  • Tea towel and tote bag sets
  • Tea towel and apron gift bundles
  • Matching designs across several products
  • Limited-edition seasonal collections
  • Local souvenir-style designs
  • Artist collaboration pieces
  • Gallery shop merchandise
  • Teacher or thank-you gifts
  • Handmade-style gift bundles
  • Custom pieces for stockists

Custom Products for Markets

If you are preparing for an exhibition, open studio, launch or creative event, custom printed products can add another layer to your offering.

They give visitors something useful to take home and can help your artwork continue beyond the event.

Event product ideas:

  • Exhibition tea towels
  • Limited-edition tote bags
  • Opening night keepsakes
  • Artist merchandise
  • Workshop aprons
  • Gallery shop products
  • Event logo or artwork designs
  • Fundraising products
  • Collaborative artist collections
  • Thank-you gifts for supporters

Custom Products for Events and Exhibitions

Markets are a great place to sell printed products because customers can see the design, feel the fabric and understand the quality in person.

Tea towels, tote bags and aprons are easy to display, easy to pack and work well as practical gifts or impulse purchases.

Market-friendly print ideas:

  • Best-selling artwork from your print range
  • Designs connected to the local area
  • Bright, eye-catching illustrations
  • Giftable seasonal artwork
  • Small collections with matching themes
  • Products at different price points
  • Designs that suit tourists and locals
  • Artwork with a clear story behind it
  • Simple signage explaining the artwork

What Artwork Works Best on Custom Printed Products?

Artwork that prints well on textile products is usually clear, thoughtful and suited to the shape of the item.

Designs that often work well include:

  • Illustrations
  • Watercolours
  • Line drawings
  • Botanical artwork
  • Maps
  • Typography
  • Recipes
  • Pattern-style designs
  • Local scenes
  • Artwork with a strong story or theme

If you already have artwork, it can often be adapted into a tea towel, tote bag or apron design without needing to start again from scratch.

A Simple Way to Share Your Artwork

At Organic Print Studio, we work with artists and creative businesses to print custom tea towels, tote bags, aprons and other textile products using supplied artwork.

Whether you are creating products for markets, gifts, galleries, exhibitions, events or your online store, custom printed textiles can be a practical way to bring your artwork into everyday use.

Base Colour Difference – White vs Natural

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Base Colour Difference – White vs Natural

Having trouble deciding which base fabric to choose for your artwork? Each design is unique, and the fabric colour can make a noticeable difference to the final printed result.

White fabric offers a clean, fresh and modern finish. It is usually the best choice for artwork with bright colours, fine details, pale tones or areas of white space. Colours tend to appear clearer and more vibrant on white, making it a great option if you want your artwork to feel crisp and true to the original.

Natural fabric has a warmer, linen-look finish with a more rustic and earthy feel. It works beautifully with softer palettes, vintage-style artwork, botanical illustrations, recipes, line drawings and designs that suit a more natural handmade look.

Because the natural fabric has its own warm tone, very pale colours, soft yellows, light pinks and subtle details may appear less bright than they do on screen or on white fabric. If your artwork is full of vibrant colour, white is usually the safest choice to help those colours pop.

If you are unsure, I’m always happy to offer guidance. For colour-sensitive projects, ordering a sample is the best way to see how your artwork responds to the fabric before committing to a larger print run.

Leonie Garssen

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Leonie Garssen

Artistic discipline: Wildlife in watercolour and mixed media
Location: Adelaide

My passion for art was sparked by: I have been drawing and painting ever since I was old enough to hold a crayon. As a kid I enjoyed coming up with my own characters (usually bunnies) and creating stories for them, in my teenage years I spent all my time after school making fantasy drawings. These days inspiration comes to me from nature: we are so spoiled in Australia with our incredible flora and fauna. It’s the little things that spark joy in me when I go outside – from the honeyeaters in my front yard to the magpies strutting about in the park – birds have a special place in my heart. They have ever since I was a little one going out birding with mum. I love it when people see my art and it sparks a dialogue about our wildlife, it is so wonderful to hear from other people’s connection with their neighbourhood animals and there is often a learning moment (either for them or for me)!

 

I have been creating for: all my life, but ‘lost the spark’ for a few years in my twenties. The covid lockdowns were the push that I needed to get back into painting again. I started with a pair of little penguins in early 2020 and haven’t stopped since!

 

When I’m making art I’m usually eating: chocolate or drinking tea – often both!

 

I’m usually listening to: a podcast when I paint. Favourites are ‘Ologies’ with Alie Ward, ‘What the Duck’ with Dr. Ann Jones and ‘Cautionary Tales’ by Tim Harford.

 

My work is inspired by: animals! I just love all animals. I spent many years working as a tour guide which has taken me all across Australia. I have been lucky to have had many awe-inspiring wildlife encounters. Teaching travellers about our unique wildlife and conservation has been a very rewarding job. Sadly I now work in an office-based job but I still make time to go out bush regularly. Whenever I spend time out in nature it makes me want to grab my paint brushes and I come home full of new ideas!

 

My favourite Organic Print Studio product is:the tea towels. They are such lovely quality and customers always comment on how nice they look and feel. They were one of the first products I developed after only selling greeting cards for a long time, and they have been a best selling item since my first batch. I love it when people say they’re too nice to use in the kitchen – luckily they make great wall hangings too!

 

You can find Leonie on Instagram and Facebook @leoniegarssen.art and her website and online shop is www.leoniegarssen.com.au. You can also find a selection of her beutiful products at OmMade Meet the Maker in Rundle Place, Adelaide, and she is regularly at markets such as Gilles at the Grounds and the Stirling Market.