Neil Crockley has been screen printing clothing and T-shirts for independent companies and creative individuals since 2013. He first learnt the basics of flatbed fine art screen printing on paper and other print techniques at Teesside University on a BA hons Fine Art degree. Previously, he had studied Graphic Design and Illustration at The Northern School of Art and Design (previously know as CCAD / Cleveland College of art and design) in Middlesbrough where he is currently based.
After graduating in 2011, Neil took some business courses which provided access to a program that helped him set up as a self employed creative offering various types of services, including digital design work for local customers and friends. He comments; “I never intended on being a screen printer full time but I bought myself a hobby kit and got started printing for some of my customers staff shirts and friends clothing brands”.
Hooked on the process from day one, Neil predominantly self-taught and explored everything he could about screen printing clothing. Since the beginning, he has only ever used water-based inks for their eco-friendly nature and excellent qualities. He now owns a 4 colour 1 station manual rotary screen printing press from Riley Hopkins that has printed 1000’s of shirts for customers since he invested in 2016. He also supplies only the most eco-conscious apparel for his customers and uses Gildan T-shirts as standard.
Coming from a design and illustration background, Neil wanted to express his own ideas and thoughts through his screen printing practice, thus created his own clothing brand, Think Culture Clothing. This side project is based on his and his friends’ lifestyles as skateboarders portraying the dedicated mentality and passion of their individuality within their culture. “Skateboarding and print go hand in hand for me with the ability to keep going after failing over and over is the essence of the brand,” says Neil.
His personal work, which has become the art direction for Think Culture Clothing, is inspired by this ‘skate mentality’ and how it resonates with music, art, and philosophy. Neil describes; “I also want to reflect upon social issues, such as the stigma surrounding talking about certain topics that affect our mental health, and what we can do to better our selves and help motivate each other within our communities and evoke the creative mind.”
Currently, Neil is working on a few print projects for some customers, including a shirt to help raise awareness for mental health – something that he has struggled with himself after being diagnosed with ADHD at a young age. He is also in the process of designing and printing the next releases for Think Culture Clothing. Neil is looking forward to continuing to produce the best quality service for his customers, and move from home into a bigger studio where he can showcase the work he does for others and his own brand.
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