Freelance Textile Print & Graphic Artist (New York)

About the Company

We are an established New York City based wholesale apparel company specializing in the design and production of children's and juniors apparel for major department stores and national retailers.

We are seeking an experienced Freelance Textile Print & Graphic Artist with a strong understanding of fashion prints, textile artwork, and screen printing production techniques.

The ideal candidate will have excellent artistic and technical skills, with particular expertise in preparing watercolor prints and other complex artwork for commercial textile screen printing.

Key Responsibilities

• Create, develop, and modify original prints and graphics for children's and juniors fashion apparel.
• Prepare watercolor prints and artwork for textile screen printing production.
• Perform stippling and halftone conversions on watercolor artwork to preserve shading, tonal variations, and artistic details during screen printing.
• Create accurate color separations for multicolor textile screen printing.
• Convert complex watercolor designs into production ready artwork while maintaining the original appearance and integrity of the design.
• Separate artwork into individual color channels or screens according to factory printing capabilities.
• Adjust artwork to accommodate screen printing limitations, including color counts, registration, resolution, and print detail.
• Create and modify repeat patterns, placement prints, engineered prints, and allover textile designs.
• Recolor existing prints and develop alternative colorways based on seasonal design direction.
• Clean up and refine artwork, including correcting edges, adjusting colors, and improving print clarity.
• Work with Design teams to interpret concepts and translate artwork into commercially viable fashion prints.
• Prepare accurate, high resolution production files for overseas fabric mills and printing factories.
• Communicate with Design and Production teams regarding technical artwork requirements and printing limitations.
• Review strike offs and make necessary artwork or color adjustments to achieve approved print results.
• Maintain organized digital artwork files, color references, and final production versions.
• Complete assignments accurately and within established development deadlines.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of experience in textile print design, apparel graphics, or print production artwork.
• Strong experience preparing artwork for commercial textile screen printing.
• Demonstrated expertise in stippling, halftone techniques, and color separation of watercolor artwork.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
• Strong understanding of color channels, spot colors, screen printing limitations, and print registration.
• Ability to preserve watercolor effects, gradients, and tonal details when converting artwork for screen printing.
• Experience creating repeat patterns, placement prints, and textile graphics.
• Knowledge of fashion trends, color, scale, and print placement.
• Experience working with apparel manufacturers, fabric mills, or overseas printing factories.
• Excellent attention to detail and strong color sensitivity.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple assignments, and meet deadlines.
• Experience with children's or juniors apparel is preferred.

Portfolio Requirements

A portfolio demonstrating technical print preparation experience is required.

Applicants should provide examples of:

• Original watercolor or painted textile prints.
• Watercolor artwork converted using stippling or halftone techniques.
• Color separations prepared for textile screen printing.
• Original artwork alongside its final production ready version.
• Repeat patterns and placement prints developed for apparel.

Candidates with direct experience preparing complex watercolor prints for overseas screen printing factories will receive priority consideration.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for more than a creative graphic artist. We need someone who understands how fashion artwork must be prepared for actual fabric production.

The successful candidate should be able to take a beautiful watercolor print and translate it into technically accurate screen printing artwork without losing the depth, shading, or character of the original design.

This is a freelance opportunity with the potential for ongoing projects based on seasonal development needs.

To Apply: Please submit your resume, portfolio, availability, and freelance rate or project pricing.