Silk Painting Basics

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Comment by Francine Dufour Jones on July 14, 2008 at 5:44pm

Way to go Mari....love that you are so willing to share.

Comment by Mari on June 6, 2008 at 11:51am

Hi to all ....have been having problems with my computer ...but I am back...hopefully ... if my computer cooperates with me.
Just wanted to touch on 2 things....this may have happened to you sometime....a scarf for example...you put it on the frame and you apply the dye....then when your piece is dry and you take it off the frame you look at the back side and the dye did not penetrate all the way thru...awful... well a one way to deal with this is to pin the silk with the .....back side up....dye the piece and let dry and turn the piece right side up and dye a second time ... the dye will look more ...even ..or smooth with the application and you can make sure that the edges are completely covered with dye... also I keep releasing some of the tension on the frame so as not to get those unsightly stretch marks I spoke about before.
The other thing I wanted to mention is that (and I myself was guilty of).......when you have outlined with the gutta and it is dry....I never use to take the time out to wet the space that I was going to dye....not good...by wetting the space first you can see where the ...leaks.....will happen....you can at that time apply more gutta in those spots and prevent a major mishap to your piece. I hope this was of some help. I welcome any suggestions and/or comments.

Comment by Mari on April 25, 2008 at 10:34am

Welcome All to Silk Painting Basics. I am glad to see that the group is growing ....that means more ideas to learn from. I have also used the sponge brush...Sha...but you no doubt have to be ...speedy gonzalez and still no guarantee that those awful ...marks... will not be there when the silk dries. I find that dying the silk in a ....loose fashion ...that is... where the entire silk is submerged in the dye is the best way...for me. Certainly using the lightest or palest color is the best way to go...for me. I have also done watercolor, Kathleen, and I agree with you that it is quite similar...it is just a matter of making a few adjustments. Experimenting is the best way to find out what will happen with the dyes on the silk .....oh and do be aware of the space around you. I live in tropical weather where my ceiling fan is on most of the time and that makes a big difference in the drying process .... Any comments or questions are welcomed.

Comment by Sharon Willen on April 22, 2008 at 6:02am

This is a challenge. I use a sponge brush. I always dilute the dye to a very pale tint and work very quickly. That's the best I can offer right now. I've only been at it a short time.

Comment by Kathleen Livingston Disler on April 17, 2008 at 4:25pm

Hello all

I have to say I am so new at this silk painting that I will probably just be listening for awhile. I have done 2 pieces, the other photos I posted are watercolors and watercolor dyes...but I found the technique somewhat similiar when I start using the silk only more exciting in many respects, partially because I enjoy painting loosely and using color. So, I am anxious to learn more from yourselves and hope eventually to share also.