Screen Printing Play Date

Beth and I got together a couple of weeks back and  played with our silk screens.  I tried printing with thickened dye paste using torn newspaper as a mask.  On the first one I layered different colors using torn newspaper as a mask in each layer.  I was hoping for a variety of colors as they overlapped in different layers.  I started with light and moved to dark.  Here is the result with some detail shots.

This last detail shot show a resist by dried soda ash.  I had forgotten the material in a bucket of soda ash.  The soda ash dried leaving crystals.  I decided to print over the crystals to see what would happen.  Interesting resist, don't you think?

The second experiment started out like the first with torn newspaper acting as a mask.  For this one I started dark and then randomly scraped light dye paste using a credit card.  Well, actually it was an expired insurance card.  Beth was a little  nervous that I was using the current card.  Here are the results along with detail shots.

As you might be able to tell, I did put a rubber drawer liner under the fabric before I scraped the blue and orange to cause some texture.

I have to say I hate both of these pieces. Not that I would call them failures...yet.  I think they just need several more layers of something to have the interest I like in my surface design experiments.

Play Date and Blue Roses

Last Saturday we got together for a play date and to celebrate Beth's and Rosalita's birthday. I'm not telling any secrets but Rosalita said she is turning 39 again. The play for the day was silk screen and collages. For my attempts I wanted to try using watercolor crayons with the silk screen. So, first I watched Jane Dunnewold's DVD and then I gave it a try.

Here is my first attempt. I drew directly on the screen with the crayons. I am currently infatuated with blue roses --I'll show you the reason why later--so I drew blue roses. I screened the image using a print paste so there is no color except the crayon. I printed onto 6 ft long length of fabric I had dyed with some blue and green dye earlier. So, the blue and green in the background is from the previous dye. The crayons left only the distinct markes I had made. I probably printed 6 or so times before the marks were too faded.

This is my second attempt with watercolor crayons and silk screen. This time I used two new thermofax screens I had made from a photo of a pomegranate cut in half and a photo of the rind and some loose seeds for the second screen. I colored the screens using the water color crayons and then screened them using a metalic gold print paste. The results were a wonderful mix of the colors and each print was colored slightly different. I printed onto the fabric I had eco-dyed with mums at one of our last play dates. I overlapped the images so that it would be more of an allover pattern rather than a print of pomegranates.

In the afternoon we tried to make fabric and paper collages following the directions we found on Wen Redmond's blog. She also has these instructions for collage. Unfortunately it was a while since we had read the article so we did our best. Here is my attempt. I think it is a good beginning and just needs several more layers of stuff.

Okay, on to blue roses. I am going to make a piece named Blue Roses from this silk dress I found at Goodwill.  I am not sure yet how I am going to turn them into a quilt yet. I think I will also include the eco-dyed and silk screen rose material and the bureau scarf I have already started embroidering with my hand dyed pearl cotton. I am open to suggestions.

Friday Favorites

Seems like everything this week has come in twos.

Cheryl at Fiber Art and Quilting has two posts that I enjoyed this week.  One is about a new product called Scratch-a-Print and the second is about multi-part printing or faux silkscreening.  The Scratch-A Print and Scratch-Art Mask-Ease are both products made by the same company and are for the silkscreen.  The descriptions of both make them sound really easy--kinda in the fail-safe zone. The prices were low enough at Dick Blick that I went ahead and ordered one of each for myself.  I will let you know how it works for me.  The second posting refers you to an article in Cloth Paper Scissors but Cheryl assures us that the process worked for her on fabric rather than on paper (a GREAT assurance!) and shows us the proof.  In general, Cheryl has a "technique of the week" and is really worth a read.

Debra at Debra's Design Studio sent me over to Vicki at Field Trips in Fiber to see a crumb quilt.  Vicki doesn't explain what a crumb quilt is but the quilt she shows makes it clear that a crumb quilt is really just a scrap quilt.  If that is the case, crumb quilts are one of my favorite ways to quilt.  I love taking little pieces of fabric that are too small to make anything with and sewing them all together to make a quilt top.  Something from nothing!  That surely satisfies my thrifty inner driver.  Nice quilt, Vicki!

Kim at Kim's Hot Textiles had two posts that really got me inspired.  The first is all  about her work named "Capstones."  It starts from the inspiration to the techniques and goes to the finished works. A great read on great work.  The second post that caught my attention had NINE pictures of tortured Lutrador plus a few other fabrics. The results are stunning!  Oh, MY!  I want to see some of my work look like that!  I have some Lutrador at home that I haven't done anything with yet. This weekend is the time.  If you need some more ideas of what to do with Lutrador here is another link to some Lutrador projects.

My last double goody this week is a new DVD that I received on Tuesday and watched Wednesday after work.  Two fabulous artists, Jane Dunnewold and Lisa Kerpoe, produced "Vibrant Color: Combining Soy Wax and Dye for Brilliant Results."  It is 90 minute long and has three ways to use soy wax with dye.  First is crayons and you will need to use Jane's priority soy wax to achieve the right consistency to make the crayons.  WOW!  I love this but probably won't make the crayons.  So many techniques to try and so little time.  Second is how to make the soy wax and dye into a paste that can be used for stenciling. I was not excited by this technique but then stenciling in general is not my thing. Third is using the soy wax and dye as hot wax with dipping, stamping, and using typical batik type methods.  Now this one I will be trying this weekend!  The stamped, dipped, etc fabric needs to be steamed--a method I have not done yet--but Jane and Lisa carefully take you through the steps.   I feel very clear about how to do it successfully.  I will show you some finished fabric using this technique on Monday.

Results of my Play Date

Saturday was my long anticipated play date with Beth and Rosalita, a couple of other Maine fabric artists!  We were all excited and a little apprehensive about meeting for the first time.  They wondered what they would do if I was a crazy lady and I wondered if I would end up cut into little pieces and buried in the basement.  I mean,  you never can tell about people you "meet" on-line, can you?  I can't speak for them (since all my children will attest to my craziness) but I had a wonderful day.  WOW are they talented ladies.  If I get to play with them on a regular basis I can really see my art skills expanding!

We did three separate surface design techniques.  One was silkscreening with thermafax images.  I did two silk screens.  This one is from a big and little goddess doodle that Beth made.  I put it on a hand dyed fabric of mine that needed something.  It still needs some swirls but overall it is coming along nicely.

Here is a peek of a print I did on the hand dyed silk I made and will use for my June Concept for IT!  due in just 5 days (EEK!)  Guess what I am doing tonight after work?  The basting pin should give you a hint.

And here is the tree that Beth silkscreened on one of her hand dyed fabrics. 

Rosalita did a silk screen too but I did not take a picture of it (I didn't want to be too big of a pest with the camera) but I did take a picture of her print of a leaf  from her flower garden.  Think like 12" or more large!  Rosalita is not done with it. She has (and loves) the new Smooch paints (or are they inks?) and plans to highlight with them and add some thread play.  I am eager to see this finished.

I fell in love with the silk screen process with thermafax and Beth gave me the contact information about how to get more thermafaxes made so I see this technique being added to my repertoire.

We are getting together again in August and one of our projects that month will be deconstructed silkscreen printing.  What fun!