Inktense on Silk, the test

Recently I read that Intkense pencils and blocks, made by Dèrwent, make great silk paintings. I decided to see for myself. These pencils and blocks are actually water soluble ink instead of true watercolors. They are very bright and intense color wise when water is added to them. 

After praying the silk by stretching it on a frame, then adding resist lines, I began. I found the Inketense must be used wet on silk, either by wetting the silk first and applying the color or wetting the color and applying it to the silk. They simply do not work dry on dry. Also, the colors need to sit for 24 hours, then should be heat set. I did this, then rinsed out the resist lines the next day to find that, once the silk painting dried, the color faded some and it was not as intense as before the rinsing. After it dried, I pressed it and all was well. I compared the Inktense on silk and on paper. The final results are below. The piece on paper is on the left, the one on silk is on the right.  The second photo is of the pieces before rinsing out the resist. You can see how bright the colors are on the silk piece ( lower right) prior to rinsing.

Consensus- while Derwent Inktense are good on paper, I don't think, except for small details, I'd use them on silk. I definitely wouldn't use them on silk wearables, just on wall art. 

New blog Post

I made a new blog post on http://stichesandstrokes.blogspot.com/2015/06/test-run-fluid-acrylic-paints.html Please feel free to check it out.

The Interview

Recently an interview I  did a few months ago was published in http://creativeroom4talk.com/cathy-sparks/. It's a real honor to think they thought my work worthy of publication. Check it out. There we also many other quality pieces there as well.

Between Paper and Silk

There is a distinct difference in paintings done on watercolor paper and one done on silk, even though they use the same type of paint, in this case watercolors from the tube. Paper, being a harder surface than silk, is more reflective of the light resulting in brighter colors on the surface. The first photo is on paper and shows this. The second photo is of a painting done with the same watercolors as the one on paper but is on silk instead. Notice how the colors are much deeper, resembling an oil painting.mi think this is because the silk absorbs the light instead of reflecting it the way paper does. The difference in the way the paint behaves on the two surfaces is what, I believe, gives each it's unique look. By the way, both should be framed under glass to protect the surface.

 I discovered painting with watercolors on silk is an ancient technique used by the Chinese before other types of paints or dyes were developed. The Chinese used both watercolors and inks on silk for their paintings. Now, I'm not Chinese in any form and not as ancient as the technique of watercolor on silk ( I am growing older as we all are) but I just tried painting on silk habotai with regular tube watercolors to see what it looked like, I like the result. I did find the watercolors are brighter in tone than silk paints, yet the same obstacles remain by suing silk over paper, I.e. Neither paint can be lifted with any success from the silk, once a mark is made with the brush on the silk, it's there and can't be manipulated the way one would with paint on paper. So you have to carefully plan the painting.

 Also, on silk with watercolor, you can't use a water soluble resist because ipthe color will wash out with the resist. For whites in a silk painting I recommend using a cold wax that can be painted on with a brush or using white opaque paint of some type, gouache is good. Anyway, the experiment ends on painting watercolors on silk. Consensus is that it looks good but it's NOT recommended for garments or silk that will be turned into a garment, including scarves, watercolors on silk should be only used on paintings that will be used as fine art, to be hung on the wall, framed and under glass. Use either dyes or silk paints on anything to be used as a garment. 

I hope this info helps you, the painter, in some way.

The Judicius Use of Black in Painting

Black is not actually a color, but it the absence of any color. However "black" is color used in painting as a dark tone. It can indicate darkened

or shaded areas of the painting. It can be the actual color of an object, for example a black cat or a black umbrella. Black can be cool, warm or neutral

in tone. Many artists prefer to mix their own black from a dark blue  plus dark brown, Prussian blue and burnt umber are popular colors used to make black.

the most common black paint in the art world is lamp black which comes in a tube, jar or pan, depending on the medium the artist is using.

There are several ways to successfully add black to a painting. Layering is one of the best ways to "build" a black or dark area of a

painting. Paint in washes or glazes first, then add glazes of color, alternating with the black for the first few layers, finishing with the

color of the object.  Another method of adding black to shaded areas is to add thin lines of black against the edge of the underlying object,

then dilute the lines to gradually fade it out to nothing. This is shown in the photo below, on the left with the leaves.

Keep in mind that there is a thing such as too much black. It can turn a painting into a disaster. Less is more  when using black. Black is a staining color

which cannot be completely lifted to reveal the original color. Many times it must painted over, with many coats, to return the original color.

The best way to determine the placement of black tones in a painting is to really study the subject for light and dark areas and plan

 the painting around that. Many artists make sketches showing light and dark areas before beginning to paint. Planning a painting this

way will help adding the dark and light areas to appear naturally in the finished painting.

water color on silk and paper

This is the experiment piece the first is watercolor on silk, the second is watercolor on paper, using the same image for both. If I decide to frame either piece, they will have to be under glass, the silk will have to be mounted on a board first, my preference is the silk piece for its depth of color, it just looks richer. The silk I use is habotai or China silk which is a very smooth surface to paint on. I also sprayed it first with magic sizing to help control the absorbancy of the color. The magic sizing allows more time for manipulation of the paint in the surface before it sinks into the silk. 

My consensus is that watercolor paint on silk grounds works well. I've learned that this method is actually an ancient chinese technique, watercolor or silk, since silk was available before paper was. At any rate this experiment blends two on my favorite mediums, water color painting and silk painting. I'll do it again, use watercolor paints on silk, that is. :)

Is it Watercolor or Is It Silk?

There are many similarities between watercolor painting and silk painting. Both are done with thin consistency colors whether it be dyes or paints. Both can use blocking agents like gutta, resists, masking fluids, wax,etc. both should be painted with the surface flat to avoid the paint running where you don't want it to go  (unless you want it to run) or to preserve white areas or the painting

The main difference is the painting surface- to a point. If you've ever painted on rice paper or unsized paper like printmaking papers, you know, like silk, the paint soaks right in and can't be easily lifted. However, if you paint watercolors on regular watercolor paper you'll notice the surface is much harder than unsized paper therefore making it easier to manipulate the paint before it dries and even after it dries, the paint can be wet again and manipulated again to some extent.

Silk fabrics tend to be more like unsized rice paper  in that it is very absorbent and color, once applied is next to impossible to lift out without leaving a mark on the silk surface. Silk fabric can be sprayed with sizing to help prevent the color from soaking in so much, yet it still leaves a brush mark that results in a hard edged noticible spot on the silk. 

Another big difference is that silk fabric/painting can be made into garments, scarves, banners, and such while watercolor paper cannot, should not, be worn as clothing elements. I guess that's a given in the nature of silk fabric.  I guess it's possible to sew watercolor paper but I can't see it as being practical, maybe in a haute couture piece, but that's another post entirely.

Below are two examples on the same design, one on silk and the other on watercolor paper. On the silk, I used silk paints instead of dyes ( never had good luck steaming dyes) and the watercolor uses regular watercolor paints. I'm currently experimenting with watercolor paint on silk. We'll see how that goes.  Perhaps the two can be blended into an interesting effect. 

Anyway, these are just a few differences in using two mediums which yield a very similar effect.

The painting on the top. is silk, the one on the bottom is watercolor. The paints on the watercolor tend to sit on the surface giving a brighter color than that on the silk, which soaks up the color , giving it a softer,mulled tone, I've learned that watercolor & silk painting is very similar in technique, only with a few differences.

New painting

This new silk painting is done with 18" x 36" silk habotai, sprayed with one coat of magic sizing, no resist or gutta was used here. I used Dynaflow and Setasilk paints instead of dyes. Copic alcohol based markers were used to outline some of the petals on the flowers. Here is the finished painting and the drawing used in the painting. This is just some of what can be accomplished in silk painting. Everyone has their own unique style for paintings, which makes the " Mark" of the artist, I.e. You can tell which artist painted the piece by the style of the painting itself in most cases. I plan on painting the same design, on 18" x 24" in watercolor and see which I like best, so look for a comparison painting once it's finished.

Enjoy, happy painting.

Water based Resist & Magic Sizing Do Not Mix

Just learned something important. I applied a water based resist to a drawing on silk to paint, let it dry, then sprayed the whole piece with Magic Sizing.once it dried it disentragrated the resist I'd just applied. So if you're using both Magic Sizing and water based resist, Spray the sizing FIRST, Let it dry, THEN apply the resist to the lines of the drawing. Fortunately I'd colored the resist so I had faint liines to go by when I applied the resist the second time. I've used the two substances together before but I'd always sprayed the sizing on the silk first, then applied resist as desired.never had a problem till I reversed the order. Lesson learned. I won't make that mistake again. Now that you know, maybe you won't either. 

Silk paint in progress, part 2

Here's the beginning of the painting part. If you'll notice, the resist lines prevent paint from flowing where I don't want it to go whereas the magic sizing just gives me more control over how the paint flows in the silk. More as the painting progresses. 

This is a new silk in process. I thought I'd share my particular process for paining silk. First I make a line drawing with sharpie marker or other dark, non smearing marker pen. I spread the silk over the drawing, pinning the silk to the drawing in several places. Next I trace the line drawing with a water soluble pencil. Then I remove the silk from the drawing and stretch the silk on a PVC pipe frams and Chinese suspension hooks that look like claws. Next I choose to either spray the silk with Magic Sizing all over or draw along the pencil lines with a water based resist, sometimes, like on this one. I do both. The yellow lines are the resist, I add a bit of color to is so I can see it, although you may use it plain which leaves tiny white lines once it's washed out after heat setting the silk paints.It all depends on the drawing, how I want to paint it & the amount of the detail to be preserved on the silk painting. Once this all dries, it doesn't take very long, less than 30 minutes total, I begin to paint. The photos below show the process up to actually painting. That comes later.

 

The Magic of Magic Sizing

On previous post I mentioned spraying silk with magic sizing as a stop flow agent on the silk. I have recently learned that magic sizing can be used to manipulate silk paint colors on silk. How it's done is simple. Take a plastic container of some sorts it's a lid, spray the sizing into that container. It will bubble & foam, but continue to spray until it accumulates. Let it sit, lid off, for a while, 30 minutes at least, preferably overnight. You can brush this liquid onto the silk which acts as a stronger stop flow resist, a wetting agent, which allows you to manipulate the paints because the sizing doesn't allow the paint to immediately soak into the silk, thus keeping the silk wet longer. I use this to soften the edges when I have shading to do or when I have a large area to cover with the paint. It's much easier than trying to brush out the hard edges that form when the paint soaks into the silk quickly. You can use this method to create textures like tree bark , grass, and I such. I usually spray a 4 oz. deli container at least half full, let it sit, then put on the lid. I have plenty to use as needed. The sizing usually dries within an hour so you don't have to wait a long time between painting sessions. Again this method is not mine exclusively, silk artist Karen Sistek created it, I'm just passing it along as I learn more about using this substance in silk painting.

The. Natural World quilt

This project I call the natural world because each block contains an element found in nature. It's hand painted silk panels with cotton sashing. Has yet to add an outer border, to be quilted & finished. It will be on display & for sale at my solo show in April.
The Cheshire Cat, second photo, is complete. Hand painted silk with cotton borders. It is a challenge for my quilt guild, the fairy tale challenge, I chose Alice In wonderland as the fairy tale. It will also be displayed/for sale in the April show.
BTE, these IPad photos don't do the pieces justice. They are much brighter in person.

Dyes v Paint in the Silk World

The first two photos are of paint, both are thin consistency and are acrylic based, however, each is different in than the first photo contains paints suitable for silk. The second photo is a high flow acrylic similar to water color and is Not suitable for silk. It contains a higher ratio of polymer, thus rendering a much stiffer feel to that of the silk paint. Silk paints need to be heat set for permanency, the high flow acrylic is suited for other types of art and is much more expensive than silk paints.
The third photo are dyes, these are Jacquard green label dyes that can be set by either painting on or submersing in a solution of dye set, also of the same brand. They can also be steam set. If you'll notice I said green label can be set via the Dyeset solution. To the best of my knowledge these dyes are the only ones that can be set this way, all others, including Jacquards red label Must be steam set and that is another process to be covered at another time, follow the directions for each brand of dyes as to their particular technique for setting.
Another difference between silk paints and silk dyes is that the dyes actually become part of the silk fabric, leaving it with a soft feel ( or hand) while the paint sits on the surface of the silk and leaves it with a slightly stiffer feel. You can tell the difference if you fee both at the same time.
Both dyes and paints can be painted on with the same type of brush, although I wouldn't use the same brushes for dyes that I'd use for paints. This has to do with the fact that paints are polymer based. Dyes can be reconstituted with water if they dry out in the bottle or palate, paints cannot, once they are dry, they are there, not to be moved without scrubbing. Both give lustrous color, both can be mixed to make new colors. What do I prefer? Paints, simply for their ease of handling. And paints can also be used on paper, if you desire. It's similar to liquid watercolor.
Pick your poison for adding color to silks, dyes or paints, it's your choice. Good luck.

Cold Wax, what is it, how it's used.

This is cold wax. It's cold because it's not solid at room temperature like regular wax is, therefore it does not need to be heated to be used. It's the consistency of milk but it can be brushed on plain silk as a mask to preserve white areas or painted on the lines to separate areas of color. But, it has another use. In traditional batik wax is applied over areas of color to preserve the color when successive layers of color ( usually other colors) are applied. Cold wax can be used for this. Let the base color dry thoroughly, paint the cold wax over the areas you want to preserve, let it dry completely, then paint the other color or colors. This wax can be applied in many layers over many colors, as it is in batik. Once you have all the colors applied & dry, simply heat set the silk, between layers of newsprint or old newspaper ( at least 3 weeks old so the ink won't transfer). The wax will melt out of the silk & be absorbed by the newsprint. You need to do this even if you use the cold wax with dyes to get the wax out. Depending on the number if layers of wax used, you may have to repeat the ironing process several times to get all the wax out. The silk should not be stiff once the wax is out. If you use silk paints, you're done, the ironing process to remove the wax also heat sets the paint. If you're using dyes, after the wax is completly removed, set the dyes with your method of choice, usually steaming. The whites of this piece (last photo) were preserved by painting on cold wax prior to painting. At first, when I began using cold wax, I expected it to be much thicker. I was confused by it's thin consistency but as I use it more & mores, I learned to use it as a masking agent instead if a resist in the traditional sense. Keep this in mind when you start to use it. It's thin enough to run until it dries, which takes about 20 minutes or so, and it repels color once dry. It's great used as a masking agent, similar to what one would do with watercolor, but it's tricky to use as a traditional resist to separate areas if color in the serti technique. I hope this helps clear the confusion about cold wax.

Spillage

No pictures this time folks, sorry. This will be short too. I tend to paint directly out of the bottle unless I'm mixing colors. Yesterday I had a brand new, full bottle of black silk paint fall over & spill- everywhere. Fortunately the paint is water soluble so it cleaned up fairly easy but not totally. There is now a gray stain on the painting le

Alternative to Traditional Resist-Stop Flow

There is another way to traditional resist. It's called the Stop Flow method in which the whole surface of the silk is covered with a type of resist allowing for the silk to be painted without the white lines left by regular resists I have discovered a product usually used in the laundry called Magic Sizing. It's not a spray starch but similar. The product is Magic Sizing. Silk artist Karen Sistek developed the method. Simply spray the stretched silk with the Magic Sizing and let it dry. It takes around 30 minutes, depending on the weather. Then draw the image on the silk using your preferred method. And you can use resist on the sprayed silk to define areas with lines.

Click on the link to her method for further details.

Tools of theTrade, Part 2

S-*o, you have the silk evenly stretched on a frame. You've chosen an image to paint. There are 2 basic ways to get ;that image on the silk. You can take the silk off the frame, place it over the drawing, tracing with a pencil. you should secure the drawing to the silk with straight pins or spray the drawing with a temporary adhesive spray so the silk doesn't shift and you get an accurate tracing. Or you can place the drawing under the stretched silk, then trace the image. Trace the image,with this method, with a resist (the stuff that prevents colors from bleeding into each other. let the resist dry, then you can paint when ready. Resists There are 3 types of resists, gutta - a petroleum based product that is squirted onto the silk with a fine tipped bottle; water based resist, the same application but using a water based product; and wax, which must be melted & applied to the silk. I like the water based resists, there are several types.

All but the Magic Sizing are applied by squeezing the resist through a soft bottle with a tiny nib with a small hole in the end. One alternative is water based resist in tube that has the small tip already on it.

Let the resist dry, then you are ready to paint. Just a note on gutta and wax resists, gutta must be removed by dry cleaning. It also requires mineral spirits to thin it so there is an odor. For me, its too much trouble when there are safer alternatives. Wax must be melted in order to go through the silk, unless its cold wax,which can be applied with a brush.Even hot wax is applied with a brush or a tool called a tjaunting, which has a small, brass bowl with a spout. If you choose to use wax, dedicate a brush or two for that purpose since it won't come completely out of the brush, rendering the brush unusable for panting. You have your image on the silk, the resist of your choice applied. Are you ready to paint? Part 3 shows you how.

Tool of the Trade, Setting up - Part1

Every silk painter has their favorite tools. There are some common elements however. You have to stretch the silk fabric on something,you need something to attach the silk to the frame, you have to have something to prevent colors bleeding into each other (unless you want that), you need some way to put the color on the silk, and you need something to put that color into, a palette of some sort. Here are a few of my favorite tools.

This is PVC pipe,it makes a light weight frame, is readily available from the hardware store or home improvement store, it can be cut in various sizes of your choosing and can be taken apart when finished painting for easy storage. The connectors are 90 degrees with 3 ways to connect the pipe. I find the third hole makes an excellent foot for the frame.

These claw hooks attach the silk to the frame with looped rubber bands that go around both the hook and frame.

The last thing to do, other than put the drawing on the silk to paint, is to stretch the silk fabric onto the frame with the hooks. I usually start with the corners, then the centers,and work the rest in. If the stretched silk has ripples in it, you may need to add more hooks to stretch it in those places. Part 2 will deal with getting the drawing or image to paint onto the silk, using resists, and getting ready to actually paint.

Cold Wax means Batik

When I found I could get cold wax I pictured a thicker product, something with the consistency of warm honey. I ordered some. When I came in what I found was a product the consistency of milk, much thinner than I expected. I researched it online to find what I had was the wax used for batik. It didn't need to be heated or melted to be applied, plus is was water soluble. I tried it, applied it with a brush, rinsed out the brush okay. Didn't stiffen the brush at all after rinsing. It spread on the silk more than I wanted. I decided to thicken it with some sodium alginate. That worked better, until the sodium alginate molded- I didn't know I had to keep it refrigerated. Live and learn. Anyway, since then, I've learned to use is not as much as a traditional resist but as a masking fluid to preserve the white areas. For that purpose, it works well. Now I treat silk spin things as watercolors in that I need to preserve the white areas of the painting because, with silk, you can't scrub out whites like you can on watercolor paper. Once the color is in the silk, it's there for good, even if it's not heat set yet. Live and learn. And I learned how to properly use this cold wax on silk for non batik paintings. Just to note, for brighter whites I use an opaque fabric paint in white, in small amounts. It's much thicker than silk paint but is made by the same company as the silk paints so they work well together.

The History of Silk Painting

Silk painting was believed to date as far back as 476 BC, reaching it's height of popularity as an art form in the western Han dynasty, 206BC to 25AD.

Silk was first used as a medium for scrolls, the ink was made from pine soot and animal based glues. Over the years the art developed to include human figures, depicting religious and mythological creatures. The oldest silk painting was found in a tomb form the Waring States period in Changsha, China. It's been around for a while.  Around 300 AD silk painting made it's way to Japan and about 1300 AD artists used color in their work on silk. In the 12th century silk painting spread to Western Europe, by the 18th century the industrial revolution made silk cloth more widely available and the art form spread.  

In Indonesia, the family of the Russian tsar learned batik using wax resists. They brought the art form to France where the serti technique was developed in the 1900s. The popularity of silk painting continued to spread to Great Britain and the USA a by the 1970s. Today the art of silk painting continues, using a multitude of techniques and styles. ( art of silk blog, Chinese silk painting, it's history. WWW.artofsilk.com/blog/news/8245039)

Silk facts

Silk is created from silk worms. This moth is one of the earliest domesticated animals & needs human intervention to survive because it cannot fly.

Silk is created by insects, therefore insects will not eat it. Silk is the strongest natural fiber, for it's weight, it's stronger than steel.  Silk is very absorbent and porous, it can absorb up to 30 times it weight in water and is warmer than wool. Silk weight is called mums (mm) which is a Chinese measure. Silk is archival and was the painting ground if choice before canvas or paper was invented. (Dharma Trading).

Stay tuned for more information on silk painting.

Why Silk?

I consider silk the ultimate challenge as far as a painting surface goes. The fabric is a dream to paint on, smooth, soft, easy-- wait, it's not that easy to paint on. The paint runs all over it, it runs into other areas of paint. Silk is very absorbent and bleeds easily with liquid. What can be done to stop it? This is where it gets challenging.
Painting on silk requires special types if paint, or dyes, along with some special equipment and supplies. I suppose one could use regular artist paints like oils or acrylics, even watercolors, but these mediums do not lend themselves to silk as a painting ground. Silk painting is it's own medium with it's own set of rules, types of paints or dyes, and other supplies and equipment, some of which is foreign to traditional art. Some see it as a craft used in wearable art, scarves, banners, shawls, etc. Actually silk painting is a blend of traditional painting and craft painting for wearable art. Because it has it's own set of rules, equipment and supplies, to me, it poses the ultimate challenge in painting.
I first found it in a local craft supply store back in the 1980s. There was a display of watery paints and a book on how to use them. It looked interesting, so I bought some. However, upon reading the booklet I discovered there was no place in my area to buy the silk or it's unique supplies and equipment for painting, I shelved the idea along with the small jars if paint for a while. Then I stumbled across a book on silk painting, a real, how to book that showed supplies, techniques, the whole thing, along with many gorgeous pictures if equally gorgeous examples painted by the author. In the back if the book I found a list of suppliers, a treasure to someone who wanted to learn but had no place to get supplies. I immediately wrote for a company for their catalog.
I ordered a few things and from there my love affair with silk began.
Since then, some 30 years ago, I've learned by trial and error, through books, videos and now through fellow silk painters ( who've been painting on silk a lot longer than me) in social media. I soaked up information like a sponge. As of this writing I feel comfortable enough with the medium to share what I've learned and so this blog on silk painting was born, to share tips, techniques, successes, failures and other information about the art of silk painting. You will also find links to other silk artists and information about silk painting. Join me on the path. Please enjoy.