Designing a silk scarf - Part 2 by Rose
In Part 2 I will be talking about how I take my designs and place them onto silk. I like to keep this process open to change, so I can play with a layout as I'm working.
I have a range of colours that I use, these can be mixed with each other so for my colour range I have about 10 different colours, some are shades, and then from these I can mix most others. I also have a blending white, as this helps to make pastel tones and also whiten areas, rather than leaving open silk.
Materials that I use, silk, pens, inks and gutta
The outline of the image should be dark enough to be seen through the silk. I’m using a fine silk so it’s easier to see though and there is about a 2-3inch distance from my silk to the paper design.
I chose to use two different colour pens to outline different parts of the design, which then tells me when to change gutta colour as well.
Design under silk and then tracing the design with the gutta
I always try and check for any gaps, when the gutta comes out the tube you might find air pockets, so there is no guarantee that gaps won’t form. Even the smallest gaps can let the ink/dye come out. On the image below, a tinny gap allowed the yellow to flow out. I try to block these gaps with clear gutta, and very gently dab off the ink.
This is not always possible, but I have learnt to use these, they become part of a dappled background, shades of leaves etc... it’s what makes these types of silk scarves unique. Each one with have its own flaws and differences, and that for me it’s their own unique charm.
first steps of shading and painting design
I always work section by section, painting the decorations first. The decoration should also break the background down, I find if very difficult to paint a whole scarf one colour without drying marks. So my advice, use your design or pattern to your advantage when working.
I’ve added salt chunks to parts of the leaves, a technique that creates a unique dapple pattern. For me it was perfect for the primrose leaves that have lots of veins that crisscross.
flower designs painted with salt to give texture
The final step, the background, is a watered-down colour and then I can add undiluted colour for stronger patches. I also like to drip or flick water as it’s drying as the dapples from water are quite organic.
Mottled background effect, from water and wet into wet painting
Once the scarf is dried, it needs to be ironed. This fixed the colour and the coloured gutta, take your time, one scarf can take me 30mins or more to iron. Then it’s washed to get the clear gutta off and will soften the scarf. Be careful, I've in the past got to this point and have had some of the coloured gutta come off, at these times I make sure to wash any lose gutta off completely, it still shows the plain silk lines. Then a final iron when it’s almost dry and it’s finished.
Final Silk scarf agents white and scarf in use
Most of this I've learned from experience, I work on small pieces before working on scarves, but there is no guarantee it will always work smoothly.
At the end of this scarf, I've started to rework the design again as there were parts that could be improved upon, before working on a large scarf.
I hope this has been helpful to you, and has given you tips and maybe reassured those who have tried and stumbled, like I have. Mistakes are blessing, make them work for you.
Next Blog:
Modern Art vs Contemporary Art
This is a small blog to try and clear up some facts about the two. I hear it a lot and so this is my thoughts as well on the two topics.
