The Fine Craft of Silk Painting

Just like watercolor, silk dyes can be painted onto silk using a variety of watercolor application techniques. Silk painting is a direct paint-on and spontaneous painting method. The painting can be simple or dramatic and is an art form first introduced in the Far East. Kimono art in Japan, delicate Chinese paintings on silk and beautiful intricate batiks from Indonesia show us that throughout the centuries, artisans have been creating art that is both decorative and functional.

Today's silk painter is very lucky because the systems have been streamlined and the materials are readily available. Whatever level of involvement you desire, there is a product, a method and a style that will make your creations come to life. Silk painting as we know it today was popularized by a French artist, Litza Bain, who combined the techniques used by French (and Russian emigrants to France) milliners and silk flower makers in the early part of the 20th century. She took their methods and devised a system for silk painting. In the early 1960's she started teaching this method. Since then, silk painting has risen in popularity, as artists have discovered that it is a unique and attractive method for fabric decoration (as well as profitable).

Silk painting involves the application of dyes onto silk that has been stretched tightly between the sections of a frame. The base fabric is usually white or off-white in color, so that all tones from pastel to rich jewel colors can be seen and enjoyed. A unique blend of ancient techniques and completely modern variations can be found documented in any book on silk dying. Silk painting and decoration is both vivid and elegant or soft and demure. Your colors and application make the item "come to life." There is no "incorrect" way in which to apply the colors. Simply test your ideas and work on perfecting a style and look you like.

The basis for dying is the silk, a material that is both resilient and subtle at the same time. Woven from thousands of individual strands and available in many textures, silk is a strong and willing partner in the dying process. As stated, all it needs is to be stretched onto a frame and dampened. There is no other preparation needed. Get your dyes, brushes and resists and you are set to go.

When lines are not desired and when a more watercolor style is the goal, dyes can be painted onto the silk in much the same way watercolor would be applied to paper. Brushes loaded with dye can be projected over the surface to create soft-edged, interactive colors. Washes of light tones with augmentations of deep tones can give the appearance of clouds or tones that appear ethereal. Tests will show you that tones will mingle and mix if applied to damp fabric.

Outlines can be applied to emphasize certain designs. Resists can be used to hold applied tones or retain whites in your artwork. Special folding and "sewn" patterns can be created easily. Lines in designs are created with gutta, a resist material that has been used for centuries in the creation of textiles. The gutta lines "contain" the dyes and help to create well-defined, precise shapes and design elements. Gutta can be purchased as a water-based or solvent-based resist and should be used with the corresponding types of dyes. New metallic resists are also available. Gutta is easily washed from the finished work and allows very intricate patterns. Very thin lines are easy to achieve and striking in appearance.

Special techniques used in watercolor are also useful in the application of dyes on silk. Salt sprinkles create starbursts--just as they do on paper--and offer a texture unlike any other. Lightly knotting the silk when it is wet with dye will create a crackle appearance that is very good to use with rich jewel tones where a mingled tone-on-tone effect is desired. Applications of additional dyes over the twisted, knotted silk will give a watery, striated image that is very beautiful. Speckling with dark tones over a finished design or wash-painted silk will add texture and interest. If you desire, permanent metallic inks can be used sparingly to enliven the surface and offer additional luminescence.

Little mishaps that occur during the learning curve can be of great value as the basis for additional study work. If a silk dyed with light-toned washes does not pass your quality criterion, use it as a starting point and add dramatic color over the light tones. These "oops" pieces often give artists a new direction of thinking and give new life to items first considered losses. While there are things that won't work completely, you can use most portions of the items in other crafts and quilting projects. Imagine a wall hanging or vest with sections of hand-dyed silk--very dramatic and exciting.

Silk dyes, fabrics, brushes, gutta and all other materials needed for silk work are available through most art supply centers. The dyes come in dozens of colors or you can custom mix you own tones. Check out the Jacquard Products website for product information and project ideas: www.jacquardproducts.com. They offer outstanding products not only for dying silk, but also books, kits, paints and much more for artists, crafters and kids, too.