Hi guys!
Louise here, the "mum" half of the mum & daughter team that is CraftyKind. I thought I'd share with you one of the crafts I've been enjoying for over 25 years now, namely silk painting.
This particular post shows you the various different stages involved in making a finished silk scarf. The "Spaces Between" motif is one that I have designed myself, and it features on many of my scarves and also my ceramics pieces (check out our website www.blendedmonkey.co.uk, where you'll find various items which my husband and I have made - all from clay, silk or wood).
I do hope you enjoy the post. Feel free to e-mail us if you'd like more information or have any questions.
Louise here, the "mum" half of the mum & daughter team that is CraftyKind. I thought I'd share with you one of the crafts I've been enjoying for over 25 years now, namely silk painting.
This particular post shows you the various different stages involved in making a finished silk scarf. The "Spaces Between" motif is one that I have designed myself, and it features on many of my scarves and also my ceramics pieces (check out our website www.blendedmonkey.co.uk, where you'll find various items which my husband and I have made - all from clay, silk or wood).
I do hope you enjoy the post. Feel free to e-mail us if you'd like more information or have any questions.
"Spaces Between" Silk Scarf
Let's look at the equipment first ...
You can buy adjustable silk painting frames from a number of places. I use several differently-sized ones for various types and formats of work. If you'd like some suggestions on the best types of frame to buy, then drop me a line.
In addition to the frame, you do of course need a selection of brushes in various sizes. I've collected mine over many years from a number of different suppliers, but I'm particularly fond of Japanese paint brushes for silk painting. They hold the paint well.
You can't silk paint without having some silk paints! Again, I've built up my collection of colours over a number of years (in my case, I've saved space and also ensured I can see all the different colours at a glance by using herb shelves fixed to the back of my cupboard door). You could, however, start off with just a few colours until you're sure this is a craft you'd like to pursue more seriously. As you can imagine, there are various makes of silk paint out there. I've come to prefer Javana silk paints.
Then you need some silk to paint on. Again, the scarves and other silk items come in a variety of sizes. The one I've used for this particular scarf measures 35 x 130 cm and happens to be one of my favourite formats. It is much easier to buy scarves that have already had their edges rolled and stitched, but you can buy large rolls of silk which you then cut and hem yourself. Naturally, this works out to be the cheaper solution over time, but does involve some sewing skills! I've used a variety of scarf makes over the years, but I have become quite fond of the Arty's range, and I order these from a supplier online.
You then need a method for fixing your silk to the frame so that it is taut. I use a mixture of specially-designed 3-pronged pins, which you press through the silk and directly onto the frame, along with 2-pronged hooks to which you add elastic bands and then span your silk on the frame - I prefer this method, as you can still paint around the areas where the prongs enter the silk, without leaving marks.
In the case of this particular project, I drew my design on freehand using the gutta (which I'll come to in a minute), and I didn't draw out the design first. If you have a particular design in mind, it makes sense to first of all draw it out onto the silk using either a standard pencil (which will then wash out later on) or using a special air erasable pen. This is great if you're planning on applying the gutta work pretty much straight away after you've drawn the design on the silk, otherwise the design will disappear after about 3 or 4 hours.
The easiest way to draw your design onto your piece of silk is to span it across a table and tape it down. You can also put some paper behind the silk so as not to get pen/pencil all over the table, and you can then slip drawings that you wish to copy under the silk and trace them onto the piece.
Having drawn your design, you then need to tension the silk on the frame. Once tensioned, you're ready to start applying the gutta to the outlines.
Gutta is a medium that is used to prevent the silk paint from spreading from one area to the next.
It is available in various colours, including transparent (one of my favourites) and metallic colours too. I use a number of different brands of gutta. Pebeo being a favourite.
This is the most fiddly of all the processes and it's important that you make sure there are no gaps in your lines, otherwise, the silk paint will bleed through onto the neighbouring segment (see the photo below where my lines were not sufficiently solid to prevent the paint from bleeding).
So, you've got your silk, with or without design, tensioned on your frame, and you've applied your gutta to create the outlines.
The gutta does take a while to dry, so you'll need to leave it a few hours before the piece is then ready for the next stage. Don't be impatient and try to paint before it is dry - it'll only end in smeared gutta and bleeding silk paint!
When you're ready to paint, gather your equipment together. We've discussed the main items specific to silk painting, but you will also need some other very inexpensive items to help make silk painting a lot easier. I also use:
You'll note that I also use a tray that my daughter and I découpaged to hold all the equipment - again, not necessary, but it was fun to make the tray ;-).
For this particular scarf, I chose the three colours you see above. I kept the palette very simple, as the design is then more striking.
I also chose to use a metallic silver gutta for this piece. The silver works beautifully with the purples and lilacs.
And I used these three brushes. The large one for the bigger areas of the design where I need to apply colour as quickly as possible to a large area before it dries. And, of course, the smallest for the most detailed, small areas etc..
So, start by filling your palette with a quantity of each of the colours you are planning on using in this session. This is where your pipette comes in handy. Again, these can be purchased very cheaply.
Be sure to wash the pipettes through with clean water before you use the next colour. And then you're ready to start applying the paint to the silk sections.
If you've not used silk paints before, it can feel a little odd at first, as the paint has a mind of its own and spreads out to fill the gutta-framed section you're working on.
This particular design is based on blocks of colour, but silk paints are also fun to blend and mix together. I'll cover that in the next post.
You basically keep going, ensuring you wash your brush out thoroughly before you use it with a different colour.
Nearly there!
The silk paints don't take very long to dry, especially if they are applied virtually neat. You can also water down the colours to make them flow better and reduce the intensity.
When your piece is complete, you'll need to let it dry fully and then remove it from your frame.
To make the colours stay fast and not run in the washing machine (your silk-painted items can be washed at 30°C or hand-washed), you must now fix the colours by using heat.
However, don't put the iron directly on the silk! Use a piece of cotton (a pillow case works well) between your iron and your scarf, and then systematically work across the scarf, applying heat with your iron on a medium setting.
You can now wash your scarf at 30°C or by hand, iron it and then it's ready to wear!
We hope you've enjoyed this post. There will be more silk painting posts to come.
Keep crafting x
You can buy most of the specialist silk painting equipment from www.silkcraft.co.uk. And www.greatart.co.uk and rainbowsilks.co.uk also stock a good range of Javana silk paints and other bits and bobs for the craft.
Our Etsy shop
Our YouTube channel
Disclaimer: We are not sponsored by any companies we mention, nor are any of these links affiliate links, nor are we trying to sell you anything. The links are purely for your convenience if you are interested in anything we try or show you.
In addition to the frame, you do of course need a selection of brushes in various sizes. I've collected mine over many years from a number of different suppliers, but I'm particularly fond of Japanese paint brushes for silk painting. They hold the paint well.
You can't silk paint without having some silk paints! Again, I've built up my collection of colours over a number of years (in my case, I've saved space and also ensured I can see all the different colours at a glance by using herb shelves fixed to the back of my cupboard door). You could, however, start off with just a few colours until you're sure this is a craft you'd like to pursue more seriously. As you can imagine, there are various makes of silk paint out there. I've come to prefer Javana silk paints.
Then you need some silk to paint on. Again, the scarves and other silk items come in a variety of sizes. The one I've used for this particular scarf measures 35 x 130 cm and happens to be one of my favourite formats. It is much easier to buy scarves that have already had their edges rolled and stitched, but you can buy large rolls of silk which you then cut and hem yourself. Naturally, this works out to be the cheaper solution over time, but does involve some sewing skills! I've used a variety of scarf makes over the years, but I have become quite fond of the Arty's range, and I order these from a supplier online.
You then need a method for fixing your silk to the frame so that it is taut. I use a mixture of specially-designed 3-pronged pins, which you press through the silk and directly onto the frame, along with 2-pronged hooks to which you add elastic bands and then span your silk on the frame - I prefer this method, as you can still paint around the areas where the prongs enter the silk, without leaving marks.
In the case of this particular project, I drew my design on freehand using the gutta (which I'll come to in a minute), and I didn't draw out the design first. If you have a particular design in mind, it makes sense to first of all draw it out onto the silk using either a standard pencil (which will then wash out later on) or using a special air erasable pen. This is great if you're planning on applying the gutta work pretty much straight away after you've drawn the design on the silk, otherwise the design will disappear after about 3 or 4 hours.
The easiest way to draw your design onto your piece of silk is to span it across a table and tape it down. You can also put some paper behind the silk so as not to get pen/pencil all over the table, and you can then slip drawings that you wish to copy under the silk and trace them onto the piece.
Having drawn your design, you then need to tension the silk on the frame. Once tensioned, you're ready to start applying the gutta to the outlines.
Gutta is a medium that is used to prevent the silk paint from spreading from one area to the next.
It is available in various colours, including transparent (one of my favourites) and metallic colours too. I use a number of different brands of gutta. Pebeo being a favourite.
This is the most fiddly of all the processes and it's important that you make sure there are no gaps in your lines, otherwise, the silk paint will bleed through onto the neighbouring segment (see the photo below where my lines were not sufficiently solid to prevent the paint from bleeding).
The gutta does take a while to dry, so you'll need to leave it a few hours before the piece is then ready for the next stage. Don't be impatient and try to paint before it is dry - it'll only end in smeared gutta and bleeding silk paint!
When you're ready to paint, gather your equipment together. We've discussed the main items specific to silk painting, but you will also need some other very inexpensive items to help make silk painting a lot easier. I also use:
- a brush holder (not essential, but useful if you're dealing with several different sizes of brush)
- a palette (you can also use a plate, or some plastic yogurt pots if you don't have a palette. This one, however, is a very inexpensive plastic palette)
- kitchen roll (very important, as you'll need it for your brushes, and I also hold a piece in the hand that isn't holding the paint brush, so I'm ready to catch any drops)
- pipettes (again, not essential, but very useful for drawing up small quantities of the silk paint and placing it in the palette. That way you don't waste a lot of paint by either pouring it or dipping the brush in)
- two cups/containers of water. One for the "dirty" water for washing out brushes and the pipettes, and another cup of clean water for adding water to the paints to dilute them
You'll note that I also use a tray that my daughter and I découpaged to hold all the equipment - again, not necessary, but it was fun to make the tray ;-).
For this particular scarf, I chose the three colours you see above. I kept the palette very simple, as the design is then more striking.
I also chose to use a metallic silver gutta for this piece. The silver works beautifully with the purples and lilacs.
And I used these three brushes. The large one for the bigger areas of the design where I need to apply colour as quickly as possible to a large area before it dries. And, of course, the smallest for the most detailed, small areas etc..
So, start by filling your palette with a quantity of each of the colours you are planning on using in this session. This is where your pipette comes in handy. Again, these can be purchased very cheaply.
Be sure to wash the pipettes through with clean water before you use the next colour. And then you're ready to start applying the paint to the silk sections.
If you've not used silk paints before, it can feel a little odd at first, as the paint has a mind of its own and spreads out to fill the gutta-framed section you're working on.
This particular design is based on blocks of colour, but silk paints are also fun to blend and mix together. I'll cover that in the next post.
You basically keep going, ensuring you wash your brush out thoroughly before you use it with a different colour.
Nearly there!
The silk paints don't take very long to dry, especially if they are applied virtually neat. You can also water down the colours to make them flow better and reduce the intensity.
When your piece is complete, you'll need to let it dry fully and then remove it from your frame.
To make the colours stay fast and not run in the washing machine (your silk-painted items can be washed at 30°C or hand-washed), you must now fix the colours by using heat.
However, don't put the iron directly on the silk! Use a piece of cotton (a pillow case works well) between your iron and your scarf, and then systematically work across the scarf, applying heat with your iron on a medium setting.
You can now wash your scarf at 30°C or by hand, iron it and then it's ready to wear!
We hope you've enjoyed this post. There will be more silk painting posts to come.
Keep crafting x
Where to buy
You can buy most of the specialist silk painting equipment from www.silkcraft.co.uk. And www.greatart.co.uk and rainbowsilks.co.uk also stock a good range of Javana silk paints and other bits and bobs for the craft.
Our Etsy shop
Our YouTube channel
Disclaimer: We are not sponsored by any companies we mention, nor are any of these links affiliate links, nor are we trying to sell you anything. The links are purely for your convenience if you are interested in anything we try or show you.
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