Painting on silk begins with a luxurious base of precious pure white China silk stretched tightly on a frame. I use the combination of imported French silk dyes and a resist of Gutta (which is like a rubber cement). Sometimes I will use a hot wax resist. The purpose of a resist is to stop the flow of dye and create a barrier, which makes the outline of an image. One of the things that excites me the most about silk painting is the purity and the intensity of color that can only be achieved by this unique technique. After the painting is complete I steam the silk for many hours. This sets the dye and increases the intensity of the color. It also makes the painting very permanent and durable. The silk pieces can be washed or dry cleaned. It is not advisable to hang silk for long periods of time in direct sunlight. Silk is a natural fiber and in time the direct sunlight will damage the silk.

I always have an image and a feeling selected when I begin a painting. I can plan but never totally control what each painting will evolve into. Watching the color spread on clean silk reminds me the excitement and freedom of wild horses running across a plain with no stops! The magic of silk painting comes from the subjective images and combinations that emerge within these boundaries. It is still amazing to me how this happens. The essence of what I am painting comes through the flowing dye. Each painting is unique and is one of a kind.

original silk painting....."Celestial Night"
by Francine

Silk painting is quick, fun and easy. No experience in art is necessary. Painting on silk can be can be as simple as filling in the colors in a coloring book. On the other hand, an artist can create a beautiful original painting on silk. The silk seems to glow with vibrancy and a special luster, adding a wonderful animation to the painting. Even the simplest painting on silk is beautiful because of the glow and warmth of the silk shining through.

Silk painting is almost the opposite of other types of painting. Generally, the artist paints by controlling the placement of pigment on a surface, usually through the use of brushes. In silk painting, the painter controls the movement of pigment within boundaries such as a resist on the silk. Brushes become much less important because the dye will move on the silk after it is placed there. Because the dyes flow so freely on silk, the job of the silk painter is to control the movement of the pigment on the silk rather than its placement.

"Rufus and Gang" original painting on silk by Francine

The basic technique for most silk painting begins by drawing the outlines of the design with a rubber-like liquid. When the liquid "fence" is dry the silk dye is allowed to flow within each segment of the picture. The result can be uniform fields of color as in two-dimensional cartoons or stained-glass design.

Silk painting is easy to do. The challenge is learning which supplies to use.

Modern silk painting became extremely popular in France over 100 years ago. The dyes used are still called "French dyes". The easy-to-use special dyes are brilliant, versatile, and most of all, leave the fabric soft. You can quickly master silk painting with dramatic results. The numerous techniques provide freedom to truly personalize any design. Silk Painting is fun. It makes little difference if you are a serious artist or a craft person. You will derive a great deal of pleasure from silk painting.

Silk Basics
 from Dharma Trading Co. cataloghttp://www.dharmatrading.com/index.html

PAINTING ON SILK

It's been done for centuries in Asia, it's been big in Europe for years and now painting on silk is becoming very popular in the U.S. Partly it's because silk is such a neat fabric and more available now than ever before. But much of the interest is due to the French serti technique for applying the dye to the silk - it has everything going for it - it's easy, it's clean, it's fun, and you get startlingly beautiful results

THE SERTI TECHNIQUE

When dye is applied to silk it begins to spread, like grape juice on a table cloth. This may be the effect you want, however in most cases, most artists want more precise control of their design - hard lines and distinct shapes. The traditional French approach to controlling the flow of the dye is called the serti (enclosing or fence) technique. It has become very popular in American now because spectacular results are possible with a minimum of effort.

In the serti technique you make a design with a resist called gutta. The dye spreads up to the resist fence and is halted, thus filling in the design with color. In other words, the dye is applied within enclosed areas created beforehand with the resist - the design is made with the resist rather than by the dye. Here's how:

 

1. Stretch and secure the fabric to a frame with tacks or suspend it in center with silk clips and rubber bands (like a trampoline). Hold the applicator bottle of gutta or gutta-like resist vertically with the tip firmly against the fabric and squeeze gently while drawing the outlines of your pattern. Be sure that each shape is a unit, a completely enclosed shape with no gaps or skips in the line (even the smallest break in the line can let some of the dye escape. Let the resist dry.
2. Using a soft brush, foam brush or applicator nib apply the dye sparingly to the middle of the outlined areas, allowing the fabric to absorb the dye from the brush. Do not make brushstrokes, but slowly and firmly guide the dye toward the resist lines.
3. Allow to dry and then fix by the method prescribed for the dye or paint you are using.

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