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Friday 13 January 2012

Painted Sky

I have no idea how to paint or dye fabric.  I usually use blue sky fabrics that I can find in pre-cut fat quarters at Periwinkle Quilting in Saskatoon.  I really want to make pink, purple, orange, and yellow skies.  I want to try painting heavy clouds.  I did a bit of reading online, and thought I would try brushing a wet paint across a damp fabric.  I tired painting sheer, and I tried plain white cotton.  I used the Dye-ne-flo paints with a wet brush.  The Dye-na-flo is a liquid dye for painting silks as far as I understand.  It is permanent when heat set, and won't add the weight of oilbars.

I painted the sky just as it looked that moment out my window.  It looked so good!  Then I picked up the cloth and suddenly the colors spread and turned all the definition into mush before I could snap a photo.  :(  I should have known better and let it dry.  Oh well.  Live & learn.  So I put coarse salt across the clouds.  No harm done... I might as well experiment!


Where the single grains landed, the paint pooled around and it almost looks like it was flowing or something!  Look closer.


This will make a good sky piece to stitch trees over I think.  ; )  It has good colors, but it's a little too abstract for my work I think (unless i do some abstract work).  I won't throw it away.  You never know.

Here's some of my first samples from last week:


On sheer:


On wet cotton fabric:


On recycled / reclaimed unknown white fabric...


You can bet my next set of art will have color in the skies.  I'm doing fire colors tomorrow.  I'm booked again for Gardenscape this year, and that show is at the end of March.  That's not too long is it?  I had better get to work and stop crocheting doilies and coasters!  lol  (But it's so fun!!)

Happy Friday everyone! 

10 comments:

Kathleen said...

I love the watercolor effects you've achieved here, and especially love the salt -- isn't fabric painting fun!

HollyM said...

They are all exceptionally pretty. The first one is gorgeous and whole not perfect for the sky you wanted, definitely hang onto it. It has been my experience that one day you will pull it out and you will see something in it.

Sheila said...

Love the last set of painted fabrics , something I also want to do ,have played around with it some but nothing serious and did not have the proper tools .

Peggy said...

Beautiful skies - makes me want to get outside and see it - maybe when the sun comes up LOL!

Rhonda said...

Love them all. I've never used dnaflo - but would love to try this.

Vicki W said...

I think your skies are beautiful!

Christie describeHappy said...

Your painting looks so pretty!! Love the mixes of colors and the way they seem to have a life of their own. Wow!

Joanne said...

Great to know about the dyes, that is something I have been wanting to try.

Margaret said...

You did very well with your paints, Monika! If you had tried it on paper (something heavy enough to stand water), it would have done much the same thing -- so you've saved a step. :-) The wonderful thing about nature and your imagination is that regardless of what happens when you paint (colours melding, etc.), "it's all good".

Rachel at Stitched in Color said...

Wow, those are absolutely breathtaking!

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