Painting Silk Using Dye Resist Techniques

A Terrific Way to Learn Silk Painting

I told you about all the silk painting supplies I got from a friend of a friend in My Introduction to the Luscious Art of Silk Painting.

It has taken me a while, but I finally finished the 36-inch square silk scarf. It was a terrific project for learning because the resist was already printed on. All I had to do was paint in the blocked off areas, more or less following the diagram that came with the scarf.

I took a lot of artistic license! I went for a more muted look, as well as more realistic colors for the sky. There was just something about an orange and purple sky that disturbed me. Lol.

I learned that it wasn't necessary to tape the silk square down to hold it taut. The dye dries so quickly, you can move the scarf almost immediately to work on a new area.

I love the way the dye flows within the blocked off area. It takes very little dye, so wipe the brush against the rim before touching the silk.

Silk dyes can be mixed almost like paints to obtain different colors.

Use distilled water to lighten colors and also to clean your brush. Minerals in tap water will contaminate the dyes.

Subtle shading effects can be obtained by going in around the edges of a resist area with a darker color after the main color has dried.

The two colors blend beautifully as the darker dye flows slightly into the lighter. This shows up best in the photo on the elephant ears; though I also did a lot of shading on the foliage.

When you're done painting, follow the directions on the bottle of dye set to complete a washable silk masterpiece!

Here's my friend Trish wearing the scarf. Isn't she cute?