Beginning the design on fabric for January's T.I.F. challenge. Here is the initial mapping of shapes in acrylic onto an 8-1/2" X 11" piece of 200 ct. white cotton. The colors will be corrected as I go along, more added, maybe some subtracted, but this resolves the beginning.
A couple of quick process notes:
I do a lot of sumi-e painting, and use the traditional wool blanket underneath rice paper to soak-up the ink. Wanting to thin the acrylic with water, yet not have it spread too far outside the lines, I decided to use the wool underneath, and it worked. I mapped outlines in heavier acrylic and let it dry to create a barrier for the more thinned paint to come up to without crossing. This worked also. It's hard predicting how paint will react to fabric, but the 200 ct. decision appears to be a good one. At least the fabric is dense enough to handle the paint.
The 8-1/2" X 11" format was chosen for ease of scanning and printing. I want to be able to scan my process instead of having to photograph it every time I post (a bit lazy maybe, but it gives me more time to work). And, if I decide to over-print it, then I can run it through my inkjet at home, my husband's laser at work, or a copier machine. Easy to do this if you haven't done it before: Simply cool iron fuse the piece to the shiny side of an 8-1/2" X 11" piece of freezer paper. This backing gives it the stability to run through the printer. After printing, peel off the backing paper. That's all there is to it!
I guarantee. . .I think. . .that the piece will not look much like the above pic when complete. I love to just start things and modify as I go. Definitely, this will be a mixed-media quilt. While I have not narrowed down the options - - the sky's the limit - - I do have some ideas of what all I might include.
This is finally getting interesting. My favorite phase in work!
Happy creating, everyone!
Barbara, your blog is phenomenal and I love what you are beginning to create. I understand about the sumi-e painting and it is also reminiscent of batik. I look forward to watching your progress!
Posted by: Susan P. | January 05, 2008 at 05:18 PM
I love visiting here! Your posts offer a wealth of information and it's fun to see what you are up to with your artwork.
Cathy
Posted by: Cathy | January 06, 2008 at 05:41 AM