Wednesday, May 23, 2012

wow, what if...

Yesterday I was trying all my primary and secondary colours on plain sketchpad paper.  I wanted a reference for exact hues when I wanted to use say, red, which can be a blue red (cool) or an orange red (warm). When I got all my colours on the papers I had a what if moment!  What if I put the colours on cloth?   Then I remembered that I had bought dyes and paints for fabrics. 

Dying fabric is not the same as painting fabric.  The colours adhere differently.  I wanted to see what painting would show as I have dye samples already.  I have a couple of dye posts under my To Dye For page.


So I unearthed my Pebo Setacolours and a few odd jars of fabric paint.  I did try a few acrylic paints meant for paper.  I wish I had also got white in Setacolour as it would be very useful to have the lighter, clearer options.


Here is what I discovered.


My favorite colour.  I did try to get orange by mixing the 2 different reds with yellow. 


Red has more variations that I'd have thought possible!


Purple is tricky.  The light area on the fabric is watered down lots. I tried mixing blue and red watercolours to get a violet. I need to spend some time mixing colours because when I did get the setacolours it was with the idea of mixing other options. But it was recommended that purple be specifically bought.  I can see why.


I'm not a baby blue person but I'm gaining an appreciation for cobalt blue.  Aqua is another favorite colour.
I did a small area of dirty water.  lol  Even the dirty water is useful for backgrounds.  But straight craft acrylics are very stiff.  The fabric paints are much softer.


The inks tend to bleed a lot and they are very matt.  Hmm, I wonder if you added some glitzy stuff???


My biggest surprise was how well fabric paint stamped. These are very cheap kid's foam stamps.   I see no value in painting backgrounds when dyeing is softer and easier.  But dyes would probably bleed in making marks so paint is the way to go!  Even the craft acrylics would be useful for stamping, especially if one used a light hand on applying the acrylic and in pressing the stamp.

This seems like a lot of work but really it is helping me become more familiar with the various mediums and how they look and react.  I'd like to think these are warm up exercises before I take the plunge.  Perhaps it could also be stalling but I'm beginning to get the urge to actually try all these options out.  And that will be a good thing!

I'm linking up to TN&TN so if you'd like to see what my neighbours are doing, please click on the link.

11 comments:

MarveLes Art Studios said...

Taking time to experiment... something I'm not so great at --- and so good for you! I believe it has GREAT VALUE, and you won't be so 'surprised' by unexpected results. And it all helps to learn those colors, such as the purple one!

Linda said...

This looks like so much fun!

Createology said...

You really are testing the colors and their strenghs and weaknesses. I do not have enough patience to do all of this pre-work you do but I certainly admire your tenacity. I am liking all of your colors...even the ones that aren't my favorites. Keep coloring outside those lines my dear...

Marjorie's Busy Corner said...

I probably should take more time to experiment. I am always in a hurry to finish something....

BJ said...

WOW all your colour playing is great. I love colour and the fruit stamps are great too. BJ

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I have no fabric dyes, except Rit. I don't even know where to get them. I am SO in awe of your experiment AND your results. What a perfect way to play with color on fabric.

I have read there is a fabric additive you can use with your acrylics to turn them into fabric paint, but I've never seen it, either. I know what you mean by acrylic turning fabric stiff. Stiff as a board, in fact.

BTW, cobalt blue is my favorite blue. I don't like the other shades!

Jeanette said...

My favorite color combo is the page with the lime green and teal. Love those 2 together. Your always busy doing totally different things every week!! I'd love to see your craft room.

PrairiePeasant said...

Have you tried using Fabric Medium with your acrylic paints? It makes any acrylic paint more suitable for fabric and softens it a bit. I tend to just dive into a new project without all the preliminary work like you are doing. I could learn more patience. Thanks for sharing!

Regina said...

Your experiments are very inspiring. A palette of water colours made it's way on to my dining room table.....a first step to start painting a bit. The second step would be to find a couple of hours to add to my days.....

Cheryl Coville said...

I can identify so much with the idea of stalling. Sometimes new things just seem so overwhelming. I'm pretty good at stalling. However, I think a certain amount of experimenting is necessary and I expect you'll be off to the races soon enough. Thanks for sharing your experiments.

Margaret Applin said...

OH MY GOSH!!! You have been sooooo busy!!! I love all of your color testing!!! My favorites are the blue/greens!!!