Blue, Green, and Aqua Impressionistic Hand-painted Silk Scarf

     This impressionistic blue blend scarf is a new favorite--in fact, one I plan to keep for myself. It is especially pleasing that it is a rescue of a scarf that went wrong (see earlier post about that mistake). The white and misty aqua background that was left after I removed the messed-up gutta seemed perfect to re-do in a scarf with a blue, green, and aqua swirling print.

Close-up of one end

Close-up of other end

     After choosing the palette and blending the colors I had tested and wanted to use, I wet the entire scarf well. Then, with a soft brush, I swirled the colors on in a sort of "planned random" way with a bit of unpainted area between many of the swirls so that the hues would flow together without too much mixing. I didn't want the colors to muddy each other or to blend too much. Once that looked satisfactory, I deepened some blue areas and quickly sprinkled kosher salt over while the areas were still quite wet. Using salt on wet French silk dyes works a kind of magic as the scarf dries, producing jagged lines, star burst effects, and concentrated darker spots. Sometimes, I do further modification of the colors or pattern after I see how the scarf looks dry. It would have been a mistake to tamper with these results; in my opinion, it is lovely just as it is. Now it's getting hard to wait to wear it; five newly hand-painted silk scarves are ready to be steam-set. One more, and I can load up the steamer and complete the finishing processes.

Close-up of center

By the way, I will have one or two more posts about our trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, but took a break to show you this newly painted scarf.

Question of the Day: Do you prefer defined patterns on silk, such as tulips or starfish, or a more abstract or impressionistic look?

Soft Aqua Hand-painted Silk Scarf

    I call this 11" x 60" hand-painted silk scarf "Floating" because, somehow, that's how it makes me feel. Like many a silk painting project (at least in my world), I had a somewhat different plan, then let the way the dyes flowed and dried gently change my direction.

Hand-painted silk scarf, "Floating"

Corner detail

     In this case, the first pale layer was intended to be a soft, under-layer and background for an ocean wave inspired pattern to be developed with other hues, some of them more intense and darker. But that layer dried with an interesting sort of scalloped design that begged to remain as it was. My best guess as to why it dried that way is that it might have had something to do with the very watery color mix I used which flowed more in response to the tension points of the pins on the stretcher frame than more concentrated dye mixes do.

Another view of "Floating"

     So, I "went with the flow" and played with salt on the next layer of color to give it a more textured look. Gradually, I subtly deepened and slightly varied the hues. Finally (once it had dried again), I coated the entire edge near the hem with a narrow, but thick coating of salt in preparation to create a lacy edge. With a heavily loaded brush of concentrated dye of a deeper blue shade, I pulled color all along the outer hem edge two separate times. Once it was thoroughly dry, I used an old credit card to scrape all the salt off.

Scarf with first dye layer drying on stretcher frame

     The result pleases me, and I'm glad that I let it happen this way rather than proceeding with plan A. "Floating" still needs to be steam-set and pressed, so looks a little stiff now. When it's finished, the silky softness will return, and the colors will be sharper. Previous posts showing hand-painted silk scarves.

Question of the day: Have you experienced some surprises in your creative projects lately?

Painting Silk Scarves Without Using a Resist Agent

     The two silk scarves pictured today are among several I made at "art camp". These two have been especially usable and fun to wear; they each coordinate with many outfits and brighten neutral-toned tops. Changing the corner that shows or tying the scarf in different ways features various colors according to whatever section of the scarf best complements an outfit.


     I did not use any resist agent to control the flow of dye in these two pieces. In other words, the dye was brushed straight onto the unpainted silk scarf and allowed to diffuse and spread naturally. Each stroke blends with other dye colors that have been brushed near them, often creating unplanned effects and varied edges (some jagged-looking, some smoother). These effects are delightful to watch and are both fun and challenging to work with in silk painting design. The rest of the post describes the painting process--including the use of salt and alcohol for special effects--for interested readers.

     The multi-colored scarf with yellows, oranges, and reds predominating evolved from my original plan to a somewhat different design. After blending each of the dye colors I wanted to use (in small cups), I began to brush the gorgeous colors in strips from the edge of the scarf toward the center. As you can see in the photo below, I did not bring the colors all the way to the center at first. To deepen the colors, I painted over some areas again once they were dry--sometimes with the same color, sometimes blending in another color. Then, as the final version of the strips of color dried, classmates began to comment on the design, calling it "like fire" or "fireworks". So, I went with that, rather than with the autumn theme in my mind (don't ask--it would be boring to try to explain). I completed the center with a burst of "fire", taking advantage of an interesting property of yellow dye. As our teacher, Donna Kassab, had shown us, yellow dye (who knows why) tends to "push" other colors back a bit in the silk. The yellow and yellow-orange blend in the center performed their magic and created an interesting jagged edge in the process. A bit of salt created some variation in the center (see next paragraph for more on using salt). Fun stuff!


     The green and blue scarf went even more quickly. I brushed the entire scarf with slightly varied green tones as a background. Once that was dry, I began in the center with ultramarine blue and brushed a large spiral shape (leaving a fair amount of open space). Then, I brushed shades of turquoise next to the blue, again leaving some space for the background green to show. Finally, for the "special effects"  of spots and mottling you see, I sprinkled the wet surface with table salt and some chunky sea salt here and there for variety. Lightly spraying alcohol from a couple of different angles completed the piece. Both the salt and alcohol continue to work until the silk is completely dry, either drawing the dye in (salt) or repelling it (alcohol drops). So again, the process took on a life of its own, partly unexpected, although--since I had some experience with the materials by that time--partly as I had hoped and expected.

Question of the day: Do you prefer creative processes over which you (at least mostly) exert some control, or do you enjoy using media which to some degree, drive the creation in unexpected directions?