We need new curtains for our snug and I've been toying with the idea of printing my own design. But it's an awful long time since I printed any textiles which means I'll need to do plenty of experimentation - this is good, it will be fun to play around for a bit.
We also need a very small blind for the downstairs loo, so that's what I'll start with. That way I only need to print a couple of metres of cloth as apposed to printing about 12!
I don't have easy access to screen printing equipment and studio so I went back to my roots and played around with some simple block printing onto cloth.
I used existing bits of lino because I wanted to experiment with the technique but once I feel I've mastered that, I'll work out a design and make the plates specifically for this project. It will give me the perfect excuse to get my old textile books down from the shelf and pay the V&A a visit.
By inking each plate individually you can achieve really 'clean' shapes, then printing onto paper or cloth the ideas start to form and I can see how printing 12 metres is possible!
I think I've just found a new use for our kitchen table, hurrah!
Your fabric prints are looking interesting... are your using a fabric ink/paint or just a regular block oil based printing ink?
ReplyDeleteI keep trying different things...but I haven't hit on anything I'm really happy with yet.
Celia
These prints are really beautiful Mavina and have a lovely delicacy to them that you would not achieve with screen printing. I am looking forward to seeing more.
ReplyDeleteJacqui
There's room for a lot of variety in this process, layering and differing pressure for tonal effects - however when i print a large piece of cloth I'll have to develop a more methodical approach, or it may look a bit patchy.
ReplyDeleteI used a pigment mixed in with a binder, as you would for a screen print, dabbed onto the block with an old sponge. Then ironing to fix the colours onto the fabric.
At http://www.spikeprintstudio.org/SPS/ I use Magnaprint, supplied by http://www.qualitycolours.com/
These are beautiful Mavina- as Jacqui said, there's a delicacy about them that would be difficult to achieve with screen printing. Thank you for the link too- definitely something to look forward to experimenting with in the new year. Amanda : )
ReplyDelete