Summer School 1

The theme of this year's Summer School at Littleheath Barn Studio is Buildings.  If you've read Getting Ready you will know I was struggling with choosing between in canalside redbrick buildings and the beautiful architecture of Venice.

I chose Venice.

We started with making marks on fabric.  I used stencils, thermofax screens, procion dye and white acrylic paint.

I also tried marking making with hot wax.

And drew with charcoal procion dye. I also used a screen for breakdown printing.

All the above photos were taken whilst the fabric was wet.

My usual complaint when I've washed out my dyed fabric is that it is all too bright or too dark.  Not this time!

Very washed out!

One side

The other side

When I get back to the second set of two days of the Summer School I think I may make more marks on the two very pale cloths with fabric paint.

I also need to decide what I am making with these fabrics.  I don't want to make hangings and if I make a book it needs to be different from all the others I've made lately.

Watch this space!

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Playing at Littleheath

This month's episode of Textile Explorations was postponed 2 weeks ago but the wait was worth it.

Liske had two ideas for the day.  The first was to layout shapes on fabric using masking tape.  I used some cotton poplin (top) and a smaller piece of calico.

I aimed for 5 inch squares.  The other pieces I have made in this project are 10cm or 4 inch squares.  But I thought I would make 5 inch ones which I can cut down.

Using mark making tools, stamps, Thermofax screens and acrylic paint, I randomly printed over the whole fabric including over the masking tape.

Then I flooded the fabric with Koh-i-nor dyes.

I tried putting some freezer paper masks on the fabric

And painted over them with acrylic paint.

In the afternoon we used cold water paste to glue the remnants of fabric onto a backing fabric.  This is how it looked wet.  At this point I really didn't like it much.

However when it dried it looked much better.  It now needs machining and then I shall cut it up.

When I got home I decided the fabric was too pink rather than the orange it was supposed to be so I painted over the fabric again with orange watercolour paint.  There should have been crisp white lines between the squares but the original dyes had leached under the masking tape.

 

 

I cut the fabric up into approximately 5 inch squares.

They are now ready for the next stage.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Shadow Walk

The theme for the photography group this month was shadows.  I went for a walk along a path where I had seen shadows when we walked there back in May.

Several of the images reminded me of mark making.

I wondered when I saw the photos downloaded whether I would have been better to have set my camera onto black and white.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

Abstract Calligraphy

What a fabulous day we spent with Simon Sonsino at Littleheath Barn.  He showed us various techniques through the day and after each demonstration it was our turn.  Here are my efforts.

 

Just have to work out how to reproduce the abstract calligraphy on fabric now.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

Mark Making and Photos

Over the years I have taken many photographs of texture, intending them to be inspiration for my art or textile pieces.  Some of the photos never see the light of day again!  Do you have photos like that?

Whilst I was at Committed to Cloth I saw a book called Mark-making in Textile Art by Helen Parrot.  Never one to pass up an opportunity to buy another book, I duly ordered it from Amazon and it was waiting for me when I got home.

I have tended to see marks as something done with pens or brushes or maybe stitch.  I have never equated my photos of texture with marks.  So whilst we were at Evenley Wood Gardens I deliberately looked for marks.

With these first two photographs I can really see the relationship between nature and mark making.

The next few photos display shape and line.

And lastly two photos of a wooden bench that really looks like stone.  So many of the marks could be interpreted as stitch.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice