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Monoprint Techniques from Quilting Arts 2

and
3

5 Surface Design, Paint,

Fabric Painting

5
Monoprinting Fabrics for Textured Backgrounds
Fawn Mackey

1 Monoprinting with Paint 2 Plunging into Skydyes 3 Patterned & Painted Cloth
Liz Berg Mickey lawler Barbara schneider

Working with Oil Sticks

Karen Williams

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Adapted from Quilting Arts Magazine February/March 2009

monprinting
with paint
L iz B erg

Monoprints are created by putting paint onto a hard, smooth surface such as an acrylic pane, a glass pane, or some other plastic-type material. I have used all sorts of surfaces over the years and have found that working on an acrylic panel works well. A sheet of glass works better, as the acrylic paints do not hold as much to the glass; the glass releases the paint to the fabric more easily. I recently received a small sample of new acrylic paints from Golden Artist Colors called Open Acrylics. They retain their working time much longer, with a drying time that is slower than regular acrylic paints, but faster than oil paints. Golden has also created assorted open mediums that can be used with both open acrylics and with regular acrylics, increasing the workable time. My first trials were with open acrylics and regular matte medium. I mixed two parts paint to one part matte medium and then tried working with that mixture and adding some GAC900 (a Golden fabric medium). Mixing in jars allowed me to shake up the mixture and mix more thoroughly. I also tried using matte medium and open acrylics and adding some water. I discovered the water caused the acrylics to flow almost too much, making them hard to contain and create the textures that I wanted. I consulted with Golden, and the artist there suggested I might want to try regular fluid acrylics with open matte medium. I mixed the fluid acrylics and open matte medium in a 1:1 ratio. I found this seemed to work Q u i lt i n g A r t s . c o m
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Harvest Moon 8" 934"

have long been interested in creating my own fabric. Several years ago, I began to do monoprints with acrylic paint as a way of creating

interesting fabric with a lot of texture. However, I found that the acrylic paint would dry so quickly that I had little time to work with the paint on the printing plate.
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M at e r i a l s
Printing plate, acrylic or glass,
18" x 24" (Be sure to tape the edges if you use glass.)

White cotton fabric, cut into fat

quarters (This fabric should be pre-washed if its not PFDprepared for dyeing.)

Golden Open Acrylic Medium

(Gloss), 8 oz.

Assorted fluid acrylics, in colors of

your choice

Foam brushes Small foam roller(s) Mark-making tools: sticks, rubber

stamps, plastic wrap, Bubble Wrap, mudding trowels or similar tools (available in craft stores), etc.

Rubber gloves
best of all, giving me sufficient open time and the appropriate viscosity for use on fabric. Using fluid acrylics, I had a much larger choice of premixed colors, and mixing the two fluids (acrylic and medium) was much easier than using the higher viscosity jar acrylics and matte medium.

D irections
1. Start with a dollop of fluid acrylic

Trace 8" 934"

and an equal amount of open medium on your glass plate.

2. Mix them together and then

change paint colors by changing the roller on the handle as needed.

3. Explore various ways of creating

marks, you will be open to all sorts of ideas. Tip: Always keep a damp fat quarter of white fabric available to wipe off your tools as you work. I also use it to remove the leftover paint on the plate. This fabric is an added bonus; wipe painting knives off on it, wipe your work surface with it, scrunch it up, and it will turn into a wonderful new piece of fabric, too.
4. Once you are happy with the designs

spread the mixture all over the plate using a foam brush or a fine foam roller, making sure to get a nice even coating of paint. I found that a brush left brush-like texture and a roller left dimples; I liked this added texture. Tip: Fine foam rollers are inexpensive. I recommend that you buy extras and

marks in the paint with the assortment of mark-making tools youve assembled. I like to use grouting knives (plastic spatula forms with teeth on them), faux painting tools from the craft store, sticks, deeply carved rubber stamps, plastic berry baskets, etc. Once you get started creating

and marks you have made, lay the

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Note: If your plate gets too dry, you can spritz it lightly with water to get a whole new look.
7. When you are happy with your

fabric, allow it to dry and then heat set it for permanence. With the extended working time the open medium offers, I can make mistakes while creating a design, wipe it smooth, and then start over. It seems to give me at least 15 minutes of working time, allowing me to do so much with the leftover paint. Frequently, I will just keep adding paint and open medium to the glass plate as the paint gets used up, creating new colors as I go. I generally work from one color palette to another, such as blues to greens, by adding yellow. And when the blue has mostly disappeared, I will begin adding red to create orange colors. My biggest challenge is finding enough flat space to lay all the fabric down to dry. However, since you are working with a different consistency of paint, it is quite possible to put up a clothesline and hang the fabric to dry overnight. Creating this fabric is really addictive and fun to do with other peoplethat is, as long as you have enough room to hang it all while it dries! Use your new fabrics to create art quilts. Use them by themselves, combine them with solids, or include some commercial fabrics. No matter what, these fabrics clearly make your work your very own! To see more of Lizs work, visit lizbergartquilts.com.

Purple Night 8" 934"

fabric over your printing plate, gently pat it in place, and then roller over the back of it, pressing it onto the painted surface.
5. Peel away the fabric; it is now

printed.
6. Continue to play with the paints

and tools. When the paint is dry on the fabric, decide if you want

to print another layer over the first. This creates a more complex design. While you are creating your new fabrics, be sure to make a variety of lights, mediums, and darks. Also, be sure to create some small prints or textures and some larger ones. Create as full a range of color and texture as you can.

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A coat of paint was spread evenly across the glass plate with a foam brush. I then took a mudding trowel (used for laying tile) and dragged it across the paint several times in a wavy motion. You can see where there are junctures of thicker paint as the excess piles up during the spreading process. These areas will take longer to dry when printed.

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Often there is ample paint left on a plate to keep on creating and printing. I like to smoosh the paint around, using a foam brush or even a gloved hand, and just create movement across the plate with a thinner layer of paint. By making a print out of such a plate, you create a nice subtle piece of fabric.

If there is still paint left after pulling a print, spread it around evenly with your gloved hand and then spritz lightly with a water spray. You can then write or doodle into the paint, as I did, for even more texture.

Left: By using deeply cut rubber stamps, you can remove paint from the plate before printing. It is necessary to clean the excess paint off the rubber stamp that you use in between lifts off the plate. Work with an extra piece of clean cloth and just stamp it to create an opposite image. Right: In preparing the plate for this piece of fabric, a background was laid down using a brush to move the paint around, leaving small areas of heavier paint and some areas of very little paint. The end of a paintbrush was then used to make lines and random scribbles.

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Adapted from Quilting Arts Magazine Summer 2002

plunging into skydyes

with

fabric painting
M ickey L awler

Mickey Lawler with student, Nancy Driggs.

Its a misconception that my fabrics are dyed, explains Mickey. Painted fabric has qualities you cant get with dyes. No fabric comes out exactly the same. I go into my fabric painting with a plan, an idea, but if Im not

open to the fact that the fabric will make up its own mind while drying, Im setting myself up for trouble. On her very best days, Mickey has 80% predictability on what will come

out of painting a particular piece of fabric, and thats the way she likes it. The idea of trying to exactly duplicate something Ive already done takes the fun out of it.

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Vanishing Point by Mickey Lawler

n Fall River, Massachusetts, amidst the shipyards and textile mills of centuries past, stands the PRO Chemical and Dye warehouse. In March of 2002, PRO Chem welcomed Mickey Lawler to their classroomNew Englands gathering place for textile artists and studentsfor a demonstration of her fabric painting methods. The intensely hued fabrics produced in Mickeys studio are treasured by quilt artists from across the country.

fabric painting
Salt technique by Patti Sylvia
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M at e r i a l s
Setacolor transparent paints Plastic containers for mixing the
paints

An assortment of sponges, bristle

brushes, and sponge brushes

Rubber gloves Small container of coarse sea salt,

rock salt, or kosher salt

High-quality 100% cotton fabric for

painting

Lightweight plastic drop cloth, cut

large enough for your piece of fabric to lay upon

Plastic plant misting bottle

Mickey uses Setacolor transparent paints by Pbo. These paints are high quality and permanent once heat-set with an iron. The finished pieces are hand-washable, lightfast, and can be dry-cleanedbut she does warn against everyday use. Fabrics that are painted arent best used as bed quiltsespecially if there are metallic paints in them as they are particularly susceptible to abrasion. using little pressure. Remember that the paint will continue to move across the fabric for a while after it has been applied.

C reating
and skies

sunsets

1. Mix several different containers of

Special Effects
S alt
In this method, sprinkled salt absorbs the paint colors, creating interesting patterns and swirls on the surface.
1. Paint your fabrics with the desired

blue hues. Try to avoid what Mickey refers to as Disneyland blues which appear fake and cartoon-like. Mix other containers of purples, oranges, and even greens.
2. Take your brush and lightly apply

Applying Paint
1. Place  your fabric on a flat surface.

colors.
2. Sprinkle  the salt onto the fabric.

(You should also allow it to dry on this surface after painting is completed.)
2.  Lightly spray your fabric with

To avoid piling up salt granules on top of one another, sprinkle them sparingly across the surface.
3. With  your spray bottle, lightly mist

one of the colors of paint with horizontal strokes on different parts of the fabric. When brushing, whether using short or long strokes, make sure to move your brush straight across the fabric (our arms have a tendency to arc our stroke when we brush horizontally).
3. Repeat step 2 with other colors,

water from about 12" away from the fabric, being careful not to soak the material.
3. Take your brush or sponge and

the salted fabric to jumpstart the process.

4. Once  dry, iron the fabric to set the

leaving areas of white fabric for the paints to move into (remember that paint will move even after youve applied it).

lightly press onto the fabric. Unless you want a solid colored background, lightly press down

colors before rinsing off the salt residue. (Make sure you use an ironing cloth and the appropriate heat setting for your fabric.)

Manipulation
To add sparkle, take a metallic paint thats been heavily diluted and gently brush over the peaks of the fabric. Q u i lt i n g A r t s . c o m
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In this process, the crinkling of fabric causes the paint to move down from the raised areas and sink into the valleys.
1. Paint your fabric with your choice

Sun prints
Working outdoors on a sunny day is the best way to get a good sun print. Since paint starts to dry soon after it is applied, work quickly in order to get the best results.
1.  Paint your fabric completely with

Fabric manipulation technique by Calie Kaso

tips & hints

The paints are transparent;
painting over a previously dried piece will not cover the first design.

of colors.
2. Starting from the corners, crinkle

Use a high-quality cotton fabric,

and avoid cheap, loosely woven cottons. Mickey orders her fabrics for painting exclusively from Testfabrics, Inc. at testfabrics.com.

or gather the fabric towards the center to form various peaks and valleys in the fabric. Try to create uneven and unpredictable patterns while gathering.
3. Allow the fabric to dry completely

paint.
2.  Once covered, take some objects

before smoothing out since the paint will continue to move for a while after it has been applied.

(anything flat that will block out light completely: feathers, cheesecloth, rubber stamps, flat leaves) and lay them across the paint. If you choose to use feathers, you may need to break the quills in places to keep

the feathers from arching on the surfaceif any light seeps underneath, it wont work. Make sure to press your objects (such Q u i lt i n g A r t s . c o m
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as feathers and cheesecloth) right into the paint so it blocks out the light entirely. Once pressed, you can also paint over the objects to make sure they are covered.
3.  Place your painted fabric in the

tips for mixing setacolor transparent paints

To make a lighter shade, mix the paint with more water. Tone down a color by adding its complement (i.e., blue with orange, red with green,
etc.).

sun. When the fabric is dry and the objects are removed, youll notice a lighter area of the object remains. Mickey is the author of Skydyes: A Visual Guide to Fabric Painting. To see more of her work, visit skydyes.com.

To create seas, mix paint containers with the following: ultramarine, ultramarine with
a few drops of black, cobalt with drops of black, pale cobalt, pale gray with pearl added, any shade of green.

To create skies, combine cobalt and ultramarine. To create realistic greens, youll want to mix the Setacolor green with other colors
(i.e., adding drops of black, yellow, blue, etc.).

Browns can be (theoretically) created by mixing two complements, but often times a
purple shade is achieved. You can correct this by adding yellow.

To achieve a fire engine red, mix vermilion and orient red. For a true pink, just add
water.

Turquoise is emerald and cobalt. Orange is yellow and vermilion. Peach is yellow and orient red. True black requires adding a few drops of ultramarine to the black. Blue violet is violet and ultramarine. Red violet is violet and orient red. Golden yellow is yellow with a few drops of violet.
Left: Sun print by Calie Kaso Below: Sky dye technique by Karen Catalano

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Sky painted by Terry Maddox

While this fabric was still dry, Susan Raban used a sponge brush to make small black shapes. After this dried, she applied more paint, some salt, then sprayed with water to jumpstart the salt process.

Painted landscape on leather by Carole Finger

resources
For inspiration, Mickey recommends the following books:

Painting the Sprit of Nature by

Maxine Masterfield

Artists Photo Reference to

Landscapes by Gary Greene Fabric manipulation technique by Susan Raban
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Adapted from Quilting Arts Magazine Fall 2003

patterned &
painted cloth
by

B arbara S chneider
Above: A collection of vintage ceiling tiles Below: I continue to experiment and find new ways to work with tiles. I have created a series of Old Wall art quilts. Each quilt began with a whole cloth background that was produced by combining tile fragments or by repeating the image multiple times across a length of cloth. I added layers of opaque textile paint, stitching, and rubbings of colored lead pencil to enhance the feeling of the crumbling walls with peeling signs or frescoed images. I was influenced by images I had photographed in Italy of Etruscan tombs and walls.

lthough I have worked in a variety of media, nothing has been of more interest than exploring the concept of what

I call after images, reinterpreting existing aged items as art cloth. I am currently working with vintage tin ceiling tiles. With a grace and beauty that have lasted for many years, these bent, rusty pieces yield layers of paint, holes, and crumbling edges that add character and visual interest.

The process of transferring the image to cloth is intriguing. First, I apply a thin coat of light-sensitive paint to wet cloth that has been placed over the tin. While still wet

and on top of the tin, the painted cloth is then heated with heat lamps. The combination of paint, water, and heat creates an image that has some of the characteristics of a rubbing. I

often combine tin pieces to create a frieze. Once dry, I then embellish the image with color pencil, pastel, and stitching to bring out details and add dimension. The final image

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M a t e r i a l s
Metal tiles of choice Lightweight PFD (prepared
for dye) cotton cloth

Spray bottle with water Foam brayer Setacolor transparent paints

of choice

34 elbow heat lamps

Optional

Metallic textile paints Colored lead pencils or pastels

is a unique wholecloth piece with its own color, tone, and shading. I came to the idea after doing the more traditional sun printing process that uses objects laid on wet, painted cloth with Setacolor paints. (For information on fabric painting and sun printing methods, see Mickey Lawlers article on page 7.) Usually this process yields fabric with lighter imprints of the objects used on colored fabric. I noticed that the best prints came when objects were in good contact with the cloth. I explored whether the process could be reversed; that is, the object placed below the cloth. I had a wonderful piece of vintage tin with a very intriguing background pattern. After many attempts, I discovered a method that gave me a very good facsimile of the tile pattern. Since those early explorations, I have worked with many fabrics, a variety of textile paints and dyes, and combinations of tin pieces and other metallic objects.

Above: This piece has the look of a rubbing. The pebbly background was enhanced with colored pencil.

After Images:
process
This process is infinitely variable. The results are also variable depending on the combination of tiles, color choice, heat, and layers of paint.
1. Lay  a piece of metal tile on a

2. Lay  a piece of lightweight PFD

cotton cloth on top of the tile.

3. Spray  the fabric with water and

roll a foam brayer over the surface to squeeze out air bubbles and wrinkles.
4. Paint  on a very thin coat of

protected surface.
fabric painting: 5 surface design, paint, and monoprint techniques from Quilting Arts

Setacolor transparent paintI intermix colors and often add some Q u i lt i n g A r t s . c o m

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Above: This piece is reminiscent of an ironwork gate in a Victorian garden. Left: One of my favorite pieces, Hubba Bubba Hubcaps, was done using orphan hubcaps. Surprisingly, the shapes on this piece ended up looking like sea creatures and microscopic life. Below: This is a piece of cornice tin, a curved decoration that was used around the upper part of a room to blend the ceiling with the wall.

metallic textile paint to the mix. Make sure the paint is diluted.
5. Expose  to sunlight or a bank

the lamps around to heat set and dry the fabric. The cloth will dry tight to the metal.
6. Once  the fabric is dry, gently lift it

7. Enhance  the painted fabric

of clear heat lamps. I use three to four elbow lamps, about one foot above the fabric, and move

with additional layers of paint, colored lead pencil, or other embellishment techniques. To see more of Barbaras work, visit barbaraschneider-artist.com. Q u i lt i n g A r t s . c o m

from the metal surface.

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Adapted from Quilting Arts Magazine February/March 2008

monoprinting fabrics for textured

backgrounds
S
ince I first dipped my toe in the creative pool, I have been studying and learning in both formal and informal ways. My formal educational background is in painting, drawing, and printmaking. Then, fascinated with fabric, I started experimenting with line and texture through commercial fabric and thread. But it took several years for me to meld painting and fiber. My new work straddles the line between painting and quilting, and incorporates print making and drawing.
My inspiration comes from the exploration of a thought, idea, or feeling; and for my quilts, I strive for a visually rich surface. I use a variety of techniques to create my fabric lithographs: etching transfers, monoprinting, paint, pencil, charcoal, wax medium, oil stick, stitching, fabric, and anything else that catches my fancy. No rules on size or surface. My background fabric is improvisational and I like to start with monoprinting. It gives me a rich painterly surface to work with. It is also something that you

by

F awn M ackey

My Fathers Suitcase 27" 29" This quilt was inspired by an old suitcase that my family gave me. It had belonged to my father and he carried it to untold adventures and away from his troubles. I first began this piece with a monoprinted fabric, then built the imagery from there. Muslin, commercial fabric back and binding; acrylic paint, glue, charcoal, pencil, cotton batting; lithography, printing, monoprinting, stitching, quilting.

can experiment with at home since the cost is low and it is easy to do. Monoprinting gives a somewhat uncontrolled surface with a loose

design. The lost edges are beautiful and there are surprises that appear when you pull off the print. I do several pulls of the fabric, and allow

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The focal image in my

quilts (such as the suitcase in My Fathers Suitcase) tells me how it should be presented over time. It may lend itself to appliqu, print, paint, or stitch. It may shift and change as I work. I am process-oriented and my work develops in layers. I usually set the image aside and begin working from the background up, starting with a monoprint. The fabric I use is simple muslin or lightweight artists canvas. I also use commercial fabric. My quilts are all different, and the fabric needs to be consistent with the aesthetic of the image I have selected. Prom Dress 14" 14" This is part of a series on social milestones and the joy or grief attached. Canvas, commercial fabric; acrylic paint, charcoal, wax medium; monoprinting, sanding, quilting.

B asic P rinting
the fabric to dry completely between the pulls, or layers, of a new print. Its important to clean all of your tools and start new on each pull. A base fabric will have three to four pulls on it. I then add a variety of images or lines and marks with pencil, pen, paint, charcoal, or markers. I seal the whole thing with a thin wash of textile medium and acrylic medium. When dry, the print can be cut up and handled like any other fabric. It tends to be a bit stiff, so simple shapes are best. If you are aiming for thinner lines, try applying the paint to your plate (a large piece of glass or acrylic) with an applicator tip. I use a hair color applicator, available from any beauty supply store. Note: If you use a sheet of glass, tape the edges for safety.
1. Iron  the freezer paper to the back

of your fabric. Start with a small piece, about 8" 11".

2. Squeeze  a small amount of acrylic

paint onto the palette.

3. Add  a few drops of fabric medium

M at e r i a l s
Acrylic  paint Fabric  medium Piece  of glass or acrylic sheet a
little larger than your fabric

and mix to a medium consistency. Use the palette knife to spread the color over the glass or acrylic sheet.
4. Draw  or loosely scratch a

A  soft rubber brayer or an old

rolling pin

Freezer  paper Washed  and ironed muslin or

low-texture commercial fabric

Palette  or a white or glass plate Palette  knife A  variety of paintbrushes Rubber gloves

background image or design into the paint. Use a paintbrush, your finger, a towel, or the handle of the brush. I often use a pencil eraser. Wipe away some areas completely, especially on the second and third pull of the same piece of fabric. This will allow other areas to show through. You Q u i lt i n g A r t s . c o m
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can also squirt the paint on or use an applicator bottle. Move quickly before it starts to dry. The paint needs to be wet to print. Play and have funlet your creative self loose.
5.  Carefully lay your sheet of fabric,

right-side down, over the paint.

6.  Using the brayer or rolling pin,

gently roll over the back of the fabric (the freezer paper side).
7.  Peel the fabric off the glass and let

it dry.
8.  Wash the tools, palette, and

glass/acrylic sheet in cold water and wipe dry. Do not let the paint set up on the brayer or on any of the tools.
9.  After the fabric is dry, do another

pull with another color.

D esign
After you finish the monoprinting, start designing and experimenting; make marks, give your fabric a history, and make it your own. Add images, appliqu, stitching, stenciling, embellishments, transfers, and any other method you like. I often take sandpaper to thick areas of dried paint to release colors from the previous layer or to give it the aged look I like. Everything you make will be original and wonderful. Save all your fabrics. What you dont want or use in one project may be just what you need in another. Fawn can be contacted at harleyriders2000@earthlink.net.
Above: This base fabric was monoprinted with several pulls.

Right: Prom Dress II 9" 11" This quilt is the second in a series. Muslin, commercial fabric; studs, thread, charcoal, cotton batting; monoprinting, etching transfer, quilting.
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Adapted from Quilting Arts Magazine Fall 2004

working with

oil sticks
by

K aren W illiams

f youve ever tried painting on dark fabric, you know that the hunt for the right paint is like the search for

El Dorado. It is not easy to find a paint that remains bright and visible without changing the hand or feel of the fabric. Many fabric paints look best on lighter colored fabrics and are simply too transparent to show up on a dark background. Others, like opaque acrylics, provide good coverage, but tend to stiffen the fabric and can be difficult to stitch through. So, I felt like Id discovered gold when I discovered oil sticks.
Oil sticks are professional quality oil paints that have been solidified into an easy-to-use stick format. Oil sticks can be rubbed directly onto the fabric, or can be used with stencils and masks for a variety of effects. You dont need a heavy application of the paint to get great color, and even with heavy application, the fabric is only slightly stiffer. Another plus is that once the paints have been cured properly and heat set, your piece is machine washable. Oil sticks come in a wide range of colors, including one of the widest ranges of iridescent colors I have come across. Ive found that the light- to mid-value colors and all of the iridescent colors work wonderfully on dark fabrics. There are some exceptions (the darker blues, for instance) but there is a wide range of options. All colors of oil sticks work beautifully on lighter colored fabrics. My favorite brand is Shiva Professional Oil Paintstiks. These seem to have the highest pigment to binder ratio. If there is too much binder in an oil stick, you may see a waxy bloom, or ring, around the edges of the painted area. This is more likely to happen with student-grade sticks, as manufacturers use less pigment to make them less expensive.

This stenciled leaf was free-motion stitched.

M at e r i a l s
Oil stick paints Fabric to be painted Plastic to cover workspace Synthropol  or mild detergent
(optional)

Masking  tape or painters blue tape Card  stock or freezer paper Craft  knife Iron  and ironing board Stencil  brush or flat toothbrush
(optional)

Parchment  paper Brush  cleaner

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Masking tape was used to make masked lines.

Falling Leaves Leaf stencil made out of cardstock; Shiva oil sticks on cotton.

Preparing
to paint
I recommend covering your work space with plastic when working with oil sticks, as the paint can be somewhat difficult to remove from some surfaces. I use a plastic drop cloth over my cutting table. Its important that the surface be smooth; any texture beneath will show up in your work as a result of the rubbing. Unless you have purchased fabric labeled PFD (prepared for dyeing), you will want to prewash your fabric. Many commercial fabrics have finishes to repel dirt and

prevent wrinkles, and these finishes can prevent the paint from bonding properly with the fabric. Prewash your fabric with Synthropol, a product made specifically for dyeing, or wash with a mild detergent. Do not use fabric softener or dryer sheets; they will interfere with paint adhesion. Tape your fabric to the cutting board, stretching it just slightly as you go. Either masking tape or painters blue tape works well because it is not too sticky and can be removed cleanly later. This creates a stable canvas on which to work.

Using

stencils and masks

Use masking tape to block out geometric shapes such as lines, squares, and triangles. Wherever you apply the tape, the fabric will keep its original color. You can paint between or inside of these masked lines. It is possible to create interesting compositions of positive and negative shapes this way. Stencils work best for more complex shapes or organic shapes with curving lines. There are many commercially available stencils, or Q u i lt i n g A r t s . c o m
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Above: Sample reindeer stencil and mask made out of freezer paper. Above right: Stenciled reindeer. Below right: Stenciled reindeer with free-motion stitching.

you can make your own. Card stock and freezer paper both work well for handmade stencils. If your design is very detailed and you plan to use it only once or twice, I recommend freezer paper. The freezer paper stencil adheres to the fabric and helps prevent shifting of the complex design lines. For a simpler design or one you intend to use for multiple copies, use card stock, which is more durable.

F reezer
stencil

paper

1. Draw  your stencil design on the

matte side of the freezer paper and carefully cut along the design lines with a craft knife. The finer the blade, the tighter the curves you will be able to cut. A craft knife is much more accurate than scissors. Keep in mind that you can use either the positive or negative shapes as a stencil or as
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a mask. For example, when I cut out my Siberian reindeer, I could use either the reindeer as a mask, or the outline of the reindeer as a stencil. It is simply a question of whether you want to color the shape or the background.
2. Once the stencil is cut out, iron

the freezer paper, shiny side down, onto the right side of the fabric. This should be done on an ironing board, not on your plastic-covered work surface.
3. Allow the stencil and fabric to

cool before you move them. The stencil seems to adhere more firmly that way. Then tape your fabric onto your work surface.
4. Card stock stencils are made and

used in the same manner. Keep in mind that both sides of the card stock have a matte finish, so neither side will stick to the fabric. When using these stencils you can simply hold them in place with one hand, or carefully tape them in place using masking tape.

Shiva Paintstik color sampler

A pplying

solid layers of paint very quickly in this manner. When applying paint through stencils, always start at the edge of the stencil and brush away from the edge. Consistently brushing into an edge can cause distortion. If you must brush into an edge, do it gently so that the stencil isnt disturbed.

color

The fastest way to paint with oil sticks is to work directly onto the fabric. This will also give the heaviest coverage. Rubbing the oil stick on the fabric will give a rich, textured line with thick and thin areas of coverage. You can roughly fill an area with strokes of your oil stick (its like working with a big crayon) and then use a stencil brush or flat toothbrush to produce a more even coverage or to blend colors. Scrub in small circular patterns with the brush. You can build up thick,

U sing

easier. For my palettes, I use freezer paper, cut into 3" 5" squares. I work on the shiny side because it is nonabsorbent and almost no paint adheres to the freezer paper. Paints blend and mix well on freezer paper. For a lighter effect, reminiscent of airbrushing or a color wash, rub the paint onto a palette and then brush it from the palette onto the fabric. You can designate a brush for each color, but I typically work with only three brushesone each for yellows, blues, and reds. I brush the extra paint off onto plain printer paper, which can end up being a decorative work itself. Q u i lt i n g A r t s . c o m

palettes and mixing colors

Applying paint to masking tape lines or to stencils can be tricky. I find using a palette keeps the paint where you want it, and keeps your stencils cleaner, which makes changing colors

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tip
Between uses, a thin skin will form over the surface of your oil sticks. This is a result of oxidation. The surface layer of the oil stick reacts with the oxygen in the air, forming a skin. This skin prevents further oxidation and keeps the sticks from drying out, but before you can use the sticks, you will need to remove this skin. The easiest way is to scrub the oil stick on a piece of scrap paper. Most of the skin will flake off, though you may need to pick off some remaining flakes. You can also use a sharp craft knife to get under the skin and gently peel it away. This skin is very thin, so dont cut too deeply.

colors that are less fully blended; both the original colors and their blend will likely be visible. In a red and yellow mix, youll see red, yellow, and various oranges. Mixing on the palette gives a more consistent blendthe same red and yellow mix will produce a more uniform shade of orange. Another way to mix colors is to allow the paint to cure overnight and then continue painting. The cured paint will feel dry to the touch and the new paint will not physically blend with the paint that has cured. Thinly brushed layers of new color can create some wonderful transparent effects.

smell a little funny while its curing. Once the paint has been properly cured, its ready to be heat set. Sandwich the area to be set between two layers of parchment paper, then iron the fabric using a heat setting appropriate to the fiber content. After curing and heat setting, your piece is machine washable. Turn the fabric inside out, if possible, and launder as usual. Use a low heat setting for the dryer or line dry. Do not dry clean as the dry cleaning solvents may cause the paint to run. To see more of Karens work, visit skunkhillstudio.com. To purchase Paintstiks, visit interweavestore.com.

Rub the paint onto the palette as if you were smearing lipstick. Then brush the paint off of the palette onto the fabric using long, smooth strokes. The paint will be the densest and brightest at the start of your stroke and will feather out and fade from there. Be forewarned that this technique can be deceiving. When you look at the fabric with the masking tape in place, the paint may seem quite faint, but when you remove the tape, the painted areas practically pop and are very visible. So, you may want to check your progress as you work, gently lifting a section of the stencil or the mask. You can mix colors by working wet-into-wet or by mixing them on the palette. Wet-into-wet simply refers to applying one color of oil stick immediately over another and then using a brush to blend. The wet-into-wet method produces

F inishing

up

I use a citrus-based automotive cleaner to clean my hands and brushes. Readily available at most hardware stores, it is a biodegradable, less toxic alternative to turpentine and other paint thinners. Squirt a quarter-sized dollop into the palm of your hand or into a small container and swirl a brush in the cleanser. Treat each brush individually, adding another dollop of cleanser for each brush. Once all the brushes have been treated, squeeze out another dollop and rub the cleanser over your hands. Finish with a warm water rinse for both the brushes and your hands. The paint must be cured in order to make the colors fast. To do this, place the fabric in a well-ventilated area for at least 48 hours; three days to a week is the actual recommendation. The paint can

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