Sun Printing with UV Light
Some fabric paints are formulated so that any colour, covered by an opaque stencil or flat object, “bleaches” away when exposed to sunlight or other Ultra Violet light sources, such as a UV lamp.
The original version of this post was created before Jacquard launched the superior Solar Fast dyes which have been developed specifically for sun-printing and UV light sources.Â
Attempt two of the Jacquard Dye-na-flow Sun Printing test was scuppered when, once again, the sun became swallowed up by rain clouds. I first discovered the technique of heliographic sun printing when Pebeo brought out their Setacolor Soleil paints and I was given the opportunity to test them with my children.
This image (right) shows a print we created by placing keys on the wet painted fabric. In sun printing the colour disappears from areas obscured from the sunshine by a stencil or object. Pebeo have now discontinued Setacolor Soleil.
Method
As Setacolor Soleil are no longer available, I decided to test the Jacquard Dye-na-flow paints to see if they are equally effective. I first sprayed my fabric with water before painting one side in Scarlet and the other side in Golden Yellow. You can see how sunny it was by the darkness of the shadow cast by the paint jars.
I then placed four pieces of net curtain onto the fabric. The stencil needs to be both flat and opaque. This is so that it does not let any light through or cast shadows. It is important to work as quickly as possible as the colours ‘bleach’ out while the fabric is still damp.
Results
Shortly after I took this photo, the sun was kidnapped and the experiment ended. There was a small amount of fade behind the flower shapes but not as much as if the sun had stayed out.
All is not lost, the opportunity to use the Jacquard Dye-na-flow paints demonstrated the brilliance of these colours and their fluidity. They are ideal for painting onto silk and finely woven fabrics. They become wash fast when heat set with an iron. You can see successful prints made using Jacquard Dye-na-flow here!
Visit the Light Sensitive Printing section of the website to find out more.
