I was quite daunted when I first pinned my 90cm x 90cm Pongee silk scarf to the stretcher frame. I had two colours of DEKA Silk (black and lemon) and wanted to demonstrate how they could be used effectively to decorate the scarf. My simple design didn’t include having to use a gutta outliner or precise application.
I began with the black paint, blobbing it randomly across the surface and then dropping a drip of water into the centre of the wet paint. The water makes the paint spread outwards, leaving a ring of concentrated colour on the outside of the blob.
I waited for the black paint to dry and then added some yellow blobs.
For the next stage I diluted some black paint with an equal amount of water and blobbed this onto the scarf. This diluted paint spread further but halted at the edge of the dried blobs I had painted previously. When these had dried, I diluted the yellow paint with an equal amount of water and filled in any part of the silk not yet coloured, taking care not to overload the brush as the diluted paint moves quickly.
The patterning is so organic, and the instant effects very satisfying.
Allison