George Weil Blog & FAQs
Welcome to the George Weil Blog FAQs which includes information about the art and craft products sold on this website. There are project ideas, photographs of items created by our customers, product reviews, and step-by-step instructions. See also our USEFUL LINKS page which includes a listing of websites offering information about the products sold on our website, training resources and Guilds.
If there is anything you would like to see included here or if you would like to contribute an item, please email graphics@georgeweil.com
Transferring a Design onto a Lino Block
There are a number of techniques for transferring a design on to a lino block. Here is a simple method using a clip-art from your computer or an image from the internet. Using a soft lead pencil, draw a heavy...
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Warping up a Simple Rigid Heddle Loom
I have very little weaving experience but wanted to see if I could add a continuous warp to the Mini Loom sold by us here at George Weil. I had thought that the loom was just a basic frame and...
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Types of Drawing Pastels
Pastels are made from pure finely powdered pigments which are ground into a paste with water and a gum or methyl cellulose binder. This paste is rolled into sticks and then allowed to dry. Pumice may be added to make...
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Silk Paper Experimentation
Have a go at this satisfying and effective method of creating highly textured, handmade paper from fibres (the silk papermaking or silk fusion technique). Here are just a few examples of what you can achieve. These examples use silk fibres...
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Lino Printing Basics
Lino Printing Lino printing is a subtractive process, meaning you cut away the areas you do not want to print. The remaining raised areas are inked with a roller (called a brayer) and a sheet of paper or fabric is...
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The Lead in your Pencil
Graphite The ‘lead’ in your pencil is actually made from graphite combined with a clay binder. When a vast deposit of graphite was discovered in the 16th century in Cumbria, England, it was mistaken for a form of lead ore...
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Paints for the Artist
There are a variety of artists’ paints offering different properties. Watercolour Paints Watercolours are made from a mixture of pigments and gums, water is applied to make the paint soluble. The colours appear transparent when painted onto paper, the intensity...
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Types of Weaving Loom
The range of looms featured on the George Weil website are built by skilled craftsmen from long established manufacturers. There are the GAV Glim¥kra AB looms from Sweden, the Louet looms from the Netherlands, the Schacht looms from America and...
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Hand Painted Silk Chiffon Scarf
A hand painted silk chiffon scarf using Deka Silk Paints. The scarf is made from openly woven fine silk thread creating a sheer gauze fabric. The 40 x 150cm scarf was folded in half and pinned onto a wooden silk...
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Foamboard Christmas Decorations
How’s this for a great Christmas decoration idea? Our giant snowflakes have been designed and made by our resident artist Philippa Cousins from foamboard. What is it? Foamboard is made from a sheet of CFC free polystyrene sandwiched between two...
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The Fibrecrafts Felting Needle Holder
This simple wooden tool is designed for use with the super sharp, barbed felting needle. The holder consists of two parts. The comfortable wooden handle has been fashioned to include a guard. This is so your hand does not slip...
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Weaving and Knitting Yarns
The value of a length of woven material lies primarily in the time taken in design, loom preparation, the weaving and the fabric finishing. The cost of the weaving yarn is generally a very small proportion of the final value...
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Discharge Printing and Colour Replacement
Continuing from our previous post about screen printing with Jacquard Discharge Paste, we now have Jacquard Screen Ink Discharge Additive available for screen printers. The additive helps to achieve bright, vibrant screened colours on dyed dark fabrics without laying down...
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Screen Printing with Jacquard deColourant Discharge Paste
Jacquard deColourant Discharge Paste has been formulated for removing areas of colour from natural dark coloured fabrics, and as it is less aggressive, the paste does not damage fabric in the same way as bleach. The reaction occurs when the...
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Types of Watercolour Paper
With such a large range of materials available to the budding artist it can sometimes be difficult to know where to start. There is a huge choice of surfaces on offer and the artist will usually settle on a brand...
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Derwent Inktense Pencils and Inktense Blocks
The water soluble Derwent Inktense Pencils and Blocks offer the artist and textile designer exciting opportunities for experimentation. The colours can be blended together and when dissolved with water turn into permanent ink. They can be combined with other media...
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How to Batik
Batik is an ancient method of creating patterns on cloth or paper. It is a resist technique which uses melted wax or other barriers such as flour or starch. The resist prevents paint and dye from penetrating the fabric. Hot...
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Winsor & Newton Artisan Water Mixable Oil Colours
Great news for artists who prefer a safer working environment and for schools and colleges too. Winsor & Newton Artisan Oil paint is a genuine oil colour which avoids conventional solvents and their associated fumes and hazards. Artisan Water Mixable...
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Painting with Acrylics
Acrylic paints are highly versatile, possessing very different qualities to watercolours and oils. The formulation of the paint gives excellent adhesion to most surfaces and the flexibility of the paint allows it to expand and contract while maintaining integrity. The...
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Metallic Screen Printing Inks
Selectasine The Selectasine screen printing system offers the screen printer a choice of binders and pigments to create various effects. The Metallic Binder MT has been formulated specifically to combine with our metallic powders. These extra fine metallic pigments are...
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