How to Paint on Silk Video 004 Make your own gutta

I have made a video showing you how to mix Sodium alginate (seaweed-based, also known as Manutex) to make your own gutta at home.

The beauty of this product is that after the colours set and you wash the silk, the alginate/gutta disappears without a trace. If you colour the alginate with dyes (like I do with black) the dye remains and the alginate disappears.

I've been looking for the perfect gutta-like substance for years!

Here's my video ...



I'm so pleased to be able to share this with you, and I hope it helps someone else.

Have a fabulous day!
Teena



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Visit to North Sydney Markets

I haven't been to North Sydney Markets for quite a few years, so it was great to have a reason to go.

Beautiful sunny day, I got there about 9am with my friend Nina, and we moseyed around all the stalls before it got too hot.

The Batik Oetoro stall was at the back, in full sun, and it reminded me of when I used to sell my art at this market years ago. Being on the cement in full sun was eventually the reason I stopped having a stall - 9:00am to 4:00pm in the summer's heat was unbearable for me, even with a canopy.

Still, Lynne comes to the market once a month (second Sunday of the month) to keep in touch with the Sydney clients of Batik Oetoro, to deliver orders etc, and it works well.

I was pleased to collect my goodies, and can't wait wait to test the thickener Sodium Alginate (also called MANUTEX RS) with my fibre-reactive dyes, and also the DR33 Guar Gum with my French silk dyes.

Once I've tested these products I'll know whether or not they're what I'm looking for in my elusive search for just the right style in my silk painting adventure which started in 1980 in Paris, France :-)

Have a good one!
Teena


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Sodium alginate, guar gum and antifuse on silk

Had lots of feedback on my recent project photos (Project 1 and Project 2), and my next step is to also check out Sodium alginate, guar gum and antifusant.



I've placed my order this afternoon, and if I'm lucky I'll receive a little parcel tomorrow - woohoo!

It's been years and years since I painted with antifuse, antifusant (the French name).

My recollection is that if silk habotai or jap silk is painted with antifuse and allowed to dry, it becomes slightly stiff and feels like parchment paper.

You are then able to paint straight onto the dried antifuse and have total control of your brushstrokes. The only drawback is the the silk dyes will NOT flow - the lay exactly where you painted them. This is perfect for precise paintings which do not need colours to merge and blend which will happen on untreated silk.

A good thing to try is a mixture of antifuse on the silk untreated areas on the same piece of silk, so total control as well as the merging of colours - best of both worlds.

You do not mix the dyes with antifuse.

For the sodium alginate/guar gum you can paint the silk, but it is more often used as an additive - mix it with dye to control the brush strokes. I've been told that I won't be able to get a sharp edge with this technique, so I'll certainly be checking that out soon enough.

Pop back in a few days to see the new experiment!

I just checked online again to read about Guar Gum as I am not sure this is the same as Sodium Alginate. Paula Birch's site clarified it for me:

"Guar gum is not ideal, because it reacts with fiber reactive dyes, reducing the amount of dye that actually reaches your fabric. Most people who thicken their Procion MX dyes use either sodium alginate or Superclear. There are two types of alginate, F and SH. Alginate F is used for silk, and alginate SH is used for cotton ....You can use guar gum for thickening acid dyes, when dyeing animal fibers (wool or silk) or nylon. Acid dyes cannot be used on cotton."

OK just rang my supplier and asked them to cancel the order for Guar Gum.

Now I'll order the Sodium Alginate (which I've been searching for) from a different supplier, as that is the product I wish to test.

The second supplier's website says:

Manutex RS 230 (sodium alginate) - $A7.95 for 100gm

It should arrive in a day or two.

Cheers
Teena


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