It's a new year, with new ideas and new things to play with. Last December I posted two sites that just blew me away with examples of using eco-dyeing to print paper. As a printmaker, I knew that I had to try this. This morning I spent about 2 hrs. gathering up leaves from my stash, soaking them in warm water, and preparing water color paper for eco-printing. Like a quilter, I went from bin to bin, box to box, gathering things that would give texture and color to my prints. I felt like a kid in school again. I have even used some leaves that were previously used in eco-printing fabric.
I had some scraps of 140 lb. and 300 lb. watercolor papers, both hot and cold pressed so I prepared them by tearing them into approx. 5 x 7 in. sheets, then soaking them in an alum bath (warm) for about 20-25 minutes. I placed a large bowl of water in the micro and warmed it for about 3 minutes and placed my leaves, etc.in the water to soak until they were soft enough to lay flat.
I placed a steamer rack in my old enameled canning kettle, and laid down an 8" x8" white ceramic tile. Then I started layering. Paper then leaves, paper, leaves, until I had 8 sheets of paper covered with leaves and flower parts of different kinds, finally weighing them down with another ceramic tile. I covered the kettle with the lid and am steaming for about 2 hours. I will not undo the bundle until it is completely cold. Photos to follow tomorrow.
can't wait. sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI really have antsy fingers. I want to open it up, but I know I can't. I think it is worse than my first time printing on fabric!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this very inspiring post...in fact, I want to race down to my studio and do this now!
ReplyDeleteThe prints have nearly dried and I couldn't wait to photograph them I notice some additional colors coming out as they dry. I may go back and dip in vinegar or iron to get some more color reaction. I am posting 8 prints in sets of 2. Then I am posting photos of the reverse side of these same prints to show how they printed in the stack while cooking.
ReplyDeleteI only wish there was a way t enlarge thse photos once they are on the blog. There is so much lovely detail that is not visible here. But you have to try this yourself. Don't forget to read my blog comment of December 19, 2011 for the two websites where I first saw this technique. Thank you Wendy Felkland and Cassandra Ostro!
ReplyDeleteI might add, these were all dried leaves. Some had b eenpressed in an old phone book, but most were just picked up dry and then soaked in warm water to soften them a little. I do know that I could have used more weight on top of the stack and printed more texture, but I am really happy with what I got. The trusty cosmos came through again and a little onion skins spiced up the mix. The dark prussian blue is from Haemmelia berries.
ReplyDeletePatricia, this was unbelievably fun! Not to mention a great way to design your own papers. The added benefit is that by doing a project like this on paper, you get some idea of the color possibilities on fabric beforehand.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see these, James. And now very intrigued to try it. Thanks for your great instructions!
ReplyDeletein my experience the colours that plants give to paper can be quite different [with exception of eucalyptus] to those they give on cloth...so i wouldn't rely on paper-dyeing as a reliable guide to cloth dyeing!
ReplyDeleteAnxious to see the outcome. I've also done two pieces on paper yesterday. It's still in the pot after steaming. Am eager to open but have to wait for 1 more day. Thanks for your mention of the sites of Cassandra. Fun to explore.
ReplyDelete@iNd!@nA, I used only leaves and plant materials with which I have worked on fabric many times so I could compare the differences on paper and fabric. As you say, they do work differently. That said, if I try a "quickie" with paper, I will be in the ballpark when I switch to fabric. The biggest difference I noted was the intensity of Cosmos, (the bright orange in my prints). That is comprised of yellow and orange petals. When I do that on fabric, I get yellow and orange. On fabric the color is also more muted when dry,not so on paper. There will be many interesting observations to make with this method.
ReplyDeleteI think it may be worthwhile to experiment with different mordants (pre & post) to soak the papers. I wonder if the lovely greys and blacks can be obtained simply by soaking, or do the metals have to be included as pieces when stacking?
ReplyDeleteBTW, in my earlier post I misspelled Cassandra's last name it should be Tondro, not Ostro. Forgive me Cassandra.
ReplyDeleteHello - my name is Amelia, I am a textile artist and eco-dyer from Maine. Thank you for posting and sharing your art and experience. I'm not blogging yet, but do have lots of photos of eco-printing in the frozen north here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14929261@N03/sets/72157626969792368/ I love sharing my process and projects. While I'm waiting for the leaves to come back to Maine, I'm making nuno-felted pieces to dye in the spring - some clothing too!
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Amelia. I'm glad you stopped by. Boy are we at the extreme ends of the country. Me in Florida and you in Maine. I am fortunate in that I can continue to work even in the winter. The results are amazingly different with the same plant material though. We are trying to get an early spring. My dogwood trees are already budding out, the chokecherries are really leafing out like it was Spring and the redbud trees are already blooming. I don't want to get lulled into a sense of Welcome Spring because I know what February and March can be like here. B-r-r-r-r-r! But there is something wonderful about standing around my big iron pot cooking up a batch of dye materials when there is a nip in the air. I'm waiting for my new order of watercolor papers to arrive, then I will try some more printing on paper. Right now I am working on silks. The silk takes color so differently than anything else I dye, but the results are wonderful. I still have plenty of Walnuts and Hickory nuts to use, so that will get my shibori experiments off to a good start in lieu of Indigo.
ReplyDeleteI will check out your Flicker site, and hope you will stop by often.
I'm looking forward to seeing more on this site - remind the that greenery is still abundant - somewhere!
DeleteI'm glad the photography is a reminder of the sun's warmth somewhere in the world. There are still things you can do with simple supplies from your green grocer or kitchen leavings that can help dispel the Winter doldrums. Beet root trimmings (peelings), carrot shavings, onion skins, a little pomegranate peel, Haas avocado skins and pits(gives a lovely red), black beans soaking water, all have potential as a dye product. Doing a little paper steaming in the kitchen can help increase the humidity inside your residence that may have dried out due to winter heating. Rusty metal can still give color with a little vinegar water overnight without heating. Don't be afraid to play, even make small project as preparation for making larger art. The experiments can provide fodder for collages and other mixed media art forms.
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