Making printing paste from Botanical Dyes and Inks
Once the botanical inks have bee made from the dyes - inks are a more concentrated form of the dye, they can be thickened to create paste for screen printing, fabric painting or stamping. Most cellulose thickeners will work but I have used gum arabic in the examples below. The example above used a thermofax screen designed by Jane Dunnewold and elderberry thickened dye on 100% cotton bedsheet (recycled).
Below is a gingko leaf from a commercially made stencil. This used elderberry paste and a stubbing brush used in a vertical up and down motion to created the imprint
What is my current Textile Focus
My interest in textile art is wide and varied. My focus at the moment is on completing panels for my scholarship project Parallels in Maori and Celtic customs and art. I am currently working on a Tromp L’oeil piece that represents the Winter solstice coming through a gap in the hills that was important to both cultures in mapping their seasonal world. the centre piece is hand embroidered and now I am trying to complete the effect of adding small pieces fabrics to create the effect I am looking for