New Crafts: Silk Painting

New Crafts: Silk Painting helps you learn the classic techniques of painting silk, with creative projects to do at home. There are exciting designs to create, including a Decorative Fan, a Lily Scarf, a Flowery Camisole, and a Block-printed Blind.

It features a gallery of exquisite silk painting treatments by leading contemporary artists and includes information about materials, equipment, and techniques such as using gutta and marbling. There are 25 original and easy-to-achieve projects presented step by step. It contains over 300 specially commissioned photographs that clearly demonstrate each stage. This is the definitive approach to a traditional craft.

The art of decorating textiles has been popular since ancient times, and of all the natural fabrics, silk is the most sought after. Increasingly sophisticated dyes have led to new and elaborate decorative techniques, but the real beauty of silk painting is that even simple designs produce outstanding results. This book shows how to create 25 decorative pieces and contains all the information you need to get started.

Types of silk and their suitability for different dyes are discussed, and many basic techniques—including tie-dye, dip-dye, salt scattering, gutta resist, marbling, and batik—are explained. Once you have mastered these basics, the projects will be easily achieved. The projects vary in complexity so you can start off with a dip-dyed handkerchief before tackling more involved techniques such as the gutta hand-painted parasol. The projects are presented step by step with photographs to take you through the stages.

This book is a wonderful introduction to one of the world's most rewarding crafts.