Steam Fix Dyes
Several years ago I bought some steam fix dyes but never found the time to use them. At last I have started experimenting with them, and I am excited to see what can be done with them. The dyes used here are H Dupont Classique.
no resist
When painting a landscape on silk I find one of the most enjoyable techniques is to work freehand with no resist. Generally I work from top down, completing the sky first before applying paler colours in the foreground and mid distance..
Details are added bit by bit.
until the whole of the surface has been covered apart from areas I want to keep white.
The dyes are super fun to mix, As well as black I have vert anis, magenta, bleuet, cyan, targa (a scarlet shade) and primary yellow
They blend well when wet but don't spread too much to allow shapes, lines and edges to be created.
Fixing the dye
The silk was wrapped in old muslin and the bundle was protected from water drips with greaseproof paper while steaming for an hour on the hob. After washing to check the dye has been fixed, the silk is ironed on a low setting to remove any creases and restore the sheen.
Pleased with the results of using the dyes to paint directly onto silk, I tried out another of my favourite tecniques. Stencilling and spraying. Again I found they worked well. and I look forward to trying to control the patterns and textures that are possible. However, I won't be buying any more steam fix dyes, I am turning to more natural products that have less of an impact on the planet, but I think I will enjoy using these bright colours until they are done.
