Denman College, May 2006
Small Group Booking: Course for Claygate WI : tutor Isabella Whitworth
The course included several beginners who wanted to learn how to use the basic materials of silk painting, such as stretching and preparing silk, using spirit-based gutta and steam-fixed dyes. Two or three students with more experience had designs they wanted to carry out on cushion covers and had brought design information with them.
The other students wanted to make a scarf on crêpe de Chine.
The course comprised approximately 11 hours' teaching. There was one introductory evening session with a demonstration by Isabella; a short "creative" session next day in which the basics of design and proportion were discussed and we did some short experiments exploring perception. There was also one session using a completely different technique in which students made a twist-tied and dyed scarf. These was steamed at Denman College and the students could take them home. Crêpe scarves were taken back to Isabella's studio for steaming as there wasn't time to do this before the end of a course. They also needed to be dry-cleaned to remove the gutta resist lines. Items finished this way are posted back to students.
As the students had booked in as a group, I had a useful opportunity to talk to them in advance and find out what they wanted to achieve. I was able to offer three different activities and feel relaxed that two of the students were confident to work at their level, on items for which they had already selected designs.
They worked very hard and achieved great results. I had to move them on through the design development stage faster than I normally do; at Denman I usually run a three as opposed to two-night course, and this allows students more time to play around with ideas before starting a scarf.
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Silk Painting and Design for Claygate
The Claygate group wearing their twist-dyed scarves, just before leaving to go home |
Making a sampler, first morning |
Making a sampler: hair-drying free-painted dyes |
Making a sampler: free-painted dyes |
Making a sampler |
A selection of samplers showing free-painted and gutta-worked sections, as well as a cushion cover (top left) |
This student had created a design using defined shapes textured by gutta "scribbles". I advised her that she'd obtain clearer results if she painstakingly painted in all the little shapes, rather than brushing over the scribbles with a brushful of dye. This is because dye often penetrates down through gutta (which would lose some of the crispness of the white line) when it doesn't progress sideways. |
Towards the end of the last session, two others joined her to finish the scarf in time!
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' A student who was working on a design derived from stained glass |
This student had liked the effect of the free-painted dyes on her sampler and so decided on a whole scarf in the free technique. She later added some gutta line-work. Finished scarf can be seen in the next section |
A quiet moment painting scarves and cushions |
Evening session preparing twisted scarves |
Twisting scarves |
Untwisting dyed scarves |
These images are included with the kind permission of the students, and show the work in progress at Denman. Finished work has been processed by me in Devon and has now all been returned to students by post. Images of the completed work are shown below.
Claygate Students' Work completed at Denman College, May 2006
This scarf was largely freepainted, with some gutta details. A picture of this scarf in progress is in the top section |
Cushion cover; largely freepainted, with gutta border and details |
Cushion cover using iron-fix black resist |
Cushion cover using iron-fix pearlised white resist |
Scarf using gutta resist |
Scarf using gutta resist. A picture of this scarf being finished is in the top section |
Scarf using gutta resist |
Scarf using gutta resist |
Scarf using gutta resist and small details in dry-brush technique |
Scarf using gutta resist and small details in pearlised white iron-fix gutta
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Follow this link for information on Denman College and other courses.
Isabella will be teaching at Denman College again in April 2007 (course 067.556) and September 2007 (course 067.984). Contact Denman College for bookings. Groups of students can also make a Small Group Booking through the College, subject to space being available.