Monday, August 17, 2009

Golden Ferns and Bouncing Limes by Ann



I've been having more fun printmaking. I used a fern and a dried lime . For medium I used Lumiere fabric paints on cotton fabrics. The ferns are stitched with Sulky Metallic Gold. All other stitching is black cotton. The colors are those that would be found in a gem show.I'm much happier with the results than when I used the doily. I also like making these small things because they are fast. Of course the part that seems to take me forever is the finishing. I'm leaning toward doing some kind of 'rough' finish in the future. Not sure what it will be. Ideas always welcome.

For printing with the lime half, I first tried dabbing the paint on the lime, wrapping fabric around and rubbing with my finger to make the print. The better method for me was to wrap the fabric around the lime, dip my finger in the paint and then rub over the lime to make the print. I waited between each print for the paint to dry. I used a different color for each individual lime print. The limes have symmetry in themselves, but not of course in this print.
For the fern prints, my method was to put some paint on the fern with a brush, move the 'painted fern' onto a clean sheet of paper, place fabric over and then transfer the color using a brayer. I let each one dry before putting on the next fern point in the radial pattern. After I was finished, someone told me it is better to use the back side of the fern or leaf. I'll try that the next time. Using the Lumiere yielded many different shades although I only used one color for this print.
Wishing you JOY on your Journey,
Ann

5 comments:

Carole said...

Ann, this is what I have been waiting to see... These are lovely, a great job in 'printmaking'... and I certainly hope you will do more of these.

Sandra Wyman said...

Love these - makes me want to have a go myself. I like the contrast between the print and the orderly stitching. Not sure what a more rough finish would do - would be interesting to see two different finishes side by side.

Cynthia Ann Morgan said...

Hi Ann, these are lovely. The metallic against the black is so luminous. What I like about the fern print is the constrast of the sharper detail of the stems/veins and the fuzzier edges of the leaves.
Great job!
Cynthia

Linda Mac said...

Love your fern print. I think I will try this with some of our local leaves. Thanks for providing the instructions.

Wendy said...

Better late than never, I am.... Love the prints, Ann. The ferns are amazing and thank you for sharing your process. The luminosity is stunning on the dark background. Well done