Basic Equipment to Start Silk Painting
Very little equipment is needed initially. Starting out you can manage with:
Ponge 5 Silk (available from a craft shop or some fabric shops)
An embroidery hoop
Three heat fixed silk paints (red, yellow and blue)
Plastic pippettes/droppers to transfer paint into a palette
Plastic palette, or an ice cube tray or some old yoghurt pots
A pencil or fading marker
One tube of gutta (gold, silver or white probably best to start with)
Sponge craft "brushes" or inexpensive paint brushes with good points
Kitchen roll (in case of spills!)
When you want to move on the following extra items would be useful:
Silk pins (these are sharp and have three prongs)
Black paint (you can make some nice olive greens with yellow and black)
A square frame (for when you get tired of painting round pictures!)
Gutta is used to contain the paint within an area. The smallest gap or a thin area of the resist will allow the paint to flow! Hold the tube of gutta and stroke it along the silk. Some people find it easy straightaway but I needed to practice before I really got to grips with it!
Old picture frames can also be used as inexpensive frames provided they are made of wood which is soft enough for the pins. However, if your fingers aren’t so nimble, masking tape can be used to fix the silk to the frame.
Find some pictures you like and draw freehand or trace them onto the silk with the pencil or fading marker. Stencils are quite good to start out with. Don’t try anything too complicated at first and don’t be disheartened if things don’t work out straight away.
Most of all don’t give up if things don’t always go right first time. We learn from our mistakes and believe me, I’ve made a lot since I first started painting. Don’t throw the "mistake" pieces away either - keep them either to remind you what to do next time or you never know, you may find a use for them, even years later!
HAPPY PAINTING!
