Method•Materials•Intention These fabric samples were created using disperse dyes, a mixture of pressed plants, fresh foliage and a heat press. Carrying on from my previous experiments using a variety of blue dyes, I wanted to try and emulate the look of Cyanotype but with the introduction of new colours. From those available I choose cherry red and violet as they reminded me of summer bedding plants. As I initially intended to create monochrome pattern samples, they were also colours that were bold and bright and had the potential to replicate cyanotype imagery but perhaps with a different feel. The colour choice was less important than the possibility of achieving textural imagery. One of the most interesting ef* fects produced in my first batch of samples was the faded, dap* pled look created with repeated use of the disperse die coated sheets. Subsequently for these samples, the disperse dyes were coated onto sheets of A4 paper using different techniques to produce a range of textures. Which were as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Block Colour Block colour onto screwed up, then flattened paper. Colour washed Splattered Colour wash, pressed onto paper Application with pipette onto damped paper.
I used synthetic fabrics I had to hand, a polyester satin and crepe, a poly/cotton organdie, beige polyester georgette and a synthetic 'wool’ herringbone tweed. This wasn’t just a cost cut* ting choice I wanted to sample as much as possible on scraps of fabric left over from other projects to make use of materials I may have otherwise discarded. With sustainability in mind I wanted to try and carry out my project utilising fabric I owned, was second hand or cutting room scraps from industry wherever possible and certainly within the initial stages of experimental sampling. To create the prints, plant materials were sandwiched between coated sheets and fabric and placed inside the heat press set to 200 degree C for 40 seconds.
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