more about painting the letters

My friend Karin lives in Ethiopia. Amharic is the national language of Ethiopia. I remember when she was planning to go there and trying to learn the language. Depending on where you read about it, there are over 250 letters! Some say over 400! As I understand it, there is a different symbol for each syllable. But that is as far as I can tell you. For this piece I am working on, I used an English/Amharic site on the web.
If you are interested in knowing a bit about Amharic, there is a lot of information about the language at this website, including some audio clips.

Anyway, here is a bit more about how I did the lettering. I used this technique for both the Amharic and the English because of the font.

I trimmed away the top and bottom of the letters, leaving them attached in the centre.

Then I traced round the letters.

As you can see, there are gaps where the attachments were. I drew in the missing sections.

And then painted them with a small paint brush using Setacolour Opaque Black.

They look fuzzy because this is a very close image, they don't look so fuzzy even when you are standing close to the work.

So, some translations:

Ethiopia

1960

Roma (Rome)

And the clue of the subject matter:

Abebe Bilika

If you know much about sports or Olympic history, you might know the occasion this work will be celebrating! Especially with the word 'running' which is above and the clue from yesterday and in the above photo about footprints.

But you will need to wait til Monday for more details!

ideas and trials

I showed you some Amharic lettering yesterday. Before I got to that stage, I trialled some ideas. I thought I could use letters cut out and placed on the surface with stamping over top...the letters being a resist allowing the void to become the letter.

So, some ideas:

patterns didn't seem to work, but the 'blank' stamp did.

However, when I tried this for real over some foot prints using a larger blank stamp, I ran in to all sorts of problems.

the cut outs were not within the space of the stamped square and then the cut out foot prints stuck to the block so well that I had to scrub them off and recut more foot prints.

So, plan B.
Paint the letters. However, I really wanted to use the font for the Amharic. I had tried to draw letters with limited success, so I really needed the font.
Okay, I could have got out the light box, but surface space is at a premium at present and I didn't feel I had time to mess about with it. I usually use the ironing board for it, as it is a good height. But that was serving as my printing table.

So, I cut round each word, leaving connections between letters.

Like this year date. These numbers were large, so worked really well.

Then I tried colouring in with a permanent marker...a small nib because I knew most of the words I wanted were quite small.

I didn't like the result, so the next step was painting in the letters. Slow, but the cricket was gripping, so that was alright.

The cutting on the Amharic words was a bit more fiddly. Especially some of the smaller sized words.

But I got a result I liked.

And from there I proceeded with the plan.

repainted

A few months ago a friend asked me to do a makeover on her t-shirt.
She didn't like the blingy look of parts of the screen print.

I forgot to take a photo of the whole before I started, but this is where I decided to start.

I thought by starting here, I could workout whether I could actually paint over with fabric paint while still retaining the screen print look.

So, here is that section repainted.

At first I was going to do most of the gold bit there. But after the larger parts were painted over, I realised that the black came forward and the gold receded. Up close you can tell the painting, but from a distance, it looks like it was meant.

So I proceeded to the largest part on the main print. Here it is with the large gold bit covered by black.

You can imagine what it looked like with that bold motif shining solid gold paint. Some people like bling, but for my friend, the result is much more tasteful.

I was concerned that because the fabric paint is sitting on top of gold paint, that it might get stretched - for instance if it were across the bosom. But the placement is fine, and the paint should be stable for some time if she washes it turned wrong side out.

My husband saw the finished t-shirt laying on my worktable. He (of the school of Never Draw Attention to Yourself) said. "What did she think was wrong with it? It looks fine to me."
So, that was confirmation. He agreed that to have the large motif gold would be a bit too much!

Snowy Night - the result of the past few days

If you have been following the past few days, you can see the development of my latest journal quilt. I started with trying out a background technique by Cynthia St. Charles and then ended up doing damage limitation and finally have developed a pretty reasonable piece of work.

Today I worked on the stitching. I chose several different blues relating to what I wanted to accomplish with the area I was quilting.

The sky

The trees

The snowy field

A bit more touch up on the Moon

The whole

trimmed

Edge stitched

The back

and hanging up! Complete.

Evaluation:
-Although I didn't go where I headed, I did find the background helps to blend different shades/tints of blue.
-I like the different colour background fabrics. It gives a lot of interest and depth.
-I might use blue pearl paint for snowy highlights in the future.
-The paint does change the hand considerably, but it is okay on a small piece. Not sure I would like it on a large piece.

I seem to have tried ways to depict the dark in the past while. Although I wasn't setting out to depict the dark this time, I am quite pleased with the results because they do depict the dark without being murky. I know I have been in scenes like this in my youth when I waited tooo long to go up and milk the cows! (no electricity).

I am linking this to Off the Wall Friday at Nina-Marie's. Go see what everyone else has been up to!

Progress or Not Progress

At this point Cynthia St. Charles can not be blamed for what has happened to the piece inspired by her background. You can call it taking her technique and making it my own. But I am not sure I want to claim the technique either!!

This whole 2012 Journal Quilt rule (of using 1 colour with only 25% of any other colour) has got me learning about how to do monochromatic with limited knowledge and materials. Even though I am learning through trial and error! I thought blue might be easier. Maybe I have given myself too many restrictions on top of the original rule?

Anyway, you saw the stamped blues the other day. Several commented positively. Now you see what NOT TO DO and how to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear if you have GONE AND DONE IT ANYWAY.

So, I sort of had this landscapey idea in my head. The yellow was meant to be stitched into a sun. It was too transparent. So, I got out some other fabric paints - like you use straight from the bottle on t-shirts with kids?

I went over the lines from the stamp. So far so good.

So, why not try Jacquard paints in bottles! let's see, we have these which may work for blue.

Oh yeah, if you do? Don't forget, A little goes a long way and You don't need as much of it as you do the t-shirt paints.

And so, before long we have an OH NO! situation!

I forgot that when you use these on dark colours, you can only see the shimmery bit. So, a few waves in a pond become a really bad ice rink. A few squiggles for trees become Christmas trees decorated for sale.

NOW WHAT?

Okay,
blot, blot, and blot again with scraps.

I am sure they will be useful at some stage of my life.

scrub, scrub, and scrub some more with blue textile paint from a nearly finished jar

which makes for something like a kiddie might do as a dry brush technique. but I think it has knocked some of the shine back and turned things blue again. Unfortunately, it is now a dark winter evening with the light glinting off the tree and the snowy field, which does not have a bright or even not so bright sun in the sky. So I have also had to knock back the yellow to be somewhat like it was before. I hope I can turn it into something like a background for a moon.

At this point, I am going to rely on stitching to resolve this. Watch this space.

Only you might be watching between fingers with your hands over your eyes!

Blues

I am still 'Chasing Backgrounds', as it were, for my Journal quilts. 2 of each colour are about a fruit and 2 of each colour are about a technique which may or may not translate to large as a background for a scene (or dragon!).

I have been following some of the posts by Cynthia St. Charles where she has created backgrounds with a blend of fabrics and then stamped or screened motifs over it using the various patterns and textile paint colours to make the background even more interesting. Then she sometimes prints larger images, like flowers, onto the piece or goes straight to quilting to bring out the background before taking it further. You can see one of her pieces 'Last Light' on the home page of her blog.

So, here are some steps I have begun to take for a blue piece. Cut and arrange a variety of blues left from cutting out samples for dyeing the colour wheel.

Then, like Cynthia, I have zigzagged them roughly down to keep them in place.

That is as far as I got.

Remember I was going to save tidying under the sewing machine desk til next week? well the printing inks were under there. SO, now it is tidy.

Very positive vibes in here since everything is accessible and not in a jumble to wade through first. Class stuff has all been put back and samples restricted to one large plastic folder.

Edit: Today (Fri) I had a little time before going off to the Indigo workshop. So, I had a go with the stamping. I used a mixture of Jacquard and Pebeo textile paints. Not too happy with the transparency of the yellow. I think Pebeo, though it says transparent, is actually not as transparent as Jacquard. It's been a while since I used them.

If it will work....If I chose the right shapes for what I had in mind...if I can figure what to do next...will have to wait til next week. But maybe coming back from the workshop I will be 'in the zone' and will be able to see it with fresh eyes to know how to proceed.

I am linking it to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.

So, what now

Okay, no more photos from the Festival of Quilts.

Life still goes on, we are planning and sorting out the rooms the fashion department is moving into at college. I have been thankyouing to all the coffee morning people I can think of. and contacting people who are going to take my classes this autumn. and Hurrah! they are all running ! The taster session for Machine Embroidery got so full they made another one which is also nearly full. I hope some sign onto the full course, but at least there is enough to run it.

and I have had time to start thinking about the 3D challenge I am meant to be doing for EquilARTeral. all of us rather wished we had just left it 3D and not added the rider of it being a Triangle!

Here is a bit of experimenting with paper.

Not sure if I will stick with either of these plans, but I am leaning towards the row of triangles that will be joined like a suspension bridge...or something.

And then trying to think what fabric to make it up in, somehow I thought I would really like to do it in black and white...and then I thought I would like it a bit black on white and white on black.
And then, because I can and don't have the fear of how to, and even because I learned it in a situation where you didn't have a proper wet room set up...

TA DA

I screened the black onto white and the white onto black! I kind of wanted a graphic look. A few of these might get something else, but some of the close all over ones I intend to use for the small triangles, so they will work fine when chopped up.
As you can see in the first photo, I was able to just put a cover over the table lay out the printing surface and get on with it!

How cool to be able to make the fabric you think a piece wants to have rather than make do for second best or to wander up and down the length and breadth of the country frustrated because you can't find "just the right thing!"

FOQ - Rayna's class - 2

I took a photo of my collection of fabric from Rayna's class. You can see how they start to work together when you are working with the same colours and the same sorts of screens.

I have zoomed into parts of the collection to explain them further.
The ones on the table have been left for the time being till I decide how I want to proceed. I really like the glow od the linen one, so don't want to rush in with any old thing to cover it.

I think I might like to try screening over texture with large areas. Rayna and some of the ladies had interesting mats with twirls and whirls that are meant to go in the bottom of your sink to protect glass. I think I will visit Dunelm Mills to see what is there, as that is where some got theirs.

You can see on the right the pieces I showed yesterday which had stamping. They also got a layer of screen printing through a thermofax screen "cracks". To me it gives a bit of an abstract thorns in front of the forest look. I especially like the one with the yellow circles as it gives a sort of moon through the forest look.

I mentioned the idea of writing on the screen with glue, letting it dry and then screening through it. I tried white on this piece and found it to be far too vivid because the paint was a bit thicker. However, after I blotted it, it looks a bit better. The backwards blotted bit also look interesting on the other piece. At least it redeemed my first attempt at layers which resulted on the overwhelming blue print in the centre of the piece. I added some "chicken wire" in black.

I decided to take this further by using it on the linen piece with the stripes.

I think I like this piece the best. It has the words and the thermofax cracks.

And these are the pieces that were really mopping up cloths or blotting cloths to start with, but I did some bits and pieces to them. One thing was to use a pet syringe that Rayna had given us to try making thin lines with the paint. After a bit I kind of worked out how to do it.

I am surprised at the triangular pink piece, because it isn't too bad. The piece to the left of it though, I decided was my one I liked the least. Not that I couldn't do something with it, but compared to the rest it is a bit too "grunge".

All these painted fabrics are so unlike anything I have in my stash. but I have been admiring this sort of look for sometime. These, of course, are all beginner pieces and I think I will work a bit more on the development til I get more of a feel for designs I can make that will combine with the ways I work now.

It might make a real difference to work on fabric I like to start with!

FOQ - Rayna's class

So, I better get on with showing a bit of what I got up to last week before it is next month!

I do understand now why people do masterclasses. if you are able to concentrate on something for 3 days in a row, you can start where you left off, rather than trying to get back in the groove a week or month later. I also know why people take a certain persons class a second time. Rayna does a class about what to do with the fabric now that you have made it. It would be fun to do that. But I can probably do something if I put my mind to it.

Here are a few photos of some of the printing I did. I was one of two students who hadn't really done this kind of printing before. On the first day, we learned the technique, and some moved onto brayering paint over textured surfaces. I tried a bit of that, but as it is something I have done with paint before I went back to the screen printing so I could get more confident about it.

Day one

Torn newspaper resist and "ghost prints"
I also featured on Rayna's blog Wednesday morning getting the technique on the previous day.

Second Day - getting the layers idea

masking tape resist and a bit of stamping

Day three - I was fighting off a migraine, so didn't take many photos. The room was very small and we had to wash screens off in the cleaners cupboard! We resorted to taping work up every where to dry. So, this photo is not too great because the light shines through the window.

Here is a clearer view of the one on the left. The one on the right only had the stripes at that point.

However, we had drawn with washable glue on the screen and let it dry over night. This acted as a resist so we had the design when we printed. I was going to add more photos to this post, but have decided to put them on Saturday's post.

We had been told to bring fabric we weren't happy with. for me that meant some of the failed snow dye stuff. However, it wasn't till the end that I started being happy with it. Moral? if you REALLY don't like it, you might find it difficult to get it to the point where you actually do!
So, anyway, with scarlet pinkish stuff and some purplish stuff, I tried to make the pieces work together somewhat so I can use them someway. I began to be a bit happier when I started working with a piece of rust dyed linen. The rust wasn't all over, so it works as a first layer. I should have realised I am partial to natural coloured fabrics.

A special thanks to Dorothy who loaned me a screen. I had tried to make one, but not really knowing what I was aiming for, ended up with one which only worked till the first washing out.

I got photos of some of the others work early on. I will post a few tomorrow. Most of it got more work done to it through the days.

Give Away Doodle Designs

I'm loving all the comments for the give away! Keep them coming! It will be easier for me to keep track of who has commented if you put comments for the give away on the 200th post.


But you are welcome to continue with comments... in fact, I am sure you may possibly do so ...............Because............

Here are the designs I will be giving away!

TA DA!

These are developed from a doodle I haven't shared yet and some bits from Doodle 7.

2 things I learned.
1. These are way to complicated to have the students do.
2. Three designs like this take ALL day. One in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening.
But it was actually more like a rest to just sit and zone out and do the painting. I think I will be painting in my sleep tonight!

So, as much as I would love to give everyone something, I will limit the draw to 3 like I said yesterday.

I draw the designs freehand with chalk or Sharpie and then begin painting. Some colours soak in quite a bit, so they need 2 coats. I actually explored colours I don't normally work with in the middle design. I wanted to see the effects of using orange on the dark blue.

The designs are painted onto denim using craft acrylics which are also suitable for fabrics. The designs pop if you outline them with Sharpie. They can be washed...on low temp. The design may go muted if washed too frequently. You may need to touch up the outlining with permanent pen (which would probably only be Truly Permanent if you Didn't Want it to stay in the fabric!) If you sew it onto clothing, turn the garment inside out when you wash it to keep from distressing the paint.

Some asked about linking to your blog. I am fine with that. Thanks for including me!

Fabric Painting

Tomorrow I have a taster session at an office in Reading. The company is having a Learn@Work day. What a good idea! Besides Fabric Painting, the employees also asked New Directions college for tutors for Reflexology and Holiday Spanish.

I am going to bring my painted skirts and trousers along to show. (Well, I am going to wear the jeans skirt. ) Here are a few more samples I made up. I wanted to show that you could apply the idea to soft furnishings or little gift sorts of things.

I have been busy creating some designs for them to use. I am real chuffed with the blue design. I want to do it bigger on some clothing!

So, back to preparation. I need to cut up some more fabric swatches to paint on.

I am looking forward to it though!