Textiles II: Fabric Surface Design

Instructor: Jill Cope
Tuesdays 6-9pm
5 weeks: February 24 to March 24
Location: In-person Williams Building room 357
$250 (supplies not included)
Prerequisite: Textiles I

Building on the knowledge and skills learned in Textiles I (Painting, Dyeing, and Embellishing Fabric), students will learn exciting new techniques for fabric surface design. Students will explore such areas as monoprinting and stencilling on fabric, fabric rubbings, discharging/adding back in colour, fabric collage, and more. The exploration will result in a series of mini-projects and/or a final self-directed project.

Syllabus

  • Review of colour and design theory
  • Refresher on silencing our inner critics
  • Fun techniques for fabric painting
  • Making our own stamps/rubbing plates
  • Creating monoprints on fabric using gel plates
  • An easy way to marble on fabric (it only looks complex!)
  • Discharging fabric/putting colour back in
  • Exploring an array of techniques for colouring fabric with Shiva PaintStiks
  • Discussion on troubleshooting design problems
  • Ideas/execution for mini projects and/or final project using the fabric created in class(projects such as fabric weaving, collages, postcards, reverse applique, etc.)

Supplies

Items in bold are needed for the first class; materials list to be discussed at first class for the rest of the supplies. Many of the supplies you would have left over from Textiles I.

  • Multi-media pad/notebook (9x12) or whatever you have on hand (for notetaking and testing colours)
  • 1-2m of white cotton fabric (prewashed but don’t use dryer sheets or softener); cut into 12 inches x 12 inches pieces
  • Acrylic paints—in red, blue, and yellow and any other colours you like, plus white (can be craft paints, Golden, Liquitex, etc.)
  • Optional--GAC 900 fabric medium
  • Assorted sizes of paintbrushes; foam paint brushes
  • Water containers (such as old cottage cheese containers)
  • Paper towel
  • Art apron/old clothes
  • Masking tape/painter’s tape
  • Piece of coroplex (roughly 14 x 14 inches)
  • Styrofoam white meat trays (as paint palettes)
  • Foil
  • Bubble wrap
  • Plastic drop cloth/plastic tablecloth/plastic shower curtain
  • 1-2m of black cotton fabric (prewashed but don’t use dryer sheets or softener); cut into 12 inches x 12 inches pieces
  • Optional--Commercial fabrics if you want to experiment with those as well
  • Gel printing plate (such as Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate - 8x10 is a good size)
  • Brayer (Speedball has a nice rubber brayer)
  • Spare fabric to wipe your brayer and stencils on/put your plate on (fabric which once covered, can give you some lovely fabric as well!)
  • Fabric paint—Jacquard/Jacquard Lumiere—2-4 jars in colours you like
  • Fabric scissors
  • Craft knife and small cutting mat; craft scissors
  • Craft foam (to make our own stamps and rubbing plates)
  • Coroplex (small pieces to glue your stamps onto)
  • Stencils you have on hand
  • Stamps (large) you have on hand
  • Glue stick
  • Baby wipes
  • Optional—for texture/stamps: lace; paper doilies; cheesecloth; string; washers; bubble wrap (large or small); combs; plastic wrap; rubber shelf liner; mesh vegetable bags; needlepoint plastic canvas; leaves; textured wallpaper
  • Shiva Paint Stiks—DO NOT SUBSTITUTE WITH ANYTHING ELSE; 3-4 colours you like; at least one matte and one iridescent
  • Stencil brushes (3-4 assorted sizes)
  • Optional—disposable gloves
  • Corrugated cardboard; light cardboard (such as a cereal box)
  • Small sticky notes
  • Foil tray—lasagna pan size (roughly 10 x 14 and 3 inches deep)
  • Can of shaving foam—not gel (at least one can; two is you are really keen!)
  • Eyedroppers/Pipettes
  • Wooden skewer
  • Ruler/ Heavy cardboard piece
  • Bleach
  • Parchment paper
  • Optional—black cotton t-shirt
  • Optional--small spray bottles
  • Optional—freezer paper
  • Optional--Fusible web with paper backing (such as Wonder Under—must be double sided with paper backing)
  • Optional—sewing machine

Most of the art supplies can be found at Art Placement in Saskatoon. The fabric can come from any fabric store (or your stash!). The other items can be found at a dollar store.