Tuesday, May 15, 2012

May's Tart Kit: Nature Printing


In this last Tart kit, we are printing with natural stamps and a metallic paint onto a piece of black cotton. The paint picks up the details of the leaves and gives a sparkly sheen.

Prepare your fabric by pressing with an iron and taping to a soft protected surface. Use the foam brush or roller to dab paint onto the veined side of your leaf or leaves. Press the leaf carefully with your fingers to bring the paint into full contact with the fabric.






Now try printing with fruits or vegetables. Cut apples, pears, or peppers in half and cover with paint. Press onto the fabric. Carve into a cut end of a potato to create a stamp. Or as we did, cut across the root end of a whole celery and dip the cut ends into the paint. Your resulting stamp will resemble rose petals. Use a single stalk to fill in the gaps.








Consider using leaves and other flat natural items as resists and roll the paint over the leaves onto the surface of the fabric creating a negative print. When the paint has dried, heat set it with your protected iron.