Combining Techniques to Add Depth!

I get SO excited when creating a design on fabric! I wake up with an idea and boom... I'm off and running. Because my mind is racing forward to put my ideas into action I sometimes have to remind myself to slow down!

During quieter times I go through my stash and pull out pieces that don't quite feel fully developed. The color combination of this blue, red and yellow sunprinted fabric wasn't working for me so I decided to rework the fabric by combining other surface techniques. 

I began with an ice dyed bath of bright green. Next I used a thermofax screen of a pine branch with green fabric paint and then decolorant. The paint color was so similar that it didn't really pop the way I was hoping and I'd forgotten that the decolorant doesn't work very well with paint. It is best with dye but I didn't have enough in the fabric to make a strong impact. That was disappointing but as an artist I try to learn from each step. 

I added more screens; a feather and a bird. The piece was still not quite flowing... I stamped some bubble wrap across the surface and then splashed it with black. It wasn't until the splashed paint that I felt the piece was "done". 

So, if you have fabric that doesn't quite have the impact you were hoping - keep working and combining techniques until it speaks to you! There are no rules... go for it! I'd love to hear your stories and see you fabric photos! 

For purchasing information please click on the Mixed Techniques tab at the top of the page.