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Sunday, February 13, 2011

Acrylics and Fabric

After reading a book about advanced embroidery techniques I decided to experiment with acrylic paints on linen. First I took a large piece of linen and drew all sorts of objects in waterproof ultrafine marker. I wanted to see if the acrylic mixed with water would stay in the lines or if it would spread. At first I tried it without water which gives the most control. The paint stayed put where I applied it. A lot of paint of course left a shiny plasticky coating and a finer layer of paint left the fabric still feeling like linen. Then I tried applying the paint with a little water mixed into the paint. This gave the nicest result, much like water color with some loss of control due to spreading, but not much. I had just finished a small piece of embroidery that didn't take much of my time so I decided to put the paint to the real test and use it on my simple vase filled with flowers. To stay in the lines I refrained from using water but this effect didn't look very pretty. The colors were too sharp because I used them out of the tube so next time I will try mixing my own colors. I was able to keep the paint in the lines for the most part but even so the stitching just kind of disappeared. A couple of times the paint went over the stitch border and even though slight it made the piece look unprofessional. I would highly recommend practicing on the type of fabric you use to embroider on and try different brushes to see what works better. My next experiment will be to paint first and then embroider over it. This will hopefully solve the problem of the stitches disappearing because I can choose colors that will pop over the paint. Also I can be freer with the paint and use a little water since there will be no lines to stay within. Happy Experimenting!

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