Pattern Design Course Progress

One of the morning exercises was to analyse different patterns and to find examples of different types of patterns to put in our Pattern Dictionaries.

Elisha is working out how this pattern was made.

Elisha working with a new stamp she carved.

See below the resulting pattern.

Charlotte's new carved stamp produces a number of appealing repeating patterns.

Another pattern Charlotte produced with her new stamp.

Connie made several stamps using hot glue. They make a distinctive mark.

Pattern Design For Artists

The students have spent the past couple of weeks learning how to make repeating patterns, developing their own designs then using them to create different patterns.

Connie cuts a quick, inexpensive corrugated cardboard stamp to trial a design.

Elisha created a design based on a building then translated it into foam stamps, one the mirror of the other so she could make a greater variety of patterns.

She chose one of 17 different patterns she could make with this stamp to print on a heavier weight cotton.

Charlotte is developing designs based on the pineapple.

Sarah is exploring pattern making with a design based on lines found on rocks.

She made quick foam stamps of the design in the positive and negative and the mirrors of both. These 4 stamps allow her to create a vast number of different patterns.  

Connie's humming bird wing design is proving to be most successful.

She has produced many pleasing and promising patterns with it.

Teaching at Victoria College of Art

I spent 2 days getting the Victoria College of Art's Lower Studio ready for teaching in this spring term.

This is the before shot.

Day 2 my well-trained assistant set up the print tables.

All ready for "Pattern Design for Artists"

I enjoy teaching this course because there are always great discoveries to be made.

Hand Printing Blocks, India

This highly skilled craftsman carves intricate blocks for printing fabric.

He carves ancient designs and he takes on commissions for new designs. See the Canadian designs on the left. He is making blocks for a Canadian textile artist.

Hand Block Resist Dyed Textile

Stage 9 - Dabu mud-resist is applied where the 1st shade of indigo blue needs to be kept. Dabu can withstand a maximum of 4 dips into the indigo vat.

Stage 10 - The textile is immersed again into the indigo vat & spread in the sun to develop the colour.

Stage 11 - The textile is washed to remove the mud & loose dye. The result is a textile with 2 shades of red, 2 shades of blue, black on white background & magenta where indigo over-dyes red.

More Stages in Hand Block Resist Dying

Stage 5 -Washing removes the printing gums.

Stage 6 - The textile is immersed in a hot alizarin bath for 1 hour to devlop the 2 shades of red.

Stage 7 - Mud-resist paste (clay-earth & gum) is applied with blocks to mask out areas of the design to remain red or white. Sprinkled with sawdust to aid drying.

Stage 8 - Immersed into indigo vat, then spread out in sun to allow blue colour to develop on all unprotected areas.

The Process of Hand Block Printing

One of the displays in the Anokhi Museum I was most impressed with was a sequence of waistcoats that showed the numerous steps involved in hand block printing & dying a textile. Stage one, the textile is treated with Chebulic Myroballan so the pastes & dyes will stick.

Stage 2, The textile is printed with a begar paste (alum) wherever a dark burgundy red is required.

Stage 3, A 2nd mordant paste (again with a temporary tint to guide the printer) is applied to the lighter red areas.

Stage 4, Horseshoes & molassas fermented into a sticky brown paste, oxidises to black when added.

Anokhi Museum, Amber, Jaipur

The Anokhi company, among other activities, helped revive the local hand block printing industry by supporting artisans & their families. It produces block printed garments & products that they sell in their Indian & international retail outlets.

They renovated & restored this old mansion and established a museum to showcase the history of hand block printing and to regularly exhibit work by contemporary clothing designers.