Table Of ContentFabric
SurFace
DeSign
Fabric
SurFace
DeSign
Cheryl rezendes
Photography by John Polak
ß
Storey Publishing
For my parents, Constance LaPointe, Dennis Rezendes, and Beau Rezendes,
and for their unwavering belief in who I am as an artist since the time I was very small.
The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.
Edited by Gwen Steege
Art direction and book design by Mary Winkelman Velgos
Cover photography by Mars Vilaubi (front), © John Polak (back), and © 2010 Lee Ann Barker (author)
Interior photography by © John Polak, except as noted on page 308
Illustrations, page 241, by Missy Shepler
Indexed by Nancy D. Wood
© 2013 by Cheryl Rezendes
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher,
except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate
credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or
by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other — without written permission from
the publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are
made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any
liability in connection with the use of this information.
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further information, please call 1-800-793-9396.
Storey Publishing
210 MASS MoCA Way
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Printed in the United States by Quad/Graphics
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rezendes, Cheryl.
Fabric surface design / by Cheryl Rezendes.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-60342-811-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-60342-872-9 (e-book) (print)
1. Textile crafts. 2. Textile design. 3. Textile finishing. I. Title.
TT699.R49 2013
746.6—dc23
2012027709
contents
An Invitation to Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
PArt 1 surface design fundamentals
ChAPter 1 setting up Your Work area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
ChAPter 2 exploring Your media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
ChAPter 3 selecting Your fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
ChAPter 4 Painting the Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
ChAPter 5 adding texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
PArt 2 surface design techniques
ChAPter 6 stamping and relief Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
ChAPter 7 stenciling techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
ChAPter 8 nature Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
ChAPter 9 monotype, collagraph, and gelatin Prints . . . . . . . . . .102
ChAPter 10 silk-screen Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
ChAPter 11 Working with resists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
ChAPter 12 image transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
ChAPter 13 marbling methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
ChAPter 14 fold and color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230
ChAPter 15 drawing on fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242
ChAPter 16 all that glitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
ChAPter 17 sewing: as accent, embellishment, and texture . . . . . 274
PArt 3 a designer’s noteBook
Inspiration and Recordkeeping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Basic Color Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Composition 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306
reading List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .308
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309
an invitation to Design
Designing your own fabric opens up a whole Techniques
world of possibilities, and in this book you’ll
and Creativity
find a wide range of techniques that you can
use for just this purpose. Keep in mind that
Although the step-by-step instructions in
this book was written for you and your creative
this book are written with beginners in mind,
process. It is not about me, my artistic sensi-
experienced surface design artists will value
bility, or even the techniques I use and love,
the information as a reference or reminder of
although I included most of them in these
techniques they may have forgotten. You can
pages. I’ve also presented the work of a variety
take all of these techniques much farther than
of fiber artists whose aesthetics encompass a
the specific instructions here: use my guidance
wide range of imagery as well as personal taste
as a kickoff to your own investigation. Think of
and style, so that you can see the endless possi-
each technique as a big experiment where you
bilities these techniques offer you.
have to uncover the meaning and scope of its
capability. The reality is that you could work
Why Choose Paint
with any one of the techniques for months on
Instead of Dyes? end before even beginning to tap into its full
potential.
I chose to write about using paint on textiles For those of you who are just starting out
rather than dyes simply because paints are as a creator of art, think of the work you do
easy to work with. There are no complicated from these exercises as samples of the tech-
recipes to follow and no toxic chemicals or niques you are learning; chances are they aren’t
fumes to worry about. Paints are quick and going to be masterpieces at first. For more
easy to set up. Cleanup is also a breeze, because experienced users, remember that master-
it can be done simply with just soap and water. pieces come only after many ho-hum pieces.
If your studio is the family kitchen table, and More simply great or wonderful or even just
your time frame is the length of your youngest nice pieces are out there than there will ever
child’s afternoon nap or the couple of hours be masterpieces. And even a masterpiece is
you have between dinner and bedtime, then never perfect. Rather, each masterpiece is only
paint is the way to go. a stepping stone (albeit a rather large stepping
It’s my belief that many of the techniques stone) to the next piece or, more than likely, to
accomplished with dyes on fabric can also be the next direction your work takes you. And
executed with paint. The only real restriction is each time you turn in a new direction, you are
size, although I successfully stretch and paint a beginner again.
3 yards of fabric at a time on a regular basis. Masterpieces aside, even good work needs
Even more impressive, textile painter Mickey your permission to emerge. You, as the artist,
Lawler stretches vast quantities of fabric in her grant that permission by allowing yourself
backyard to paint yards of incredible skyscapes. to experiment without judgment. As you
(For an example of her work, see page 46.) work, you need the spontaneity and wonder
1
of a child before you can achieve provoca- to what your piece truly looks like, as well as to
tive artwork. You need to learn to let go of the what you intended it to be.
visual idea in your head as to what “good” art Be forewarned that even experienced artists
really looks like. go through a period of doubt with each and
If you are the sort of person who tackles every piece they have created. Often an art
each new project with a steadfast idea in your piece looks awful simply because it hasn’t had
head, remember that what happens on the time to evolve. Keep working and push yourself
piece of cloth in front of you has a mind and a through the doubt. If you really just can’t stand
direction of its own. What it becomes is often the piece, put it aside for a month or so before
far more exciting, or at least just as exciting, as throwing it out. You may see its potential after
the original idea. you have had a little distance from it. I often
One of the most important tools we need hang an unfinished piece where it will be the
as an artist is one we all possess: our eyes. first thing I see when I enter the room the
Using our eyes to truly observe the world following day. (For more suggestions on evalu-
around us is a critical step in learning to ating your work, see page 10).
be an artist. The next time you sit down to I love what Leonardo da Vinci said:
draw something from life, take note of how “Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt,
much time you spend looking at the object in and poetry is painting that is felt rather than
contrast to how much time you spend looking seen.” Whether you’re decorating a length of
at your drawing. Often people spend more fabric to sew into a tote bag or creating an art
time looking at the drawing and then are frus- quilt, go about your work as the artist that
trated because the drawing doesn’t accurately you are. Know that you are participating in
represent the object they’re trying to draw. the great act of creativity. Be proud and honor
how can it? The artist doesn’t really know yourself for the work you are creating and for
what it looks like, because he or she has been the courage you have to create it.
drawing based on a preconceived notion of
what the object looks like, rather than what it Thinking about Color
actually looks like.
Similarly, to succeed at fabric surface design, I very purposely put color theory in part 3 of
it’s important to develop the ability to observe this book. For many people it is a complicated
our work as it unfolds and not be locked into a subject that requires a lot of focused thought
visual preconception of what we want it to look to fully grasp. While planning this book, it was
like. When we come at it with an open mind, very important to me that no one would be
we are able to see our unique and personal overwhelmed from the get-go. I have come to
creations as the successes they truly are, not as understand from years of teaching that some
failures because they turned out different from brains just can’t wrap themselves around
what we had intended, or pre-imagined, them the color wheel very easily. It’s nothing to be
to be. Promise yourself that from now on you embarrassed about. It’s just like algebra (yikes!)
will take a thoroughly objective look at what or reading maps. Some of us can do it without
you are creating. Give your materials and your effort, and some of us have to work really hard
instincts (yes, you do have them) the right to at it. So in lieu of color theory, I suggest that for
guide your hands as they discover new tools, your first fabric surface designs, you use colors
new mediums, and new results. Pay attention
2
you are already familiar with and like. Chances design, in other words, how to create a fabric
are pretty good that they go together nicely. base that you can add onto. Almost all the tech-
niques covered in part 2 (stamps and prints,
How to Use This Book block printing, stenciling, monoprinting, and so
on) will be most successful if you apply them
You can, of course, start from the beginning to a piece of fabric that already has some back-
of this book and very methodically make your ground texture or color, however subtle you may
way from chapter to chapter. If that just isn’t choose to paint it. I personally love hand-painted
your style, however, feel free to hop around. fabrics that give an illusion of depth. Because of
Each chapter is self-contained and can be this, I have presented the techniques in an order
adapted to whatever stage your project is at. that’s logical for creating this kind of fabric.
The advantage of starting at the beginning is however you choose to approach this book,
that this is where I cover ideas and techniques make sure to have fun! Be a kid again! And
for preparing your fabric for other surface believe in the power of your own creativity!
a Word aBout reCordkeePing
Some of us do a great job of
keeping records, but many
of us don’t. We think we will
never forget how we did
something, especially when
we love it. but we do forget.
The easiest and most
pain-free method is to keep
a sample piece of fabric
close at hand. every time you
come up with a new design,
technique, or tool for any
given project, use it on your
sample piece of fabric. if you
think you won’t remember
how you did it, jot down a few
notes about it as well.
i use a 3-inch loose-leaf
binder to store my samples.
i staple them to 8½-by-
11-inch sheets of heavy white
paper, making notations of anything i think i may to have this notebook at hand, and for many of my
forget, including color names and/or numbers and projects, it has been invaluable to me. it can also
the recipes for any colors i mixed myself. i brush a serve as a great source of inspiration when my
swatch of each individual color i used directly on creativity bank feels empty. (For more about jour-
the paper, then brush on the final color they made nals and recordkeeping, see page 288.)
when mixed together. i am frequently very grateful
3
