“Good art theory must smell of the studio, although its language should differ from the household talk of painters and sculptors.” - R. Arnheim
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| Outside facing sheets. |
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| Inside facing sheets. |
As of late I have been exploring layers and organic dyes. Those who have seen me work know that I love layers. I get submerged in the process of working and with each layer working through something. I have done natural prints in the past using various methods. When I was growing-up in Cuba I remember my mom helping me pick-out colorful leaves from Croton plants and tropical flowers. We would mash these up in a mortar and add alcohol. The resulting juice was filtered through a sheet of fibrous paper (much like a coffee filter). As the plant juice filtered through and dried, the colors would separate into distinctive bands of color (wow, could this have been my very first mandala!).
It was only a matter of time until I ventured into natural dyes. Thats right, it is exactly what it sounds like. The process of using natural materials to alter the appearance of another. In this case I am referring of using materials that could (given the right conditions) ‘bleed-out’ pigment onto a receiving surface.
The first and most important rule rule of this project is: be prepared to make mistakes and for things not to turn-out as planned. When things take their own turn, be mindful, and go with it.
Here are some instructions in case you wanted to experiment on your own...
Some informative research came from this site:
Materials needed:
- a deep pan
I use a rectangular foil pan that is 2-3 inches deep. A plastic one could also be used or a glass one. Whichever container is used will most likely be permanently stained.
- a plastic tablecloth to protect the work surface
You can also cut open a garbage bag and use that. This is handy throughout the entire process from start to finish so it is indispensable.
- something heavy
Placing a weight on top of the pages gives greater contact. I use a clean plastic jug full of water.
- [enough] boiling water
Boiling water needs to be poured over the entire contents of the pan. All items being dyed need to be submerged. So, the amount depends on the depth of the pan and the amount of stuff in it. Also, if you use a weight, you will use less water. *Be careful and mindful as not to burn yourself or others as well as on which surface you are working on.
- organic material [the source of the dyes]
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| Fresh & dried flower petals work well |
Almost anything goes, so have fun and collect and experiment. Here’s a few items to try: fall leaves, grass clippings, japanese maple seedlings (and leaves), some barks, some nuts (black walnut), flowers (fresh or dried), tea, metal objects (that may be rusty), etc.
- natural material [the stuff to be dyed such as paper]
The site above and several others focus on dyeing natural fibers such as cotton or silk. My focus here was on paper since that is most readily accessible. The thicker the better, think watercolor paper, card stock, etc. I have also tried hand made paper (that is light in color) and it worked well.
- Alum
This is a naturally occuring astringent and has been used in the dyeing process since antiquity. It can be acquired from large art suppliers in the form of a powder. A little goes a long way and I’ve kept a batch in the fridge for months and it is still working fine. Once mixed with water for application to the surface to be dyed it turns clear -- so label the bottle: Not for human consumption.
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| Layer the plant material between sheets of paper. |
- vinegar
This is optional and it interacts with the plant material.
- strainer
To help in clean-up.
- a note
While optional, I find that a note to the effect of “hands-off” is quite helpful. The layered items must sit undisturbed for a minimum of 24hrs (or close to it), so wherever they are compiled they must stay.
Process:
1. Ensure that all the materials to be stained (in this case sheets of paper) fit within the deep-pan you have selected for this purpose. Otherwise trim it down to size.
2. Cover the surface you will be using for this. Ensure that this project can stay where you ‘build’ it for a minimum of 24 hours...you don't want to be moving a pan with boiling water anytime soon. Great lesson in patience here.
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| Adding a weight on top helps keep things submerged. |
3.Once you have all the materials, paint-on or spray-down the surfaces to be dyed with the alum-water mixture. I tend to spray both sides just in case something cool happens on the reverse. It will dry within a few minutes so do this first while you set-up the other items. You can also do this ahead of time and save the alummed materials as such (careful labeling is important because you will not notice any differences once it dries).
4. Set the water to boil...watch it and turn off once it boils.
5. Play with the layers and organic materials. You can layer as you wish. Some people suggest that the layers be sandwiched between clips so they do not move/shift. Other places foil wrap the layers for the same effect. I like my method of using a jug of water to press the layers down. I have also had interesting results from using a piece of string to loosely ‘tie’ the layers together. Depending on the string used you’ll also end-up with dyed string for another project.
Plant materials can be used whole in the case of small twigs with leaves or large leaves, or even flowers. Items can also be pulled-apart or shredded and sprinkled (easier with the dried stuff). Tea that has been steeped without sugar can also be used. I would open the tea bag and sprinkle the contents versus dropping-in a bag.
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| Sheet freshly pulled-out of mixture. |
6. Once the paper and organic material lasagna is ready and the water has boiled. Carefully and slowly pour-in the hot water until everything is submerged. Careful not to overfill the pan.
7. Put out your sign & wait. This is the hardest part but well worth the wait of at least 24 hours.
8. Once it is time to take the lasagna apart do so slowly, mindfully, and near a garbage can. Gloves are optional depending on what materials were used as dye. Slowly separate the layers one at a time and place each sheet on a flat surface until dry. Don’t worry about removing any plant materials just yet. If you had a plastic table cloth on the work surface you wont need to go far to lay-out the sheets. The sheets will be fragile so handle with ease. Great time to practice your breathing and awareness. Dry-time will vary but wont be less than 1-2 hours.
9. Discarding the “tea”. If you have access to the outdoors, just toss it (its plant material right?). If indoors strain the parts that would otherwise clog a drain (toss those in the compost or garbage) and discard the water down the drain.
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| String used to keep sheets together. |
Voila.
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