Painting and Drawing with Natural Dyes
No natural dye experience necessary. This class is an introduction to process and materials!
Limit 7 Attendees
604 N. Occidental Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Saturday, May 10, 2025 - 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Sunday, May 11, 2025 - 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Pack a lunch, we break from about 12:15-1:00 PM.
This course is meant as an exploratory introduction to natural dyeing through the freedom of gesture and hand-drawn illustration. Though dye processes will be explained in detail, the focus will be on the preparation of fabric and layering of graphic elements to produce intricate colored designs.
This is a slow and deliberate way of making detailed drawings directly on cloth.
Drawing from craft, process and traditions of kalamkari, chintz and tsutsugaki, we’ll explore the myriad ways of making marks on fabric including brush, kalam, dropper and squeeze tip. We’ll also step lightly into creating our own tools for mark-making.
We will be pre-treating our fabrics in a mixture of natural tannins from sumac and chestnut as well as a fatty milk and tree gums. This combination of ingredients turns the whole fabric into a canvas, ready to be explored with a brush, pen, or any other means of making marks. The fabric remains a neutral/cream color while everywhere we make marks quickly transforms to gray or black.
By layering colors and processes, a whole range of graphic elements and tones can be created on a single piece of fabric.
Saturday - Introduction to materials: tannins, thickening agents, mordants and graphic making tools. Coating fabrics and first mark making with iron. Pen shaping and kalam reservoir pen making.
Sunday - Layering mordants onto previously dyed fabrics. Infusions of madder dyeing and drawing. Layering processes and applying finishing to fabrics for longevity of color.
No natural dye experience necessary. This class is an introduction to process and materials!
Limit 7 Attendees
604 N. Occidental Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Saturday, May 10, 2025 - 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Sunday, May 11, 2025 - 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Pack a lunch, we break from about 12:15-1:00 PM.
This course is meant as an exploratory introduction to natural dyeing through the freedom of gesture and hand-drawn illustration. Though dye processes will be explained in detail, the focus will be on the preparation of fabric and layering of graphic elements to produce intricate colored designs.
This is a slow and deliberate way of making detailed drawings directly on cloth.
Drawing from craft, process and traditions of kalamkari, chintz and tsutsugaki, we’ll explore the myriad ways of making marks on fabric including brush, kalam, dropper and squeeze tip. We’ll also step lightly into creating our own tools for mark-making.
We will be pre-treating our fabrics in a mixture of natural tannins from sumac and chestnut as well as a fatty milk and tree gums. This combination of ingredients turns the whole fabric into a canvas, ready to be explored with a brush, pen, or any other means of making marks. The fabric remains a neutral/cream color while everywhere we make marks quickly transforms to gray or black.
By layering colors and processes, a whole range of graphic elements and tones can be created on a single piece of fabric.
Saturday - Introduction to materials: tannins, thickening agents, mordants and graphic making tools. Coating fabrics and first mark making with iron. Pen shaping and kalam reservoir pen making.
Sunday - Layering mordants onto previously dyed fabrics. Infusions of madder dyeing and drawing. Layering processes and applying finishing to fabrics for longevity of color.
No natural dye experience necessary. This class is an introduction to process and materials!
Limit 7 Attendees
604 N. Occidental Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Saturday, May 10, 2025 - 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Sunday, May 11, 2025 - 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Pack a lunch, we break from about 12:15-1:00 PM.
This course is meant as an exploratory introduction to natural dyeing through the freedom of gesture and hand-drawn illustration. Though dye processes will be explained in detail, the focus will be on the preparation of fabric and layering of graphic elements to produce intricate colored designs.
This is a slow and deliberate way of making detailed drawings directly on cloth.
Drawing from craft, process and traditions of kalamkari, chintz and tsutsugaki, we’ll explore the myriad ways of making marks on fabric including brush, kalam, dropper and squeeze tip. We’ll also step lightly into creating our own tools for mark-making.
We will be pre-treating our fabrics in a mixture of natural tannins from sumac and chestnut as well as a fatty milk and tree gums. This combination of ingredients turns the whole fabric into a canvas, ready to be explored with a brush, pen, or any other means of making marks. The fabric remains a neutral/cream color while everywhere we make marks quickly transforms to gray or black.
By layering colors and processes, a whole range of graphic elements and tones can be created on a single piece of fabric.
Saturday - Introduction to materials: tannins, thickening agents, mordants and graphic making tools. Coating fabrics and first mark making with iron. Pen shaping and kalam reservoir pen making.
Sunday - Layering mordants onto previously dyed fabrics. Infusions of madder dyeing and drawing. Layering processes and applying finishing to fabrics for longevity of color.