[ddot]

yesterday i had my first fabric painting class, and what fun i had. it was a pretty basic class where we learnt about using original designs, patterns and inspiration on cotton using fabric paint. i had a few ideas in my head, some involving repeat pattern {swirls, squares and diamonds} and also something urban {apartment windows}, in the end i went with my favourite colour and citrus: yellow + lemon in a moment of spontaneity because i wanted to start the process as soon as i stretched the two metre piece of cotton over the spikey frame.

before the brush touched the fabric, i had to mix the first shade of yellow. and it was this part of the process which i loved the most, the mixing of the paints from a permaset range. each shade was mixed using a deep or bright yellow with either tinges of blue, magenta, red or green. as fabric paint works, you can use water to get the paint quite runny; making a texture which runs across the fabric much faster {hence the use of a hair dryer around the edge of each lemon to ensure they remained on their own} which in turn makes a lighter colour when dry.

so the lemons on cotton was the first print i made; quite an enjoyable process as i really had no idea where i was going with it, each lemon was painted as the other was drying and i was working from different sides of the fabric each time. no real plan, but a learning experience of composition and mixing paints. i am thinking about using a canvas to stretch the fabric on and hang it up in my kitchen for some brightness.