PAINTSTIK INSTRUCTIONSby Laura Murray |
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WHAT ARE PAINTSTIKS?Made from pigment, oil and wax, Shiva Paintstiks resemble jumbo sized crayons. There are two types of Paintstiks; professional colors in a matte type finish and iridescent colors which have a metallic sheen. In addition, there are blenders —- a Paintstik without pigment -- which can be mixed to lighten colors. The advantages include:
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Frequently asked questions How to avoid fabric slipping? To prevent fabrics from slipping across the surface of the plate, spray the plate with a temporary spray adhesive such as Sulky KK2000 or 404. This holds everything is place, making it easier to obtain a crisp image for your rubbing. I've also found that using a Grip n'Grip greatly helps with slipping. This is a mat with a slightly tacky surface that minimizes slips. Place your fabric on the mat and it stays where you put it. Great for stenciling – no need to tape your fabric to your work surface. Also keeps rubbing plates where you put them. In lieu of a mat, you might try using masking tape. How to avoid little "globs" of paint on the design? Try a lighter touch when rubbing, and make sure to wipe off the tip of the paintstik to eliminate any loose paint particles. Little chunks of paint can be picked up with the sticky side of tape (masking,duct, scotch,etc), or by running a lint roller over the surface. How to add layers of color? It's ok to layer colors and designs one on top of the another -- no drying required between applications. When using a stamp with paintstiks, does the paint go on the stamp first? No, use the stamp as a rubbing plate. Place the fabric on top of the stamp, and gently rub the surface with the paintstik. Rubbing paint directly onto a stamp adds an unnecessary step, and most of the paint remains on the stamp instead of the fabric. Why can't I just rub the paintstik directly onto the stencil, instead of bothering with a brush? The paintstik tip is too blunt to reach into the fine detail of a stencil. Very clean, crisp lines can be obtained by first putting the paint onto the stencil brush. How do I avoid smeared designs? Using too much pressure on the Paintstik, and rubbing back and forth without lifting it up are the major culprits in smeared designs. Experiment with pressure until you find the most effective level. Move the paintstik in one direction, lift up, and continue. Be sure to frequently wipe the paintstik on a paper towel to remove any loosened skin. |
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PREPARATIONPrewash commercial fabrics to remove any sizing using a plain detergent with no bleach or softener additive. The reason for this is that sizing, bleach residue and softeners can interfere with paint adhesion. Press out any wrinkles. It’s a good idea to cover your work surface with heavy plastic drop cloth, as with any paint project. Before you begin to paint, remove the protective skin from the end of the Paintstik. This can be done by "pinching" it off with a paper towel, or carefully peeling it away with a small, sharp knife. |
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TECHNIQUESAdding texture with rubbings -- my favorite, since large areas of fabric can be covered with texture and color in just a few minutes. To make the rubbing, you need a textured surface that is reasonably flat with raised elements that are firm enough and thick enough for the texture to be felt through the fabric, i.e. rubber mats, stamps, rubbing plates, blocks wrapped with string or cord, etc. Select a piece of fabric. If the fabric slips and you want the surface to be taut and flat -- tape three edges of the fabric to your work surface. A very handy alternative to tape is a mat called a Grip ‘n Grip which holds texture and fabric where you put them. The mat is also very useful for holding fabric while stenciling, writing or drawing around templates, fusing appliqué, etc. (Check online store if you are interested). Slide the textured surface (image side up) between the fabric and work surface. Gently apply the Paintstik color directly to the fabric over the textured surface using even strokes and moving in one direction. Move the textured surface to a new location under your fabric and make additional rubbings. New textures and colors can be layered without waiting for the paint to dry. Stenciling -- Paintstiks are excellent for stenciling on fabric, and produce a lovely airbrushed effect. Because the paint is nearly solid (vs. liquid like other fabric paint), there is no chance of paint seeping under stencil edges. When working with stencils, add the Paintstik color to your fabric with a stencil brush rather than using the Paintstik directly. Although you can just rub the brush directly into the Paintstik for loading color, I prefer applying the Paintstik color to a palette surface first, then transferring the paint to a brush. A good palette surface has a slightly abrasive surface, i.e. parchment paper, disposable palette paper from art supply stores, or make your own by applying several strips of masking tape to your work surface. After loading the paint onto the stencil brush, use a gentle, circular motion to apply the color. Experiment with blending colors and shading effects. Generally, if shading is desired, apply the lightest color first, and continue adding darker colors until you are satisfied with the effect. Stencils may be purchased from a variety of sources, or consider making your own from freezer paper, card stock or stencil plastic. |
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Apply Color directly -- Simply apply the color directly to your fabric either with a stencil brush, or directly with the Paintstik. Use a stencil brush to smooth and blend the colors. Masking tape can be used to create boundaries, creating designs such as plaids, lattices, triangles, etc. This is a great technique for use in shading flowers, leaves, etc – simply build up layers of color until the desired effect is achieved.Blending -- Colors can be mixed on the palette, and lighter values can be achieved by use of a "blender" Paintstik. First, rub a small amount of the blender onto a palette surface, put the selected color on the stencil brush, and rub into the blender paint. A lighter value will result. You can mix any of the colors together to achieve new colors by using this method, i.e. mixing yellow and blue will result in green. It’s ok to mix professional colors with iridescents. CLEAN UPClean up is easy, since soap and water work fine and are readily available for cleaning hands and tools. Traditional solvents, such as turpentine, are effective, but have a strong odor. Other options include odorless solvents (found in art supply stores); citrus based household solvents or any cleaning product labeled with the word "degreaser". HEAT SETTINGPaintstik color generally dries to the touch within 24 hours. However, fabric requires additional "curing" time of 3-5 days for the oils to dry. After the curing process, heat setting is necessary to complete the chemical reaction that occurs when paint dries. For heat setting with an iron, choose the hottest temperature the fabric can withstand. Lay a piece of greaseproof paper (or muslin) over your ironing surface. Lay the fabric on the paper, paint side down. Press each section of your fabric for 10-15 seconds (press, don’t iron). An alternative method, particularly for large pieces of fabric, is to put the fabric into the dryer, and run on the hottest setting for 30 minutes. After heat setting, wash your fabric by hand or machine in cold water to remove residue from the chemical process that occurs as paint dries. Do NOT dry clean fabrics embellished with Paintstiks because the dry cleaning solvents will break down the paints. |
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©2003-2007 Laura Murray All rights reserved. |