Sue Reno Studio: Experiments in SolarFast printing

July 6, 2018

Experiments in SolarFast printing - part 3

I used up all of the SolarFast colors I had on hand except for red, scarlet, and purple. I wanted more variety in the next set of prints so I decided to experiment combining them with Dye-na-Flow textile paints. These are highly pigmented paints with a thin body that "flow" across the surface of the fabric.

For subject matter I used plants from a corner of the garden that needed to be weeded. The long oval leaves are burdock, the five pronged leaves are Virginia creeper, and the roundish ones are garlic mustard.

I combined the reds and purples with three different Dye-na-flow greens. I was in the moment and didn't keep track of what got used where. These are all on cotton sateen.

I covered the panels with glass and set them out in the hot sun. I let them expose for about 2 hours. As in my previous experiments, please be aware that I am purposefully ignoring the instructions on the correct way to use these products. Here are the exposed, un-washed prints.

There was a nice amount of movement with the paint as the sun wicked it from under the leaves. And I think the Solarfast moved about a bit also, where it was under the leaves.

But the really exciting part is where the Solarfast dye struck almost instantly, leaving the marks of the foam brush I was using. This is a big difference from the usual heliographic paint prints I do with textile paints like Setacolor Transparent. I hope to exploit this tendency in the next trial.

The big question, though, is what would happen after exposure? The panels were still quite damp when I brought them in. The Dye-na-flow needs to be heat set, but the Solarfast needs a thorough wash out. What to do? I briefly considered trying to dry them, in lingerie bags, in the dryer, but that seemed both messy and likely to transfer color where I didn't want it. I also considered using lots of press cloths and trying to iron them dry, but that also seemed like a pain.

So I threw caution to the wind and just went ahead and washed them in hot water with textile detergent. Here are the results:

I was counting on the heat that built up under the glass during the exposure at least partially setting the Dye-na-flow, and that appears to be what happened. Some of it washed out, but much remained.