Kousa Dogwood – Work in Progress Update 3

I’ve been experimenting again with Jacquard Solar Fast as a printmaking medium.  I worked with it last year, making prints of my Kousa dogwood.  (You can read about it here.)  A few months ago I got a new supply of the product (see disclaimer below), and have been waiting until the weather and the garden were both cooperative to try it out.
 
In this set of pictures I’m working with the color Red, which comes out of the bottle as a medium pink tone.  It’s a new formulation, and does not have the ammonia odor of the product I used last year—in fact, it had no discernible odor at all.  I used a sponge brush to spread it on pfd (prepared for dyeing) cotton broadcloth.  I arranged a flowering branch from my Kousa on it, and held it in place with a few strategic small pins.

Above is the print as it was being exposed to sunlight, under a sheet of glass.  It was a bright, sunny day, and I used an exposure of about 15 minutes, which worked out well.  I used too much product, probably because I am accustomed to slathering a certain amount of paint when I make heliographic prints, and had a bit of condensation form under the glass.  The resultant minor splotchiness in the solid areas of the print bothers me not a jot, as I feel like the variation adds interest.  As I continued to make more prints I used less product, followed the instructions (ahem) and blotted away any excess.
Above is the print after exposure, after removing the branch, and before washing.  Solar Fast needs to be washed out completely, so that the areas that were not masked do not develop color later.  Directions for all of this can be found on the Jacquard website.  Below is the finished print.  I’m very happy with it.
Here is a similar print made with the color Purple.  All of the colors I’ve tried have been just excellent, very rich and vibrant.  The other aspect I really appreciate about Solar Fast is the ability to feather it out around the edges.  I really like the effect and anticipate leaving some of the brush work visible when I later crop and stitch the print. I had a fun afternoon of printmaking, and am thinking about other ways to use this process and this product.  I hope to bump this Kousa quilt up a bit further in the queue awaiting my attention.  The prints are wonderful and deserve to be showcased.

Disclaimer:  A Jacquard representative contacted me and generously offered to supply me with some samples of Solar Fast to experiment with.  I accepted the offer, with no strings attached.  Aside from the product I received no compensation, and my experiments and opinions are my own. 

Kousa Dogwood – Work in Progress Update 2

After making some cyanotype prints of my Kousa dogwood, I experimented with a new product, Jacquard Solar Fast.  (I have no affiliation and am receiving no compensation.)  It’s a sunlight-developed dye that comes in a range of colors.  I chose Green for this trial. The process is straightforward. Using a piece of foam board for support, I brushed the dye on pfd (prepared for dyeing) fabric, in this case cotton sateen, so that it was even coated but not super saturated. The product had a strong ammonia smell, but it has been reformulated since I purchased mine and the new batches are said to be odor free.  I arranged my dogwood leaves and blossoms on the fabric.

I covered the arrangement with a piece of plate glass and took it out into the sunlight for a timed exposure.  I did a few tests to determine the correct time, in this case about 15 minutes.  I could see the deep green color developing.
Above you see the print after exposure and before washing.  Unlike cyanotype prints, which just need to be rinsed, this product needs to be thoroughly washed out of the fabric, using textile detergent.
And here is a finished print.  I’m quite pleased with it.  The green color will be a good, subtle contrast to the cyanotype Prussian blue, and there is just enough difference in the look of the two types of prints to make it interesting.  I think Solar Fast has a lot of potential for my work, and plan on experimenting with other colors and processes with it.

This work in progress will but put to one side for a time as I wait for the Kousa fruits to ripen. They are lovely and bumpy and interesting, and the foliage has good autumn color.   I will take photos and make images in the fall, and have until then to consider how I want to proceed.

Up next: A Quilting Arts Blog Hop!

As always, thanks for reading and commenting.

Kousa Dogwood – New Work in Progress

I am always looking closely at my yard and garden for inspiration and subject material.  I have a pair of Kousa dogwood trees I planted decades ago that have grown into lovely specimens.  They are sited so that I can look down on them from above on the deck when they are in bloom, a clever arrangement that lets me fully appreciate their graceful form. 

I spent some time recently making some Kousa prints, starting with my old standby and perennial favorite, the cyanotype print. In the image above you see treated cotton sateen fabric, with the leaves and flowers arranged and lightly pinned in place on a piece of foam insulation board.
I covered the arrangement with a sheet of plate glass and took it outside in the bright sunlight for a timed exposure.  I like this process shot showing my shadow.

Above is the fabric after exposure.  The exposed areas have turned grayish, while the areas that were masked by the leaves are unchanged.  The areas covered by the flowers have been partially exposed, as the petals are semi-transparent.
Here is the rinsed and finished print.  I am very happy with the way the cyanotype process captured the delicacy of the blossoms.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Up next: I experiment with Solar Fast printing.

As always, thanks for reading and commenting!