slkpaintingasilkpiece

	If I will use silver or gold or black gutta I draw the design with black pencil. If I will use colourless gutta I use white colour pencil or coloured (other then black) gutta I draw the design with a coloured pencil.


	You can add 'encre typographic' to solvent based gutta. Encre typographic (below) comes in tubes and in every colour. To optain a water based coloured gutta you can use gum arabic by making it very fine and melt it in hot water then mix with pure colours. When the silk is steam cooked and washed in warm water gum arabic dissolves completely and only a colour line remains. (At the left side you see gum arabic) To melt the gum arabic use 'bain-marie' and very hot water.

	I have bought these frames in Paris. They are very very usefull. There are very fine needle like pins to hold the silk on two sides. At the corners of one side the long screws tightened and on the other side the screws move along the long groove to stretch the silk. I use a large brush o push the silk, so the needles don't puncture my fingers.

	These pictures show drawing the design with red coloured gutta that I prepared a day ahead. Do not use another coloured gutta before these lines are completely dry. Because they tend to mix with each other. Another point to remember when you are painting the design try not to pass over the line.

	Left I am painting the flowers to dark and light tones of red. Right you see the brown and yellow tones of the flowers and the leaves.


	When I paint the background I use a brush in closed and small areas but for the large areas I use a sponge. because the dried areas may leave a dark line I should work very fast and going from one side of the work to the other side preventing the paint to dry.

		You see at the left the painted work ready to be steam cooked and at the right a new drawing ready to be painted.