Old techniques, new dyes or thinking outside the box

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Originally uploaded by mawelucky

 

 

 

 

 

On the last week of June we got to go to NYC and meet some of our dear friends.

     During that time, I got to talk to Adrienne about dyeing (textile fibers). Joseph was very interested in trying Kool Aid (KA from now on).

     When he told me he wanted to try KA to dye/paint paper, I felt like there was something that needed to be said, but couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

     Now that I’m rested and my brain is working I remember what I should have said then. This is for you, Joseph and also Ben and Mélisande* - the reasons why you should NOT use KA on paper.

     I could go on and on in the chemistry of dyes, but The gnome has already done it, way better than I could ever do.
     In a nut shell, protein fibers (wool, silk, milk, soy milk etc..) need an acid to make the dye to bond to the fiber.  Most other fibers (vegetable and man made) need an alkali to create the same bond.
     Without said bond you get a stain, something that over time will fade away – unless it is in your brand new (very expensive) outfit, then it will stay forever…

     KA is a great tool to begin dyeing protein fibers because it already has acid in it’s composition – great for beginners or for that rainy afternoon when you don’t want to go out.
Do you get what I’m going for?  The operative word here is acid.  Something KA has plenty of and makes it perfect for dyeing wool or silk, but it’s very, very bad for paper…
     I haven’t made any experiments with KA because it would defeat the whole process of keeping the paper acid free, but I did try some of the other dyes I have here.  My idea was that every other dye I use with protein fibers needs the addition of some sort of acid (I use vinegar), the dyes themselves probably have a neutral or very close to neutral ph.
     The results I got are probably stains, but for paper that is not so much of a problem, unless you choose to wash your paper often.
     The first two photos you see here are of Elephant Hide.  I used the shaving foam technique and sprinkled some Jacquard Dyes (actually, all the colors I had) and a bit of Wilton’s paste.  Here is another one:

     Although the final results are too busy and bright, I’ve learnt a lot from the process (and came up with a new technique to dye rovings ).  I haven’t tested the ph of the finished paper, but since I’m using shaving foam (aka soap), I think the end result has a slight basic ph.

     Using the sponge technique I’ve shown to you in NYC and different colors, I got these papers:
     In the photo this one looks very much like the one we did, but trust me, the colors are different.  Black forest green on the background and gold dabbed over it.
     This one is black with that pearl white and some grey.
     And this last one with different shades of red and another shade of gold.

     I’ve also done this one using  shaving foam and acrylic paints (white, pearl white and the interference paints I had – which don’t show in the pics at all):