Poinsettias on Silk Greetings Cards

                                     Poinsettia on silk (c) Tessa Spanton

Silk Painted Greetings Cards Demonstration
I have written a step by step demo for Leisure Painter magazine Jan 2015 out Dec 6th on painting poinsettias on silk for greeting cards. The magazine is also available to buy online as a PDF from here

Silk Painting Starter Kit
I have also put together a kit with the basics needed for this project coming in at under £10.
The kit would be ideal for beginners, adults or children and would make a nice little gift or stocking filler.
 Update the kit is no longer available to buy from Silkcraft but the component parts are:  Silkcraft's own make ironfix paints, silk, gutta, and freezer paper. If you phone and explain I am sure Alison can help. 01246 290179
They are also available to buy at my classes.

The kit contains 3 mixable silk paints, some silk, backing paper for mounting the silk to for working on, gold outliner and a card mount. There is plenty of paint to make several cards or other projects.
You can add to the order for no extra postage, if you want more card mounts these are available to but or you could use plain card instead. Although not needed for this project a bottle of pink iron fix paint would be a useful addition for other projects.
There are full instructions in the article.

Canna Durban silk painting

  Canna Durban    silk painting by Tessa Spanton (c)

                                   
I have several paintings in 'Art for Gifts at Christmas' until 24th Dec 2013
The one above is in the window. It is in a light hardwood frame size 23x27in
at The Corner Gallery, Carshalton Beeches, Surrey

I grow these cannas in my garden and draw them at different stages as they grow. I did a series of paintings from my drawings inspired by the way the colours glow in the sun.

I painted using successive layers of colour and clear outliner resist. No size or thickener was used.
I draw on the silk with a pencil and then wet the silk. It wouldn't work using a fade away marker as it would vanish when the silk was wet. The colours are brushed onto the wet silk and go beyond the pencilled shapes. I used iron fix paint for this but steam fix can also be used this way. Clear outliner is then applied to some of the pencil lines. Then paint is brushed to one side of the line to cut out the shape.
It needs some planning as to which colours will work over which. The outliner lines will not be visible if paint is only put on one side of the line when finished a sharp edge is created. If painted both side of the line then the line will be the colour of the first layer as in the pink edge of the stem of the central flower. Depending on the painting I might repeat this several times building up more layers and depth of colour.