Earth Pigment Painting Live Stream

I will be Live Streaming this evening at 8 pm Central Time (Iowa), join me for chat while I paint fabrics with earth pigments for an upcoming solo show!

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mark-making-with-nature

Goldenrod Dye Pot

Goldenrod out in the field.

One pounds worth of fresh goldenrod plant tops will dye quite a bit of silk fabric quite nicely.

A close up of the blossoms.

Three Winters Table Cloth

Three Winters Table Cloth, vintage Damask, after being unwrapped.

After washing

Now in last years Osage Orange Dye Vat.

Madder Root on Cotton and Monitor Colors

In case your monitor is reading tans and beige be rest assured that the colors in my Madder Root on Vintage Trims post are in fact peach, coral, and orange! AND there's even a bright neon yellowish to orangish on the nylon cotton blend. NOTE that colors DO vary from monitor to monitor, and my monitor is set to CMYK mode.

While dyeing cotton fabrics does involve a certain amount of work bright colors CAN be obtained on cotton and linen fabrics! Don't be discouraged by what other's say bright colors ARE obtainable on cotton and linen. I've been dyeing cotton for over 15 years now and I'm living proof that it is indeed possible.

Stirring the Indigo Fermentation Vat

Here you can see the madder root, which has yet to break down, under the indigo water's surface the water has a blue foam on the top but has not turned a dark blue yet. This vat requires more fermentation time before it will become usable.

The vat will start out dark blue color you will need to beat air into the vat to get it to reduce at this time. Beating the indigo fermentation vat seems to defy all logic when it comes to indigo dyeing - where you are constantly being told to NOT introduce Oxygen into the vat, this is the one time you get to stir the dickens out of your indigo vat and it results in great colors!

Here the color is beginning to turn a dark pea green color, it needs further reduction so keep stirring until it turns yellow.