Mar
05
2011
More Katazome!
This owl is my favorite. Before:
After:
Detail:
Mar
04
2011
In mid-February I had the great opportunity to take a Katazome (Japanese paste stencil resist) class with Kit Eastman at the Textile Center. I had seen her beautiful work at art fairs and on her website.
The katazome process is pretty involved, but the main idea is that you apply paste to fabric using a stencil and then paint your fabric with pigments. All the areas that are covered in paste “resist” the pigment. After curing the fabric (aka: waiting a week), you soak off the paste and Viola!, all your careful work is revealed.
This Japanese dyeing method takes a lot of patience. Fortunately, that is something I have.
First, apply the paste through your stencil (Kit was generous enough to let us use hers): 
Paint your image, using a mix of pigments and soymilk. (Painting 3 coats–and letting it dry in-between each coat!):
Soak off the paste, gently press your work, and reveal the final design:
One of the coolest things about Katazome is the sheer level of detail you can create. Check out the tiny spots and whiskers on this rabbit:
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