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Silk artists and textile designers

Silk artists and textile designers around the world

Welcome to finding everything needed to paint on silk …

Finding everything I needed to paint on silk ...

I’ve been painting on silk since around 1980, when I studied with a silk artist in Paris [yes, THAT Paris!].

When I returned to Australia seven years later, I found it almost impossible to find the products, stores, books I needed, and it was a slow process to track them down over the next few years. I continued to travel and live overseas, and often shipped silk related goodies to my new homes in Europe or USA, or back to Australia.

I thought it would be great to share all this info with others, so I started teaching silk painting classes and taught wherever I happened to be living.

I created lists for my students where they could find products – silk, paint, brushes, books, steamers, cellophane bags for scarves and cards … where to get inexpensive woven labels, etc etc.

An idea was born!
An idea was born!

I started to build websites, and one day I had a brainwave … why not create a website and SHARE all my knowledge of where to buy bits and pieces all over the world??

I was amazed when I started to make a list of things to share, and the list of art links grew and grew and grew …

I launched the website in 2002, and since then many people have shared info with me which has been added to the site. So here we are in 2006, and I’ve decided it’s time for a facelift [for the website, not me] … and I am soooo excited about making the site look fabulous! Please join with me on my new adventure – let me know what you think!

Ciao for now,

New Silk Painting Magazine to be launched!

Great news about my new Silk Painting Magazine!

I’ve been working hard and am thrilled to say ..

There’s A New Silk Painting Magazine to be launched in 2022!

It’s called the SilkArtistMagazine.com

Silk Painting Magazine by Teena Hughes for Silk Artists

I have taken on this wonderful challenge, and it will be:

  • a printed magazine
  • available to purchase online and shipped to your address
  • multiple Silk Painting Projects inside
  • interviews with Silk Artists
  • in English (and hopefully French too!)
  • one-off purchase (and a monthly subscription may be available in the future!).

If you’d like to be notified when this is published, please do let me know by filling in the form below – many thanks!

Teena Hughes

 

▶︎ or click this link: https://silkartistmagazine.gumroad.com/l/launch

If you have any questions, please do get in touch – here are a couple of ways to do that:

Related Articles on Silk Painting

 


The Lady and The Unicorn Exhibition February 2018

The Lady and The Unicorn Exhibition February 2018

The Lady and The Unicorn Exhibition February 2018 in Sydney, Australia

Best described by the Gallery:

“Only the third time The lady and the unicorn tapestry series has left France in 500 years, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see these magnificent artworks in Sydney.

Revered as a French national treasure The lady and the unicorn tapestry series, often referred to as the ‘Mona Lisa of the Middle Ages’, will be making its exclusive appearance in Sydney at the Art Gallery of NSW through a generous and exceptional loan from the collection of the Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge in Paris.

Designed in Paris about 1500, the tapestries are considered to be some of the greatest surviving masterpieces of medieval European art.”

This is such an incredibly rare opportunity for you to see the world-famous “Lady and the Unicorn” tapestries which will be making their Australian debut at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) for an exclusive exhibition.

These incredible tapestries are on loan from the collection of the Musée de Cluny (Cluny Museum) – Musée national du Moyen Âge (National Museum of the Middle Ages) in Paris, France.

There are six tapestries and they will be on view:

  • from 10th February to 24th June, 2018 in Sydney, Australia.

To find out the histories and stories of the tapestries:

If you get to visit The Lady and The Unicorn Exhibition

Please do let me know your thoughts — I’d love to hear about it!

Cheers

Teena signature in pink

Teena Hughes

 

Paintbrushes for silk painting

Which paintbrushes for silk painting?

Paintbrushes to use for silk painting

When people ask me which paintbrushes I use to paint on silk, I tell them I use a variety … no specific brand, but the brush must be soft, and must be capable of holding a log of dye.

Unlike many silk artists, I do not use huge brushes or sponges to do large backgrounds – I stick to the normal sized brush and paint every inch of silk slowly and carefully. But this doesn’t mean it isn’t time for change – there’s always room to learn new techniques, and to step outside your comfort zone.

You might even learn something new and valuable which could make your task much easier!

When I first started painting I used sable brushes, many of which I still have today. I also have a beautiful old Japanese brush which holds an amazing amount of dye, and as it was a gift the year I started painting on silk, it’s quite a ‘relic’ now and holds a place in my heart … full of memories.

There are now many brushes which are not made from real animal fur, and you will need to test them to see which one ‘feels right’ for you:

  • does it bend enough when you use it?
  • does it hold a lot of dye?
  • is it flexible?
  • is it easy to wash and clean?
  • is it still soft when you next use it?

If you answer ‘yes’ to these questions and the weight of the brush feels good in your hand, then you’ve found a painting partner.

Below is a photo of my paints and brushes – you can see I write on the lids of small plastic bottles, to quickly see which colour is inside. I also lay my brushes down on a tray when working with them – first I put down paper towel, then a chopstick to act as a ‘rest’ for the brushes, and then I put a dab of paint on the paper towel to mark the position of that particular brush:

Paintbrushes to use for silk painting and other tools (photo)

Paintbrush Tips & Care

Always treat your paintbrushes with respect
always wash your brushes at the end of every painting session, so they’ll keep their good shape for years to come
if you’re travelling with your paintbrushes, pack them sensibly so they won’t get scratched or rub against each other
keep paper towel handy so you can always quickly wipe excess dye off if necessary.

If you treat your paintbrushes properly, they give you years of loyal service.

How to clean your paintbrushes

The care of paintbrushes is very important, and also very easy to do.

Wash your brushes under running water [warm is fine, hot is not necessary], massaging the brushes gently with your fingers. If you think the brushes may not be clean enough, keep an old bar of soap at the sink; place it in the bottom of the sink and let it get wet, then press the brush gently onto the soap and move it in a swirling motion to make a lather.

Now gently massage the soap into the bristles with your fingers, and you may notice the lather changing colour from the dye it has found … rinse this off well, repeat if necessary.

How to store your paintbrushes

After I’ve washed my paintbrushes, I wipe them with paper towel [not rub] and gently press the towel around the bristles to absorb any left over moisture. I then stand them up in glass jars with the brushes pointing to the ceiling.

When travelling with my brushes, I have found a neat way of storing them. I have a bamboo mat [generally used as a table mat] which I lay flat. I have a piece of thin soft fabric [flannelete] which is cut slightly smaller than the mat. I lay the brushes on the mat about an inch apart, and then I slowly roll up the mat with fabric and brushes inside. When finished I simply tie a piece of ribbon around the centre, or you could even use a rubber band or hairband. I prefer ribbon as it adds a dash of colour, and rubber bands may rot over time.