I decided yesterday to try discharge dying. I don't know why I suddenly wanted to try it, but I did. I was thinking of using it in the first Art Image Challenge of the year. I had a Clorox Bleach Pen that I was going to use to do the bathroom floor, but then I didn't need it. So I pulled out a bunch of different fabrics. I did a wet and a dry sample of each. Then, while they were bleaching, I thought I would do some research. It turns out, I needed something called anti-chlor to make the bleaching process stop and keep my fabric from getting brittle. So I ordered it from Dharma Trading Company. (While on the website, I ordered some DynaFlow paints, too, like Jenny used in her first journal piece...) I rinsed them in water after I was done bleaching, and then threw them in the dryer.
I am not displeased with the results. My technique needs a little refining. Having the fabric wet kept the bleach from bleeding a lot. I think I will try using contact paper as a mask and spraying the bleach, too. But, I definately see how this could work into my first Art Image piece.
I look at the painting and see millions of individual snow crystals, all with hexagonal symmetry. I think that is what I am gong to explore for my piece. I have been researching snow crystals, and it is fascinating.
6 comments:
Fantastic. Now I have anti chlor, dyna flo paints and a Clorox bleach pen added to my shopping list. Thanks for inspiring me, I think. I'm sure DH is thrilled that I need more supplies.
This should be dynamite, Jules!
While I'm obsessing about how snow sticks to trees and rails, you're researching ice crystals--it's interesting to see how we each are drawn to different aspects of that painting.
Hmm, I have a couple of Clorox bleach pens in the laundry room. Better get some Anti-Chlor! I think its great that you're exploring a theme here, and I like your results. Jen
I did some of the same kind of messing around with common products and started a thread on about.com in the surface design section. There are some links and discussions. I ended up using one of the fabrics I did as my Oct AIC background where I had used the clorox soft scrub on fern sponges. It was very delicate and I loved the results of the bleaching. I didn't do anything to set it but I did wash it thoroughly by hand & it's OK.
I bought myself a couple of bleach pens on an artist date in Target (?!) before Christmas, and ordered Dyna-Flo fabric paints last week when I ordered the fabric sheets for the printer that someone suggested from Dharma -- no anti-chlor yet though. Seems like there is always one (or many) more thing(s) I have to have, ya know?!
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