Silk Painting How to

How to Use Freezer Paper

As an alternative to stretching silk and tacking it down to stretcher bars, you can iron silk to freezer paper, then paint it using any one of many techniques used on stretched silk. Follow these simple steps:

• Create a clean, smooth surface large enough for the silk you wish to paint; if necessary, protect the surface from silk dyes and paints with a waterproof material. Adding a layer of newspaper to the waterproof surface allows for absorption of liquids and makes cleanup simple.

• Spread a length of Reynolds plastic coated freezer paper on the surface you have prepared (or use an ironing board).

• Place the silk on the paper, shiny paper side up, leaving a margin of freezer paper around the entire piece of silk.

• Heat iron to medium high.

• Carefully holding the silk in place, start at one end or corner and iron the entire piece of silk onto the freezer paper; take care to keep the iron moving across the surface of the silk so heat does not mar the fabric. If you get a wrinkle or crease in your silk as you iron, simply peel that part of the silk away from the freezer paper and re-iron in place. If the silk does not adhere to the paper, turn the heat up on your iron and try again.

• Turn the paper/silk over and iron other side for an extra strong hold.

Once silk fabric is ironed onto the freezer paper, it will remain there until you peel it off, at the end of your painting process.

As on any silk, dyes and fabric paints can be used to apply color to silk ironed onto freezer paper. The color can be applied in any way, using any tool available: dyes can be brushed, sprayed, stamped and dripped onto your silk in addition to using the gutta serti method. You can apply color in stripes or plaids or splotches or waves; you can create abstract or realistic shapes and designs by varying the colors you apply, techniques and tools you use, and the order in which you use them.