Creating a Silk Scarf

 

I begin by sketching out my ideas with a mechanical pencil (mostly commuting on the train between yoga and the studio).

 

I completely redraw the sketch onto Bristol Board. I use tiny .005 micron pens to trace over the drawing (if you live in Brooklyn and your art store is sold out of .005 microns, I probably bought the last one.) I tend to leave a trail of them wherever I go...

I scan in the pen and ink drawing and print the design onto vellum. The transparency becomes a color separation (stencil) for screen printing. I screen print the image onto the blank white silk scarves with a black, water-based resist called gutta.

After the gutta dries, I stretch the scarf onto plastic stretcher bars using tiny pins. I hand paint the background with special silk dyes. I have to work very quickly and carefully to avoid getting watermarks or bleeding through the lines.

I paint the design using the silk dyes in a similar technique to watercolor painting, using the white of the scarf for highlighted areas. The painting process can take up to 7 hours for intricate designs.

Once the scarves are dry they need to be steam set. I roll them up in newsprint and aluminum foil and then steam them in a pot for 4 hours.

Voila! We have a silk scarf. Ready to wear or hang as a beautiful piece of artwork. If you order them from my Etsy shop they will be packaged in screen printed wrapping paper. Perfect for the holidays!
www.etsy.com/shop/rochellefox