Botanical printed leather 植物印染皮革

Have you seen such botanical printing on leather?

Such bold prints with flowers and leaves are amazing. 

Delighted to have a bunch of talented and creative students learning leather printing in my home studio. They bought some plants and got few weeds from my corner. With their magic hands and creative minds here come the result. Mother Nature is kind to us as well weather was good. With flowers, foliages, weeds…. All have their unique layout and printouts.  They walked away with skills of mordant and two-sided printing technique.
很高興幾位充滿熱誠富創意的學生在我家居工作室學習皮革植物印

染，他們帶來花卉植物，也從我家角採了一些雜草，憑著意像鋪陳，皮革烙印了這些成果。大自然的恩𧶽，天氣又良好，花朵、綠葉、雜草…每一種都呈現出獨特的佈局印染效果，他們不僅掌握了媒染還學習雙面印染技巧色調。

 

I prepared batch of materials incl. sheep leather and fabrics 

The big gerbera is the most impressive printing

 

First piece I taught students with natural dyed blanket coverage. The cover fabric dipped in logwood with little iron thus come the different shades

After the first piece they also learned how to mordant their own leather.

Eco printing is like bakery.  I describe it as making a cake you can just mix flour, sugar, butter, egg....but different steps with variety.  So for a good look of leather printing mordant is vital for. Some iron, alum and others....  heat and timing are points to note.  If you're interested you may find my ETSY instant download pdf tutorials inspiring.

Started layout and bundling

Always opening is so exciting

They learned printing on both sides, that is under and over (right side and suede side)

So you see different hues and shades of both sides printing

 

 Each student made their few pieces with different coverage.  Such experiments made them happy and already wanted to do homework.

Thank you for my lovely students.  We get inspired from each other.

 

Taiwan botanical printing teaching

Last month I have a great time in Taiwan for a private fibre art teaching. We started printing on fabric to paper and leather as well doing wool felt then printing and made it purses. It's a nice experiment with local plants gathered in Taiwan and we're exploring some special techniques to make a series of colourful creation.

This simple basic wool scarf printing with little alum and iron to have two shades.

Linen silk with little logwood background

Paper printing is nice on water colour paper

Logwood plays wonderful magic

A piece of lamb leather with assorted leaves

Shibori skill on rayon

After making wool felt we printed with eculyptus then sewed zippers to make them purses.

Papers are made into art books.

Such nice time we work together. 

Arrays of colourful fibre creation in a week with creative students.

Botanical printing tote bag workshop

Introducing botanical printing of tote bag with a bunch of happy residents in Discovery Bay is fun and creative.

In a weekend morning with my samples and plants ready the show began.....

Participants gathered some onion skins, coreopsis and some leaves started layout and bundling. After an hour the outcome made some laughs.

 

Each made their own a one-of-a-kind  

I'm glad to teach people who are curious and interested in handmade especially like this eco printing. They did enjoy such experiment.

CentreStage fashion show

The annual CentreStage fashion spotlights held in Hong Kong this Sept.

 

Honored that my designer friend Ika Butoni invited me to her solo fashion show. She also has a booth showcasing her designs.

 

I was delighted to have a few pieces of my botanical printing on the table.

 

It's a grand event not only for buyers and sellers but also to promote designs from institutions.

 

I was glad to help in backstage for the models' fitting and rehersal.

 

Series of Ika Butoni's "Cross Culture" designs. I love all the unique pieces. So glamous and elegant.

 

Of all the series I particularly fond of botanical printing.

 

They're awesome

 

Japanese shibori skills are very impressed

 

Thank you so much for Ika Butoni's invite.  My few days behind the scene broadened my horizon of fashion and Ika's scrupulousness and expertise made the great show.