Souvenirs for workshop 工作坊紀念品

  

I'll be away for teaching natural printing and wool felting in Taiwan in the coming days.  That will be workshops with like-minded friends for another level of creation . A trip brimming with passion is anticipated as some of the students we've met years before. 

The journal I made for this trip will be filled with friendship and ideas after the workshop.
為這兩周在臺灣的教學做了些紀念品, 從Irit Dulman 給我她自己印製的小布片做的小本子 , 而至我為學生們用羊毛氈印上桉樹葉的包扎繩子。小本子是我要記錄教學點滴, 繩子則用作材料結扎用。一切準備就緒, 期待與海峽對岸的朋友們再聚......

Last year Irit Dulman gave me a swatch of pretty eucalyptus buds prints she made on silk jersey.

 I tried to source the same fabric and made use the swatch memorable then covered the  journal with it.

 

After binding I cut around a natural flower print from my other swatch and stitched on the inside cover.

 

 An art journal with a few blank and printed pages ........

 

flapping in my hand........

 

....... pages waiting to be filled with words of memories

That will be the souvenir of my journey in Taiwan.

I wanted to make something a touch of sincerity for my students.  I felted some gift strings with prints of eucalyptus leaves.

 

Strings boiled for an hour.......

Unwrapped with aroma of eucalyptus

Dried quickly

A gift string to tie the materials pack with handmade welcome card

Not long I'll be in Taiwan for the teaching.  I will miss my hiking and biking team members.  Wish I could do biking in Taiwan after the teaching. During the two weeks I will be absent  from blog as my iPhone or iPad do not support the blogspot version. Readers may follow my Facebook or until next time.
Thanks for stopping by.

Weeds prints from hiking 草葉印染

 

Today hiking in the north of our region Hong Kong. Up there we saw China in a stone's throw away. 

從遠足走進印染的實驗, 今天在新界北區 「 麻雀嶺」, 走上山崗, 沒有
麻雀聲, 極目遠眺是香港八仙嶺及近在咫尺中國的沙頭角. 行山之餘見些乾草, 取了回家作實驗, 也為下周在台灣的教學準備, 確保已購買的布料是清晰可印染, 實驗証明是不錯.

今日天氣良好, 上山後煙霞朦朧仍是美景.

 

We started the trail in a village "Sheung Ma Tseuk Leng"

 

A village of traditional buildings of a few decades old, indeed not too old.

   

 A strenuous trail up in the beginning with stunning views around

Down are the villages in the China boundary

 

After almost an hour hiking ......

  

I made it, the second one on the top of the mountain.

 A break and a breathtaking view of the region

 

Visible is the well developed town of China.

 

Today's hiking was not hard but only in the beginning we've to climb up the mountain.  We finished in about 3 hours with half way easy walking down.

 

Since today was a bit cool I've to put on a scarf.  Friends know me well I always have something in my purse or wore about my works of natural printing and wool felting as samples to show people whenever I'm asked what I am doing with.  Today the scarf I put on for head wrap in the windy hiking.

 

This is the scarf I put on today.  It's made with two panels.  One part of natural prints of  demo sample to the tertiary students while the other side is digital prints of my photo with natural flower prints done in the recent Canada workshop.

 

This is the actual prints on silk chiffon with the local yellow flowers.

 

I learned the skills of digital prints of the images on fabric then made the collage and sewed two panels together.

 

So here is a piece of scarf with the skills of digital prints I learnt and the natural prints I taught.

 

On the way down the mountain I saw some weeds and got a few for my experiments on fabrics which will be used in the upcoming workshops in Taiwan.  I have to make sure the fabric works well.  Back home I immediately done the simple testing.

 All works well, the prints and the fabric as well the plants.

 I know weeds are better as resist, thus a little piece of red eucalyptus is icing on the cake.

Sumac and Lagerstroemia speciosa are good prints.

I'm too addicted in natural printing.  Every time when I do hiking I spy some plants to do experiments.  Tomorrow I go biking I am not sure if I can resist any windfalls to play. 

Simply life with simple natural prints 簡約生活●簡單植物印染

  

A simple life for me is simply to start a day with light breakfast....... toast on own made ceramic dish, brewed coffee and dried nuts.  What's more is with the brat in my front.

簡約生活 , 自作自受, 一口香濃咖啡, 兩片多士, 與貓兒共享.......細意品嚐.......我的天然植物印染.

幾乎每日每刻與我共存共享就是這些創作印染, 每一件不能重複, 那麼獨特, 這就是驅使我不停實驗研究的動力, 這裡有連結教材購買自學, 我以簡單材料圖文解說, 兩份教材從基本而至有層次色調可供選購.

1) 基本製法

2) 層次感媒染製法

 The wool flannel table runner printed with assorted leaves and plants in shades is the first tutorial I listed on ETSY.

 

 

After the many experiments I made the prints with iron carrier to bring out the shapes and shades.  As have to do a few samples for the workshop, I tried a few eucalyptus on the silk swatch.  Here are the samples done lately.

In the workshop we used only a few species of plants but the most effective for any prints is onion skins.  Even on cotton prints are impressive and bold. The images above are the mirror prints on silk and cotton of the onion skins.

 

With less or more of scattered onion skins, outcome is different.

   

The rich on the bottom with iron carrier made the shades.

Technique of making prints rich like this with appropriate mordant you can create unique fabric art.  Here's the link of my instant download pdf tutorial in ETSY.

 

To make a simple yet fabulous shades and shapes of natural prints you will find my basic pdf instant download tutorial in ETSY.  

Natural printing with tertiary students 專上學生的植物印染

 

I have a special project with the HK PolyU and my honour to share in a part of it for my natural printing with the students.  It's the first time for the tertiary students to encounter with such eco printing with direct prints from plants.  We used just rose leaves, sorts of ecualyptus leaves, sumac and onion skins.  They're creative and made the sample silk panels in two hours.

 

Little leaves composition

 

 

Shades of red, orange, brown and rich tones from onion skins

  

 With my simple basic skills they made the outlines and shades

Bright red from eucalyptus

 Clean and clear from lecturer's prints with only onion skins, simply bold and creative.

 Onion skins are really great prints.  The prints on silk with little outlines and shade looks like 3D effect after printing.  Even prints on the cotton iron carrier with pink shade of the original color.

 

A piece with all the materials - onion skins, sumac, rose leaves and eucalyptus.

 

Fabulous prints on silk panel

   

All my pleasure to share with the students as well the lecturer's pleased with the works.