Experiment, Focus, Resolve

Claire Benn & Leslie Morgan | May 21-25, 2012

DESCRIPTION

This period at the Crow Barn will provide you with time out in paradise to experiment with a variety of mark-making tools, focus on one of them and resolve some of the pieces you produce. The class will be structured as follows:

Experiment

On Monday, Claire and Leslie will start by demonstrating a wide range of tools, showing how each can be manipulated to achieve different effects.  Approaches will include:

• scraping

• writing, doodling, scribbling & sketching

• mono printing

• painting & dry-brushing

• using found objects

• silk screen (key approaches only)

• brushes

Each student will then work on samples to experiment and explore all of the approaches, using dye paints or discharge paste.

Focus

On Tuesday morning, the results from the first day will be rinsed out, ironed and pinned up on the design wall. Each student will be asked to choose a single approach to focus on for the remainder of Tuesday, and through Wednesday. Focusing on one approach will enable each student to:

• explore the many different effects/marks a single tool can generate

• use repetition to develop mastery of the tool

• work up layers of single marks (in different values or color combinations)
  
  

Resolve

On Thursday morning, Claire & Leslie will provide an inter-active lecture on how to review work-in-progress and give consideration as to how to resolve or move on individual pieces of cloth. Students will spend the rest of Thursday and Friday morning resolving up to three pieces.

Generally…

Leslie and Claire will circulate throughout the class to give guidance and advice, with emphasis on one-to-one discussions on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Clear-up will take place between 2-3pm on Friday afternoon, and the class will close with a group review between 3-5pm.

How students use their resulting cloth is up to them, but options include:

• compositional whole cloth

• a palette for cutting up and restructuring/collage

• garment or interiors yardage
  
  

For more experienced students…

Those who have studied with Claire and Leslie will know they are relaxed if more experienced students choose to work independently from the class format. If this is something you’d like to do, then go for it - but please let Claire & Leslie know in advance so they can plan accordingly!!

CLASS HOURS

Teaching hours will run from 8.30am to 5.30pm with breaks, although Leslie and Claire will be available from 7.30am to 9.30pm.

SUPPLIES & SUPPLIES FEE

Feedback from previous classes has indicated that many students would prefer to ship or transport less equipment. As such, in addition to supplying the media, we provide access to a selection of tools. The supplies fee of $40 will include use of the following media and materials:

• Procion Mx dyes: Strongest Red, Mixing Red, Sun Yellow, Golden Yellow, Turquoise, Mixing Blue, Deep Black and Chocolate. Claire & Leslie will provide help and guidance on color mixing.  Participants are welcome to bring other colors for personal use.

• Discharge: Formosul will be used as the discharging medium.  It can be used in paste or liquid format.

• Fabric Paints: Magenta, Scarlet, Acid Lemon, Golden Yellow, Turquoise, Royal/Mixing Blue, Black, White, Transparent Extender Base, metallic Gold, Silver and Chocolate.

• Resists: Soy Wax, flour paste, cover film, freezer paper, masking tape (for resist work on cloth or on-screen).

• Chemicals: Urea, Ludigol, Calgon, Sodium Alginate/ProThick SH  (for making Chemical Water and Print Paste), Soda Ash, Salt and Formosol.

• Tools: a selection of key tools will be provided, including:
  

• • distressed bristle decorators’ brushes

• • foam brushes

• • a selection of bristle & synthetic artists’ brushes

• • monoprinting plates (large & small)

• • tjantings & other soy wax tools

• • credit cards and scrapers

• • rollers

• • needle-nose bottles

An ample supply of thickened and liquid (water-colour consistency) dye paints, discharge media, Chemical Water & Print Paste will be ready for use on the first day. Thereafter, a rota will be established where 3 to 4 different people per day will be responsible for keeping stocks topped up. Recipes will be posted to ensure consistency throughout the week. Other media will be available for use at any time.

STUDENT REQUIREMENTS LIST

General Advice on Cloth

For dye paints, we prefer to work on soda-soaked cloth rather than putting soda ash into the dyes (the benefits of this approach will be explained). A soda vat will be available for on-going soda soaking throughout the workshop. To soda soak scoured cloth:

• Pre-scour it, then dry it or spin-dry it.

• Create a soda vat large enough for your needs; the basic recipe is 3 tablespoons of soda ash to 1 litre of water.  Dissolve sufficient soda ash for your needs in warm (not cold or hot) water and top up with the appropriate amount of cold water.

• Place the scoured, dry (or spun-dried) cloth in to the soda vat and leave for between 10 to 20 minutes (heavier weight cloth will need longer).

• Dry by drip-drying or spin the soda-soaked cloth before line drying (if you have a spin dryer, recycle the run off back into the soda vat). DO NOT TUMBLE DRY.

• Once dry, stuff it into a bag (don’t fold or iron).

Please label or make an identifying personal mark on all of your cloth.

‘Sampling’ Cloth

For the first day, each student will need 20 sample-size pieces to experiment with different approaches. Whilst the size of sample pieces is personal, we recommend you don’t go too large as this will restrict your options as each piece will take longer! As such, we recommend you sample on individual pieces no larger than the equivalent of 12” x 12” - although the format can be individual, e.g. 6” x 24” if a long, thin format is preferred.

‘Focusing’ Cloth

Bring an additional 6 to 8 yards of cloth to use from Tuesday to Friday. It may not all be used - this is dependent on individual working styles and remember, you’ll be re-working/layering some of your cloth several times.

GENERAL SUPPLIES & TOOLS

Whilst the supplies fee will include the use of media and various tools, you’ll still need to bring some stuff of your own:

• Silkscreens: please bring 1 - even though the emphasis of the class isn’t on the use of silkscreens, you may need one to resolve your work-in-progress and move it forward. Screens can be purchased from Dharma Trading (www.dharmatrading.com) or Dick Blick (www.dickblick.com). Please do not buy screens that use cord to hold in the mesh as they aren’t as good as glued screens. Please label your screens and waterproof the wood by applying 3 layers of water-based wood varnish. Once dry, pre-scour the mesh by scrubbing it with hot water and a cream cleanser - this is important as otherwise, freezer paper stencils won’t stick to the mesh.

• Squeegees: one Speedball 9” squeegee with a cream or maroon plastic handle and a rubber blade. One grouting tool/spreader (look in hardware stores and kitchen shops) or a credit card squeegee to use with thermofax screens.

• Tools: you’ll see that a good supply of tools will be provided but if you have specific tools you wish to use, then bring them.

• Thermofax screens: again, thermofax use will not be the focus of the class, but it can be worth bringing up to three of your favourite thermofaxes in case they are needed to resolve pieces on Thursday and Friday. Note; we hope that someone will be able to bring a thermofax machine to the class. If this is the case, C2C will organise mesh and frames and provide at cost. Please advise us if you can provide a thermofax. Please note that if a thermofax service is available, you will need your imagery to be in laser print or photocopy format (not inkjet).  India ink will also generate a thermofax, as will some pencils. You can photocopy in Pickerington or Lancaster.

• Two drop cloths: made from cotton drill, denim or something similarly sturdy. Please pre-wash/shrink it and allow for a finished size of 4’x10’.  Old bed sheets aren’t suitable as they’re too thin and avoid heavy muslin or canvas as it holds creases.

• Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs).

• A good-quality mask. This is important if you wish to undertake discharge work. A normal decorators mask will not be sufficient for this purpose. Discharge work will take place outside.

• 1 x box of ball-headed or T pins.

• A small cutting mat.

• Craft knife (preferably with a nice, pointy, sharp blade - such as an Xacto knife).

• 1 x small cat or kitten litter tray.

• 1 x black Sharpie or waterproof pen.

• 1 pair of scissors, suitable for paper and fabric.

• Cloth apron (or wear the equivalent of gardening/decorating clothes).

• Comfortable, rubber-soled shoes (you’ll be standing a great deal).

• Notebook; handouts on recipes and some process will be provided, but be ready to take notes of your own process.

• Sketch book/white paper for on going design work, pen and pencil.

• iPod if you like to work to music.

NOTE: we would prefer a participant to supply the soy wax pot rather than tote our own over the Atlantic. Please advise us if this is something you can do.

Please contact both of us (in case one of us is away) if you have any queries.

Claire Benn: cb@committedtocloth.com
Leslie Morgan: lm@committedtocloth.com

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