I love it when interesting discoveries come along. That’s part of the fun of this artsy lifestyle. I decided to dye paint a large (1 yd.) piece of fabric for a background a couple of weeks ago. Normally I would paint with a 2 inch sponge brush, but because of the somewhat daunting size of the cloth, I decided to roll the paint on with a sponge roller. I used a sturdy metal handled paint roller about 4 inches wide and probably 1.5 inches in diameter.
I was very surprised and pleased with the results. Using the roller gave the paint on the cloth an unevenness of coverage that I found wonderfully stimulating. With the large open background the variety of pattern and nuances of colors happened (I think) better with using the roller. I sprayed water on to help the colors move and blend. Try it and see what you come up with!
Was this a thickened dye that you rolled on? Soda Ash was wet or dry? Inquiring minds need to know!! Love it.
Yes, it was thickened dye. I have several colors made up I need to use. I always do a pre-soak in soda ash and hang the cotton on the line, because I want to start out on dry cloth, although for a background like this, wet would probably be fine. I just had some that was ready and dry, so I used that. If the fabric is dry, the roller “skips” a bit on the cloth, making cool marks, so that’s something to consider. Perhaps you could do a test…one cloth wet and one cloth dry.
Nice color Kathy, I really like. I’m gonna have to try this method.