Recently I was one of three people in the show, Parts of a Whole. I bring this up because it was a fine art print show and my prints were eco-prints on fabric. This month I'll be talking about the process I used for the eco-prints. For me one of the most exciting parts of being in the show is that it was not a fiber show or a quilt show. The other artists were all traditional printers who printed with ink on paper. My eco-prints were well received in the show and garnered many positive comments. How cool to be a cross-over artist!
I am just like you if you are not an expert on all things eco-printing. What I know I have learned from books, blogs, and experimenting. I do have some friends also interested in eco-prints and with whom I experiment. One of my friends, Janine jGates, is going to post later this month so you'll get her experiences too. I'll her her tell you more about herself in her first post. So, this month we'll share what we have learned and we will connect you with some of the resources we have used.
A good place to start learning is by viewing eco-prints by lots of artists. Lets start with India Flint from Australia. This is a print from her website. You have probably heard of her since she is the goddess of all things eco-prints. Her work is exquisite and you will see some of the best of the best on her website. If you are a beginning eco-printer I do have to warn you about her book, Eco Colour: Botanical Dyeing for Beautiful Fabric. It is a marvelous book and is not that expensive. It was the very first book I bought when I was an absolute novice and, here is the warning, it was way too much information for me to start with. I was overwhelmed. If you are not easily overwhelmed and confused trying to learn everything at once then I highly recommend the book. It is very complete. Now that I have learned a bit about eco-printing I should get it out now and learn even more.
