Silk Paintings

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Silk painting as an art form came down from Europe and is gradually gaining momentum in India. Silk being a very convenient fabric has become more available than before. Silk painters have started taking a keen interest in this art form owing to the French serti technique of applying the dye to the silk. It is easy, clean and the end result is a beautiful silk painting piece.

Silk painting is an art form that involves a direct paint process. Dyes are applied to silk fabrics that make way for a whole range of watercolor techniques. The colors used are liquid and translucent that makes it easier to blend with the fabric. Silk paintings are known for their positive attributes of movement and fluidity which is certainly a hallmark. The colors glide through the silk very comfortably and generate a fusion of colors.

There are some methods that are to be followed while working on silk painting.

Ensure that the fabric when working with the traditional dyes is 100% silk.
The traditional silk painting dyes have certain characteristics of movement. They become very well-set with the fabric which is then washable and dry-cleanable.
Some of the techniques that are used in silk paintings are resist, shading, gradation, watercolor, hard edge, salting and spotting with water/alcohol.
To begin silk painting, the fabric is stretched on a wooden frame while the design is resisted. Once it is painted, the silk is allowed to dry and then it can be steamed to give permanent dyes to the fibers.
The fabric is rinsed, ironed and ready to be used.

Silk painters usually add a unique dimension to the silk painting with the right tones of colors, shading and other surface techniques. Their main challenge is to vary the effects on the surface. Silk painters make essentially make use of salt, alcohol effects, wet-on-wet treatment, wet-on-dry painting, etc.

In Indian art and craft, Silk paintings are applied on miniature paintings using delicate brushes where the fabric is silk. There are contemporary paintings such as the ragmalas or melody garland which is the exclusive style of Indian paintings. The sentiments that are evoked by the raga on silk adds beautiful, colors that shine. The kalamkari art work on silk includes hand painting as well as block printing with vegetable dyes. Silk paintings are available as individual pieces of framed art, stoles or clothes. They are magnificent and have been known to be a rich source of art work in the Indian and global context.

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