Discharge Printing

Last Friday I was in the print room developing my velvet designs. After Stew I decided to drop digitally printing onto velvet and to experiment with printing directly onto velvet using devore and discharge techniques.

Finished samples

I began by devore this samples first, for some reason this didn't work very well with fibres of the velvet not burning away as shown in the image below. I repeated the devore and was still left with the fibres, which I was disappointed with. Next I discharge the same pattern but on a smaller scale into the samples. The discharge dye I used was meant to be pink but the discharge was too strong and burned the dye away reverting back to a clear paste. Although this wasn't the effect I was wanting to create I am pleased with the effect created. This sample was inspired by a scarf designed by Lee Lapthorne which we were shown in his lecture last year.

Fibres remaining after 2nd devore attempt.

With this sample I used clear discharge first to print the dots, I then steamed this and washed the remains of the discharge away.  With the Pink discharge not working on the first Sample I changed the dye I used testing the colour before printing onto the sample. I am really pleased with the bold colour of this pink it create an interesting contrast with the black and white of the sample.

I am really pleased with these experiments, I feel that velvet isn't the right fabric to use for my scarfs. I am thinking that I may develop this technique of discharge using silk creating a couple of my scarf designs. This is something I need to think about but it is a possible idea.