Painting On Silk With Thickened Dyes

Over the years I've used many different formulas for thickening dye. I have made home made print paste for screen printing on silk in the past by mixing sodium alginate with alcohol then mixing Urea and hot water with a little water softener and mixing it all together. I've tried spray starches and Magic Sizing , which technically is not a starch according to Karen Sistek, who happens to create magnificent paintings on silk with it. I have also used Resistad diluted with either water, for clear, or dyes. Resistad is my favorite product for block printing on silk.

The product I have used the most to thicken my dyes however is called No-flow which is made by Jacquard. It is a liquid starch-like product that I  have used for many years in my landscape paintings on silk as well as on my silk scarves and ties.

In this video I am painting a silk scarf with Dupont French steam set dyes that I thickened with No-Flow I coat the silk with the No-Flow and then let it dry completely. I sometimes add a small amount of alcohol to the starch first to loosen it up before adding it to the French dyes. Be sure to thoroughly mix the starch with the dye by whisking it.

The pen I am using in the video to draw the back lines is a refillable Molotow pen that I have filled with black Dupont French dye. This method only works with dyes, it will not work with silk paints.

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