Art Cloth: A Guide to Surface Design for Fabric

Description

Fiber artists, art-to-wear designers, and art quilters have a broad range of surface design products to choose fom and can use a wealth of technique combinations to create art cloth. But while many artists know how to do one or two surface design processes, few know how to combine processes on one surface effectively. Signature artist Jane Dunnewold teaches you methods for creating rich texture, color, and pattern, integrated into an artistic whole. Art cloth offers up-to-date techniques and adds valuable new information from Jane's years of teaching and experience as an artist. In addition to detailed step-by-step wet-media surface-design techniques, Jane guides and inspires artists to new heights of creativity through sidebars with design tips, exercises, and project ideas that support the technical information.

Jane Dunnewold has been an influential textile artist for more than 20 years, and is the author of Complex Cloth: A Comprehensive Guide to Surface Design. She teaches and exhibits internationally, and her awards include Quilt National, the Quilt Japan Prize, and the Gold Prize at the Teague International Textile Exhibition. Jane maintains Art Cloth Studios, an exhibition and teaching facility she shares with a group of artists in San Antonio, Texas. She also chairs and teaches in the Surface Design Studio at the Southwest Craft Center and serves as Vice President of Outreach for the Surface Design Association.

Something I know very little about is art cloths, designs on fabric. I had a brief foray into silk painting a couple of years back but this amazing book goes so much further. Jane starts with a much needed safety warning about the dyes and cloth fibres and a constrain on rushing out and buying new. Seek out thrift shops she says, and use unwanted kitchen utensils. Valuable advice for both our pockets and the environment. She covers setting up workspace, keeping records and what tools and supplies to begin with, and tells us briefly about fabrics and dyes. These are covered more fully in dedicated sections within the book. Each chapter seems to build on the knowledge learned previously so initially we learn about building layers by dyeing in successive motions and then following chapters cover removing colours, stamping and stencils, using resists to create patterns, screen printing and an incredible chapter for metallic addicts like myself on incorporating foils and leaves into fabric. After reading this chapter I'd really like to have a go at this, the illustrations shown are so dramatic and stunning that one can't help but be drawn into reading and wanting to try oneself. Screen printing is something I've never quite understood but following the advice in the book and with equipment lent by a friend I had an enjoyable time playing with this and now have added another area to my art endeavours. I stuck to the basics but the book covers some complex ways of printing with beautiful illustrations on the results. Each section is covered fully with very in-depth advice making the steps easy to follow and at the end of each chapter is a handy trouble shooting guide. That's always welcome as somehow however close one thinks we've followed there always seem to be a time when things don't quite go to plan and sometimes its only a very simple error that has major results. This is an amazing book, whether you're a dedicated fabric artist and want to go further in your work, or whether you're a novice like me but enjoying dipping in and learning new experiences. Its a book you can follow closely if you wish, or just pick up and marvel and what can be done with simple fabrics to create stunning works of art. I loved this book.-Jeanniezelos.com At the high end of the market for a paperback but worth every penny. I also have Complex Cloth by this author and suggested an update for it in my review. This is that update and a very desirable book it is. This has to be the finest guide to printing on cloth. Beautifully produced and illustrated and easy to follow. From making samples to complete art cloths, this book will guide you through the processes involved from preparing cloth, dyeing, over-dyeing, writing on cloth, embellishing and so much more. A firm favourite.-KarenPlatt.co.uk Learn how to use a series of dyed and printed layers to create your own art cloth for use in your quilting projects. There are well illustrated step-by-step instructions for numerous techniques - and be inspired by the photographs of wonderful examples of art cloth throughout.-The Quilter Create intricate surface design with visual depth and follow master fibre artist Jane Dunnewold on a wonderful journey of techniques and materials for surface design. She shares an expansive range of processes and products including the method of creating art cloth using dyes, discharge agents, paints and foils. This book is perfect for fibre artists, art-to-wear designers and art quilters of all skill levels, and you will find the inspiration to integrate rich textures, colours and patterns into each piece you create.-Fabrications