A watercolour can't go right until it has gone wrong is a truism all the more true when painting diaphanous cotton voile with fabric dye. The dye and fabric make a mockery of calculated control. The dye begs to bleed beyond imposed boundaries. It is when they are allowed freedom to interreact that the magic happens. As with watercolour, speed is of the essence and the best results are obtained by throwing one wet colour down on another.
Up to now, I have fraught shy of painting with fabric dye on cotton voile and have restricted myself to the tighten weave of cotton lawn. But the latter does not have the transparency of the former. And the veiled glimpse of what lies beneath the fabric is what I am after.
The subtlety of the design becomes all the more apparent after washing removes the surplus dye. The images below show a design before and after washing. The "before" image was photographed flat against a white background and the "after" image was photographed against the dark skin tones of the model. The final picture shows the imprint left on a paper towel used to absorb surplus dye during application - a surprising image created by accident rather than intent.
In watercolour the only white is the white of the paper. Likewise, when painting with dye, the only white is the white of the fabric. An added variable is the material's transparency and it's ability to cluster, drape and flirt in the breeze.
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