sarahlesley
knitted textiles
How it works
The paste that I use to print my devoré samples is not the usual mixture found in printmaking. This paste contains caustic soda, causing it to rapidly heat up when mixing, meaning that the paste has to be left to cool for around two hours before using.
Before I start to print I have to decide on what it is I want to devoré into my samples. I do this by looking at past drawing developments and adapting them into plainer patterns which will be easily exposed onto a screen.
The drawings then have to be drawn or printed out using black ink onto tracing paper, making sure that no light can pass through the black marks in order to expose the screen clearly.
Once the screen is exposed, washed and dried the printing begins...
This is a very time consuming process however as the screen must be washed after each print to avoid smudging. Once printed they need to dry naturally before steaming, this usually takes about 12 hours.
Once steamed, the samples are hand washed in cold water until the water runs clear and there are no more bits of lambswool falling off. Dry, iron and done!