Mark Making and more...

As soon as you put pen to paper or paint to cloth, you have started a journey of Mark Making. The term can be used to describe the different lines, patterns, and textures we create in an artwork. So anything from a dot to a scrawl or a pattern is a mark. It is the component of mark making that become art making, when the marks take on meaning, shape or a design, then they evolve into significantly more.
I began thinking a little more deeply about Mark Making (capitals added for emphasis) when I took a workshop with Dorothy Caldwell titled Human Marks. We spent five days focused on how we can make marks on paper and fabric and the variety of tools we can use to create them. It was an inspiring workshop, I had wanted to take a workshop with Dorothy for many years. Here are some pictures from the workshop:

I've been printing and stamping with black paint and ink onto white fabrics and using the fabrics in some of my recent work.

And here is part of a piece where I used some of the fabrics. I like to incorporate them as brighteners and visual breaks amongst the coloured fabrics.

Today my grand daughter came into my studio and watched as I used some markers onto fabric. She was quite interested and asked if she could do some Mark Making too!

She and I had a lot of fun playing with the markers, and I'm excited to use some of the fabrics we made in my art work!
Here's the markers I like to use:

I'll share some more Mark Making ideas with you soon!

Cool Tools - Paint Markers

My friend Marny introduced these markers to me and after ordering them, they sat around in my dye room until this past weekend. They are called Molotow Empty Paint Markers and you can order them here from Dick Blick: http://www.dickblick.com/products/molotow-empty-markers/?clickTracking=true

They must be designed for graffiti artists as the label on the markers states: use marker for art, not vandalism! I'm an artist....some might say my work should be vandalized!
I think almost any paint or dye could be used, I think textile paints such as Jacquard would need to be diluted a bit. I used Dye Na Flow and did dilute it by about 50% but also used it full strength and it came through the felt tips just fine.
Filling the markers was a bit of a challenge at first, I didn't realize that not only the top needed to be removed but also the valve that controlled the flow. Once I had done that I used a cup to hold the marker still and carefully poured the paint into the reservoir. There are two glass ball bearings inside to keep the paint mixed.

I began by pinning my fabric to the paint table but found that it moved too much when using the marker, I needed to push down on the felt to open the valve and start the flow of paint. I solved this by ironing the fabric to freezer paper and pinning it all to my print table (the yellow blob on the centre-left was when I forgot to replace the value that controlled the flow!)

I loved the wide 60mm. marker, I could see making large swoops and circles with it. The narrower 15mm wedge was great for a variety of lines as well and the narrowest one at 2mm was perfect for lettering and finer detail.

So are these any different from other commercial fabric markers? Well, for one, you can custom mix your colours, so you aren't having to use just what the manufacturer  provides. You can also use a wide variety of products.....whatever can flow through the felt tips can be used, paint, dye, bleach or?? Finally, I do love the wider tips, they appeal to my inner graffiti artist and I promise not to vandalize anything but my own art!