Let's Face It...

One of my favorite ways to learn is in online classes. I'm currently enrolled in Wanderlust 2020 which offers weekly mixed media instruction taught by a variety of teachers. A recent lesson by Jeanne Oliver was jam-packed with new techniques. We learned to dye fabrics using avocado pits, turmeric, tea, and other kitchen items. Then we used those fabrics, or other dyed ones, in printing lino cuts of faces. And finally, we added embroidered details to complete the pieces. This face is printed on ice-dyed fabric and backed with dyed cheesecloth. It was great fun to make, and I learned a lot about lino cuts. There's a learning curve!

I made a second print on another scrap of dyed fabric, but this time I used free-motion stitching to outline and define some of the features. A bit of fabric marker for lips and cheeks, and she's done. The machine stitching allowed me to fill in some areas missing ink. I used acrylic paint as I didn't have any lino printing ink for fabric, so the coverage of my prints is a bit light.

The learning curve involves remembering that what you want to show in the print stays, and the rest gets carved away. Somehow my brain resists that line of thought so I had to keep reminding myself. And I learned that if you slip and cut away something you wanted, it can't be put back. Note part of her lip along with a couple of other places where a steadier hand might have helped.

Since the acrylic ink didn't work so well, I then tried permanent stamp pad ink. That's a bit too light as well. So I've ordered some of the proper ink, and we'll see what happens. The yellow background is turmeric dyed cotton. I'll keep practicing this new skill.

Meanwhile, our instructor for the online class Sunshine Dolls, Kecia Deveney, encouraged us to try our hand at drawing faces for dolls. So I drew some circles on cotton fabric and spent an evening drawing and coloring these whimsical faces. They'll be used in some upcoming doll projects. So for right now, it's all about the faces!