Silk painting has been enjoyed for centuries, allowing people to express their creativity and transform fabric into beautiful works of art. Despite its appeal, it can be daunting to get started without any prior experience. Fortunately, there are many online silk painting classes available to guide you through the process and help you hone your skills. This blog reviews the top five best silk painting classes online with features, pricing, and level of difficulty so you can make an informed decision about which one is right for you.
What Does Silk Painting Entail?
Silk painting is a captivating artistic endeavour that involves creating unique and stunning designs on silk fabric. A variety of methods, from using watercolours and dyes to applying thickened paint, metallic pigments, or resist, can be utilized to create interesting textures.
The process consists of stretching the material tight over a frame or hoop before painting is applied. Habotai, chiffon, and satin are just some of the different types of silk that artists use for this purpose, with the end product able to be used as scarves, clothing or to decorate homes.
Mastering the techniques involved in silk painting requires patience and dedication; luckily these online silk courses which we will be unveiling under the next headline will help those new to the craft gain an understanding of what is necessary to make beautiful art.
Top 5 Silk Classes & Courses Online
1. Silk, Cotton painting without steaming to set the dyes: Indonesian Batik Art – (Udemy)
Course Instructor: Luna Nguyen (Artist, Art Teacher, Cooking Instructor)
Course Level: Beginner – Advance
Course Duration: 2hrs 40mins (30 Lessons)
This online workshop is a complete beginner’s guide to painting, dyeing, and creating designs on silk and all other natural fibers. The workshop is suitable for anyone who is interested in fabric painting and wants to learn the basic techniques of Indonesian Batik Art without the steaming process.
The instructor, who has been working with silk, cotton, and many other types of fabric materials for the last six years, will guide the students on the fundamental information for successful textile and fabric art, including the differences between silk dyes and silk paints, the differences between textile paints and silk paints, and the different kinds of fibers.
The workshop covers a range of painting techniques using water, salt, sugar, alcohol, ink, dye, dilutant, anti-fusant or thickener, and other tools to create intricate patterns on fabrics. Students will learn how to choose and prepare their fabrics, create designs from pencil drawing on paper to tracing onto fabrics, choose and prepare stretcher frames, and stretch their fabrics onto the frames.
Students will also learn how to choose the wax mixture and the wax pot, prepare the wax pot at the right temperature for each fabric, use the tjanting spouted tool (wax pen), use brushes for painting dyes or to apply wax on fabrics, mix dye colours using a simple colour chart, dye fabrics in a dye bath, reactivate old dyes, remove wax completely, and make them ready to be used.
At the end of the course, students will be able to create a wearable silk habotai scarf 8mm, a cotton placemat for their dining table, and a cotton fabric for decoration or experiment purposes. They will also be able to paint on all-natural fabrics and make endless products of their choice from wearing to decorating to traditional paintings using this beautiful Batik Art technique. The course includes 29 small videos that guide the students through each step thoroughly.
2. Silk Painting 101: The Marker Resist Technique – (Rooted Expressions)
Course Instructor: Laura (Artist)
Course Level: Beginner – Advance
This silk painting online course teaches students how to create hand-painted silk scarves using markers as a resist. The course is designed to be easy and step-by-step, with a focus on all the tips and tricks of the marker resist process for easy silk painting from start to finish.
The course is suitable for beginners, intermediate and professional artists who are interested in silk painting. It covers all the supplies required to create wearable silk art, including an optional silk painting kit delivered to the student’s door. The course also teaches all of the silk painting techniques used to create texture in wearable art, along with basic colour-mixing skills.
The course costs $149, and students have the option to pay in full or choose a 3-month installment plan. Regardless of the payment plan chosen, students get immediate access to the course. They can access their lessons from any device by downloading and logging into the Kajabi app.
The lessons are designed to be easy to follow, with videos, downloads, and more provided to enrich students’ skill sets. The first few lessons cover a list of recommended and optional supplies, and there is a supply kit available for purchase. The course also includes a complete list of suggested extras in a blog post.
The lessons are viewed via the online portal, and downloading of the class is not available due to concerns about internet piracy. Students have 7 days from the course start date to request a withdrawal from the course if they feel it is not right for them.
3. Silk Painting For Beginners – (Skillshare)
Course Instructor: Clara Applewhaite-Mitchell (Silk Artist & Textile Designer)
Course Level: Beginner
Course Duration: 53mins (14 Lessons)
This class teaches the ‘gutta serti’ or silk painting technique, which is useful for those interested in textile design and could lead to opportunities in the fashion or home decorative industries. The course is designed for secondary and tertiary art students, and while a basic knowledge of drawing skills is beneficial, it is not a requirement.
In this class, you will learn how to apply the ‘gutta’ without clogging the stylus (metal tip), as well as the flat, graded, and blended wash techniques and the silk painting watercolour technique. You will create a geometric design using the four painting techniques and a final piece, using at least three of the techniques.
To take the class, you will need three 9.5″ Silk Hoops, two Sumi brushes, and three Dye-Na-Flow 0.5 oz. bottles, one Jacquard Colored Water-Based Resist 0.5oz., one Silk Salt 1oz., and one .7mm stylus.
4. Silk Painting Techniques – (Domestika)
Course Instructors: Cecília and Mercè Gonzalez (Textile crafts and artists)
Course Level: Beginner
Course Duration: 4hrs 15mins (22 Lessons)
This course on silk painting offers an in-depth exploration of the techniques and materials involved in creating stunning pieces of art on silk. The course is taught by Cecília and Mercè Gonzalez, who have over 20 years of experience in exploring the different possibilities of painting on silk.
The course is designed for anyone who wants to experiment and enjoy silk painting, regardless of their previous knowledge. It is ideal for textile creators, illustrators, designers, and artists who want to personalize their works by using their own painted silks. The course is taught in Spanish, however, English students can follow up with the help of subtitles.
The course is divided into four units. In the first unit, you will get to know Cecília and Mercè and learn about their professional career in the textile world. You will also learn about the different materials and tools required for silk painting and the different types of silk available.
In the second unit, you will learn how to make a colour chart and understand colour mixtures. In the third unit, you will learn different ways of controlling silk painting, including making gradients, using the gutta technique, resist-dyeing, and painting with a thickener and non-slip paint. In the final unit, you will learn how to set the paint and take care of your silk works.
The course’s project is to paint a silk scarf using the different techniques taught in the course to achieve spectacular results. To start the course, you will need silk, a frame, tacks or acid-free adhesive paper tape, gutta, silk dyes, three sizes of brushes, an invisible marker, a large pot, and a steamer.
Overall, this course is a comprehensive guide to silk painting and offers a great opportunity to learn from experienced artists who are passionate about their craft.
5. Silk Painting Meets Hand Embroidery With Luna – (Skilldeer)
Course Instructor: Luna (Artist)
Course Level: Beginner to Advance
This online class is a great opportunity to learn two traditional arts: silk painting and hand embroidery. In this class, Luna will teach students how to apply watercolours on silk to create unique designs and introduce them to hand embroidery and stitching techniques to add style and pattern to their creations.
The class is suitable for both beginners and professionals, and as a personalized course, Luna will customize the lessons and schedule as per the student’s needs.
It is also worth mentioning that by the end of the workshop, students will complete one simple piece and 2-3 more advanced silk paintings using a variety of different mediums and materials such as salt, alcohol, or gutta to create special effects and flowing designs.
Overall, this class is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in learning silk painting and hand embroidery techniques, regardless of their skill level.
Conclusion
To finish, taking online silk painting classes is an ideal way of studying this art conveniently and in your own time. It can be hard to determine the right course with so many options available; however, the 5 best classes for this highlighted above are all great options with inclusive instructions and superior guidance. Take advantage of any one of them to learn the necessary skills and methods to make stunning pieces that you can be proud of. Your level, whether a beginner or an experienced artist, doesn’t matter; there is a program out there that fits your needs perfectly. So don’t hesitate and sign up for a class today! Get your brush ready and start creating marvellous pieces!
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