Image Dreamings:Basic Silk Screen Printing on Cloth WorkshopTutor: Marie-Therese Wisniowski

Preamble
This blogspot exhibits many of my students outputs from a variety of workshops. There are one, two and five day workshops as well as workshops that have a different focus. Nevertheless, it always surprises me how much I learn from my students and how enthusiastic they are to learn and so for your convenience, I have listed the workshop posts below.

Visual Communication and Design (The University of Newcastle Multi-Media Course).
The University of Newcastle (Newcastle and Ourimbah Campuses, NSW, Australia) 2008 to 2010.

In Pursuit of ArtCloth:Improvisational Screen Printing Workshop
The Australian Textile Arts & Surface Design Association Inc. Sydney, NSW.

One and Two Day Disperse Dye Workshops
Various Textile Groups (Australia) 2008 - 2011.

Five Day Workshop - In Pursuit of Complex Cloth
“Wrapt in Rocky” Textile Fibre Forum Conference (Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia) 29^th June to 5^th July 2008.

Five Day Workshop – In Pursuit of Complex Cloth
Orange Textile Fiber Forum (Orange, NSW, Australia) 19^th to 25^th April 2009.

5 Day Workshop – In Pursuit of Complex Cloth
Geelong Fiber Forum (Geelong, Victoria, Australia) 27^th September to 3^rd October 2009.

Two Day Workshop - Deconstructed and Polychromatic Screen Printing
Beautiful Silks (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) 20^th to 21^st March 2010.

Five Day Workshop – Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing
“Wrapt in Rocky” Biennial Textile Forum/Conference Program (Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia) 25^th June to 1^st July 2010.

Two Day Workshop – Improvisational Screen Printing
ATASDA (Sydney, NSW, Australia) 28^th to 29^th August 2010.

Two Day Workshop – In Pursuit of Complex Cloth (Day One)
”Stitching and Beyond” Textile Group (Woodbridge, Tasmania, Australia) 2^nd to 3^rd October 2010.

Two Day Workshop – In Pursuit of Complex Cloth (Day Two)
”Stitching and Beyond” Textile Group (Woodbridge, Tasmania, Australia) 2^nd to 3^rd October 2010.

Advance Silk Screen Printing
Redcliffe City Art Gallery Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia) 10^th April 2011.

One Day Workshop - In Pursuit of Complex Cloth
The Victorian Feltmakers Inc. (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) 14^th May 2011.

One Day Workshop - In Pursuit of Complex Cloth (Felted and Silk Fibers)
Victorian Feltmakers Inc (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) 15^th May 2011.

Five Day Workshop – Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing
SDA (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA) 13^th to 17^th June 2011.

Five Day Disperse Dye Master Class – Barbara Scott
Art Quill Studio (Arcadia Vale, NSW, Australia) 15^th to 19^th August 2011.

Five Day Workshop – Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing
Fiber Arts Australia (Sydney, NSW, Australia) 26^th September to 1^st October 2011.

One Day Workshop – Improvisational Screen Printing
Newcastle Printmakers Workshop Inc. (Newcastle, NSW, Australia) 5^th November 2011.

One Day Workshops – Low Relief Screen Printing
Various classes within Australia.

Two Day Workshop – Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing
ATASDA (Sydney, NSW, Australia) 23^rd to 24^th June 2012.

MSDS Demonstration at Zijdelings
(Tilburg, The Netherlands) October, 2012.

Five Day Workshop - Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing
Fibre Arts@Ballarat (Ballarat, Victoria, Australia) 6^th to 12^th April 2013.

Two Day Workshop - Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing
EFTAG (Tuross Head, NSW, Australia) 13^th to 14^th April 2013.

Two Day Workshop - Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing
Zijdelings Studio (Tilburg, The Netherlands) 9^th to 10^th October 2014.

PCA - Celebrating 50 Years in 2016
Art Quill Studio 2016 Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

Image Dreamings: Basic Silk Screen Printing Workshop - Part I
2016 Art Quill Studio Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

Image Dreamings: Basic Silk Screen Printing Workshop - Part II
2016 Art Quill Studio Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

In Pursuit of: Improvisational Screen Printing Workshop
2016 Art Quill Studio Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

In Pursuit of: Low Relief Screen Printing (LRSP) Workshop 2016
2016 Art Quill Studio Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

Art Quill Studio 2017 Workshop Program
2017 Art Quill Studio Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

In Pursuit of: Low Relief Screen Printing (LRSP)
2017 Art Quill Studio Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

In Pursuit of Complex Cloth: Layered Printing Approaches
2017 Art Quill Studio Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

Melding Experiences: New Landscapes Using Disperse Dyes and Transfer Printing.
2019 Art Quill Studio Workshop (NCEATA, Newcastle, Australia).

In Pursuit of ArtCloth: Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing Workshop
2022 Two Day Workshop (ATASDA, Sydney, NSW, Australia).

Image Dreamings: Basic Silk Screen Printing on Cloth Workshop
2025 Two Day Workshop (Newcastle Printmaker's Premises, Newcastle, NSW, Australia).

Introduction
The two day workshop - ‘Image Dreamings: Basic Silk Screen Printing on Cloth’ - was organized by Amanda Donohue, the workshop co-ordinator for the Newcastle Printmakers Workshop Inc., Adamstown, Newcastle, Australia. It was held at the Newcastle Printmakers Workshop premises at 27 Popran Road, Adamstown, Newcastle, on the 29th & 30th March 2025. It was an honor to be invited to tutor this workshop to such an enthusiastic and hard-working group of participants.

Newcastle Printmakers Workshop
The Newcastle Printmakers Workshop (NPW) is the longest running open access printmaking workshop in Australia. It has a rich history rooted in community art and education, with its core principles being accessibility and skill development for printmakers. Established in 1979 as a non-profit organization, the workshop has played a vital role in the Newcastle community, fostering creativity through various projects, exhibitions, workshops, and community collaborations including partnerships with various workshops nationally and internationally. Their extensive archives, including documentation of past exhibitions and initiatives, are now housed in the Local History Library [1].

With a large spacious workshop and extensive printing equipment, members of the NPW work in all areas of print media and techniques. As part of its education program, the NPW offers numerous workshops by experienced tutors, which are designed to enhance members' printmaking skills, solidifying their commitment to skill development within their members’ artistic practice. The NPW also introduce printmaking to the general public via events such as Print Day which is celebrated on the first Saturday in May each year.

For further information about the Newcastle Printmakers Workshop, please visit their website by clicking on the following link - Newcastle Printmakers.

Two-Day Workshop Synopsis - Image Dreamings: Basic Silk Screen Printing on Cloth workshop
A two-day workshop where participants learnt how to create unique and personalized printed imagery using the very versatile silk screen. On the first day of the workshop, participants learnt the basic principles of silk screen printing and were introduced to techniques such as ombre printing, created a temporary stencil, printed positive & negative images and created a two-colour printed image using fabric paints on cloth. On the second day of the workshop, participants were introduced to direct and indirect stencil methodologies and explored printing with basic everyday media such as masking tape, and talcum powder to create exciting improvisational and textured imagery. No prior experience using a silk screen was needed for this class.

Group photograph of workshop attendees.
From Left to Right: Josephine Bateman, Jann Barton, Mardi Ryan, Alison Winn, Wendy Nutt, and Jennifer Wood.

Below are some outputs of the participants work that was created during the workshop.

Alison Winn

Ombre blended effects silk screen print employing an indirect stencil technique.

Multi-hued talcum powder silkscreen prints overprinted with a deep-hue stencil design.

Ombre blended talcum powder silkscreen print overprinted with a central indirect stencil design.

Print employing masking tape as a direct silk screen stencil design (detail view).

Multiple masking tape silkscreen prints employing analogous and complementary color schemes.

Jann Barton

Negative space print employing the ‘floating’ temporary paper stencil technique.

Ombre blended effects silk screen print employing an indirect stencil technique.

Multi-hued prints employing talcum powder as a direct silk screen stencil technique.

Multi-hued talcum powder silkscreen prints overprinted with a white-hue stencil design.

Multiple masking tape silkscreen prints employing analogous color schemes.

Jennifer Wood

Ombre blended effects silk screen print employing an indirect stencil technique.

Multi-hued prints employing talcum powder as a direct silk screen stencil technique.

Multi-hued talcum powder silkscreen prints overprinted with a white-hue stencil design.

Ombre blended talcum powder silkscreen print overprinted with a central indirect stencil design.

Print employing masking tape as a silk screen stencil design in a repeat pattern.

Josephine Bateman

Print employing a positive space stencil design in a repeat pattern mode.

Ombre blended effects silk screen print employing an indirect stencil technique.

Multi-hued talcum powder silkscreen prints overprinted with a white-hue stencil design.

Ombre blended talcum powder silkscreen print overprinted with a central indirect stencil design.

Multiple masking tape silkscreen prints employing analogous and complementary color schemes.

Mardi Ryan

Print employing a positive space stencil design in a repeat pattern mode.

Talcum powder silkscreen print overprinted with black-hued stencil designs.

Ombre blended talcum powder silkscreen print overprinted with a central indirect stencil design.

Print employing masking tape as a silk screen stencil design in a repeat pattern.

Multiple masking tape silkscreen prints employing analogous color schemes.

Wendy Nutt

Negative space print employing the ‘floating’ temporary paper stencil technique.

Ombre blended effects silk screen print employing an indirect stencil technique.

Multi-hued talcum powder silkscreen prints overprinted with a white-hue stencil design.

Ombre blended talcum powder silkscreen print overprinted with a central indirect stencil design.

Multiple masking tape silkscreen prints employing analogous and complementary color schemes.

Reference:
[1] See - https://newcastleprintmakersworkshop.wordpress.com/history/

People of Print [1]PrintmakingMarie-Therese Wisniowski

Introduction
People of Print began in 2008, when it was originally developed by Marcroy Smith as an online creative library. Since then the company has pushed in many interesting and exciting directions, both online and offline.

Recognizing print as a core process within the creative industries, People of Print is a world-leading online community and directory of creatives who use the medium of print and companies that offer the service of print in all forms. Hence it has become an extremely prestigious platform on which to be mentioned and to get noticed.

People of Print (POP) acts as a source of inspiration for creatives through its daily curated selection of Web content and its quarterly publication titled 'Print Isn't Dead,' uncovering and sharing the work, services, events and more from the world's leading contemporary creatives and the hottest budding talent.

This has proven to be a valuable resource for individuals, professionals, universities and established design studios. It also has a curated online shop called 'Department Store,' selling designer-based goods from various vendors, whereby it offers affordable selling fees and takes a small commission on sales. POP's online presence has paved the way for many amazing things to happen in the tangible world.

Through collaborating with numerous studios, agencies, shops and companies, People of Print has been able to create and facilitate extremely impressive solutions for corporate clients, charities and education and cultural insititutions, while continually develping its global community in the world of print.

Past Projects
2011:
Victoria Dalston, London. Live screen printing, linocut, spoken word and music event.

Druckfest 2011, CM Series.

2012:
(i) 'Pick Me Up,' Somerset House, London. Exhibition, print sales, various print workshops.
(ii) 'KK Outlet,' London. Educational printing workshops, exhibition, teaching D & AD students.
(iii) 'Levi's Flagship Store,' Regent Street, London. Working alongside WPS and Exposure to facilitate a five week live T-shirt printing workshop instore during the Olympics, printing the artwork of Anthony Burrill.
(iv) 'Node,' Design Museum, London. Working alongside Chris Haughton to project-manage the fair trade 18x18 rug project, exhibition of carpets in the 1.5 Gallery and their sale via the Design Museum Shop.

Ink Test.

Lasercut logo.

2013:
(i) Kipepeo, Kibera, Kenya.
Facilitating the production of hand screen-printed greeting cards in the slums of Kibera by setting up a lo-sci functional screen-print studio.
(ii) Fedrigoni, Imaginative Papers Studio (London). Facilitating the first of a series of live workshops demonstrating and celebrating the quality of Fedrigoni paper and how it works with ink. Live printing, Anthony Burrill A2 posters with neon inks.

Screen exposure for Fedrigoni workshop.

(iii) V & A Museum for MasterCard, London. Live T-shirt printing in the main area of the V & A, workshops and exclusive commissioned designs from our trusted network illustrators.

T-shirt printing press.

(iv) Design Museum, London. Working along side Double Decker to design and print tote bags showing iconic items in the Design Museum; live printing at the opening event.

Printing workshop for Anthony Burrill.

Printing Workshop at Levi's, Regent Street (London).

2014:
(i) London College of Communication. A three-week brief with students to create an exhibition of A1 printed posters and a process book based around the relationship between analogue and digital.
(ii) Ministry of Sound for the 'Inspired,' London. Live garment printing on to recycled clothes, saving clothes from going into landfill.

Heretic: Guest printing.

(iii) Puro Hotels, Poland. Working along side Double Decker to print original screen-printed posters on to vintage film posters for display in the luxury hotel rooms in Poland.

Reference:
[1] M.Smith, People of Print, Thames & Hudson, London (2017).

Fourth International Textile Competition '94 Kyoto - Part IVSelected Works of Textile ArtMarie-Therese Wisniowski

Preamble
For your convenience I have listed below other post in this series:
Fourth International Textile Competition '94 Kyoto - Part I.
Fourth International Textile Competition '94 Kyoto - Part II.
Fourth International Textile Competition '94 Kyoto - Part III.
Fourth International Textile Competition '94 Kyoto - Part IV.

Fourth International Textile Competition '94 Kyoto - Part IV [1].
(i) Ulla-Dammann Anker (Norway).
Background: Born in 1963, Ulla-Dammann graduated from the School of Art and Design (SHKD) Bergen, Norway in 1990. She exhibited at the 6th Nordic Textile Triennial (1992, 1993); The Oslo Museum of Applied Art, Bergen County Council.

Title: ELAN.
Materials and Techniques: Viscose rib. Handprinted textile.
Size: 230 (H) x 150 (W).

(ii) James Bassler (USA).
Background: Born in 1933. BA from University of California in 1963, M.A. in 1968. He has exhibited at Fiber Structures (1972); the Dyer's Art, Batik, Plangi (976); Frontiers in Fiber (1988); 7th International Triennale of Tapestry (1992); State of Art, Contemporary Fiber (1993).

Title: Catcher's Shield.
Materials and Techniques: Linen (warp), sisal (weft), nylon, silk cloth and thread. Dyeing, hand-weaving, cutting, re-constructing, and sewing.
Size: 130 (H) x 120 (W) x 25 (D) cm.

(iii) Pilvi Blankin-Salmin (Estonia).
Background: Born in 1955, he studied at the Art University, Textile and Fashion Department in Tallim. Freelance artist since 1984. Many personal exhibitions in Tallim, Norway, Holland (1989-93). International exhibitions in Czechoslovakia, Holland, Lativa, Germany, Belgium, Norway, and Mexico (1969-93).

Title: On the Way Back Home.
Materials and Techniques: Linen, wool, sisal. Own technique; woven on a loom.
Size: 170 (H) x 167 (W) cm.

(iv) Scott Bodenner (USA).
Background: He has a B.F.A. (Textile) from Rhode Island School of Design in 1993.

Title: Jacquard Materials Studies.
Materials and Techniques: Jacquard weaving, felting and cutting.
Size: 50 (H) x 83 (W) cm.

(iv) Caroline Broadhead (UK).
Background: Born in 1950. She has been making clothing forms since 1982. Teaches two days a week and runs a business centered on design and making buttons and jewellery.

Title: Wobbly Dress II.
Materials: Nylon.
Size: 100 (H) x 60 (W) x 20 (D) cm.

Title: Over All.
Materials: Silk, and polyvinyl chloride.
Size: 100 (H) x 60 (W) x 25 (D) cm.

Red Pigments - Part II [1]Art ResourceMarie-Therese Wisniowski

Preamble
This is the fourty-third post in a new Art Resource series that specifically focuses on techniques used in creating artworks. For your convenience I have listed all the posts in this new series below:
Drawing Art
Painting Art - Part I
Painting Art - Part II
Painting Art - Part III
Painting Art - Part IV
Painting Art - Part V
Painting Art - Part VI
Home-Made Painting Art Materials
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part I
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part II
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part I
Historical Notes on Art - Part II
Historical Notes on Art - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part IV
Historical Notes on Art - Part V
Tempera Painting
Oil Painting - Part I
Oil Painting - Part II
Oil Painting - Part III
Oil Painting - Part IV
Oil Painting - Part V
Oil Painting - Part VI
Pigments
Classification of Pigments - Part I
Classification of Pigments - Part II
Classification of Pigments - Part III
Pigments for Oil Painting
Pigments for Water Color
Pigments for Tempera Painting
Pigments for Pastel
Japanese Pigments
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part I
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part II
Selected Fresco Palette for Permanent Frescoes
Properties of Pigments in Common Use
Blue Pigments - Part I
Blue Pigments - Part II
Blue Pigments - Part III
Green Pigments - Part I
Green Pigments - Part II
Red Pigments - Part I
Red Pigments - Part II
Yellow Pigments - Part I

There have been another one hundred and thirteen posts in a previous Art Resource series that have focused on the following topics:
(i) Units used in dyeing and printing of fabrics;
(ii) Occupational, health & safety issues in an art studio;
(iii) Color theories and color schemes;
(iv) Optical properties of fiber materials;
(v) General properties of fiber polymers and fibers - Part I to Part V;
(vi) Protein fibers;
(vii) Natural and man-made cellulosic fibers;
(viii) Fiber blends and melt spun fibers;
(ix) Fabric construction;
(x) Techniques and woven fibers;
(xi) Basic and figured weaves;
(xii) Pile, woven and knot pile fabrics;
(xiii) Durable press and wash-and-wear finishes;
(xvi) Classification of dyes and dye blends;
(xv) The general theory of printing.

To access any of the above resources, please click on the following link - Units Used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics. This link will highlight all of the one hundred and thirteen posts in the previous a are eight data bases on this blogspot, namely, the Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms, Timelines of Fabrics, Dyes and Other Stuff, A Fashion Data Base, the Glossary of Colors, Dyes, Inks, Pigments and Resins, the Glossary of Fabrics, Fibers, Finishes, Garments and Yarns, Glossary of Art, Artists, Art Motifs and Art Movements, Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms and the Glossary of Scientific Terms. All data bases in the future will be updated from time-to-time.

If you find any post on this blog site useful, you can save it or copy and paste it into your own "Word" document for your future reference. For example, Safari allows you to save a post (e.g. click on "File", click on "Print" and release, click on "PDF" and then click on "Save As" and release - and a PDF should appear where you have stored it). Safari also allows you to mail a post to a friend (click on "File", and then point cursor to "Mail Contents On This Page" and release). Either way, this or other posts on this site may be a useful Art Resource for you.

The new Art Resource series will be the first post in each calendar month. Remember - these Art Resource posts span information that will be useful for a home hobbyist to that required by a final year University Fine-Art student and so undoubtedly, some parts of any Art Resource post may appear far too technical for your needs (skip those mind boggling parts) and in other parts, it may be too simplistic with respect to your level of knowledge (ditto the skip). The trade-off between these two extremes will mean that Art Resource posts will be hopefully useful in parts to most, but unfortunately may not be satisfying to all!

Red Pigments - Part II [1]
Confusion in the nomenclature of red oxide artists' colors in America has now been eliminated by applying the following terms: Indian Red for bluish pure red oxide; light red for the scarlet type; and for special shades, Mars Red or Mars Scarlet, Maroon etc., reserving the older meaningless names for native or impure oxides. The Mars colors are all artificial iron oxides of great permanence, some of them varying only slightly in color, composition, and method of manufacture from the pure Indian Red and Light Red. Pure Red Oxides can be made by calcinating iron hydroxide made by particpating iron (ferrous) sulfate, or waste solutions, from the steel industry with soda ash, or by direct roasting of ferrous sulphate.

Iron oxide red laux process.

The ancient and medieval crimson lakes had animal or vegetable origins: kermes, grain, madder, dragon's blood, brazilwood and, later, cochineal or carmine. Alizarin replaces all of them, sometimes with a small amount of dulling or toning if exact matches are required.

Alizarin.

Although inferior grades are common, alizarin crimsons, since the 1920s, have been produced in superlative quality which is permanent under conditions that cause older or inferior varieties to fail. The highest-grade American product has a brilliant rosy tone in the dry state; it is perfectly clear and transparent, will not deliver with pure oils, but will when freely mixed with earth colors. Alumina hydrate is employed in its manufacture, but in small proportion and as much for its chemical function as for its use as a base or inert material, so that the best grades are almost toners, compared with the usual lake color. Alizarin, like other organic pigments that are permanent in easel painting, is not in the same class of absolute permanence as are the organic pigments.

Alizarin Crimson.

The manufacture of a perfect alizarin requires great skilll on the part of the color maker. One of the several important points is that while its been made, the material must be kept absolutely free from contamination of iron, which destroys its character. This is proably the reason why so many writers go to such extremes to warn patients against its admixture with and even its overpainting upon earth colors that contain iron. With the best grade of alizarin, such warnings are unnecessary for in its finished state it is not sensitive to iron to an extent that would make these procedures dangerous. According to tests, it can be freely mixed with any of the other approved pigments without a negative effect. Alizarin is not absolutely fast to light in the same sense in which the inorganic colors are light-fast. It can be broken down under accelerated tests; however, it is adequately permanent for use under normal conditions of all accepted artistic painting techniques except fresco. The longevity of alizarin might well be taken as a yardstick with which to measure the degree of color stability acceptable for artists' normal pigment requirements.

In common with other pigments of very high oil content and low specific gravity, dried films of straight alizarin oil color are structurally inferior to those of denser, more highly pigmented coating, and certain precautions should be observed in their use. The fine, all-over crackle which sometimes occurs on areas painted with straight alizarin oil color will be discussed in a later post in this series.

Alizarin comes in the form of an extremely fluffy, light weight powder (see above). One pound will fill a half-gallon can. A pound of vermilion will go into a four-ounce jar. Both vermilion and alizarin happen to be substances which repel water to such an extent that they are difficult to mix into aqueous mediums, especially when one attempts to stir them into a medium container. A round rod should be used for this purpose instead of a flat palette knife. With a little patience, they will mix in. Colors which repel either oil or water will go into suspension more easily on a slab, under a muller or spatula. If alcohol is used to start the wetting before the oil is added, the anhydrous grade is preferable, and it should be well mulled or the mixture allowed to remain on the slab long enough for the alcohol to evaporate.

The true madder root lakes made by the older process, especially those of good quality, are now very rarely found on the market. They can be obtained from the most reliable sources. Alizarin red is many times more powerful in tinting strength than the madders, which are usually very weak.

Reference:
[1] The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, R. Mayer (ed. E. Smith) 4th Edition, Faber and Faber, London (1981).