Name: Mark B
country_or_region: USA
Message: Hi. I am brand new to silk painting and just got my supplies. Will using the Elmer's Washable Blue Glue Gel as a batik work with the dyes in the Jacquard Silk Colors (Green Label) - Starter Set? Thanks.

I don't think I can recommend the Elmer's Washable Blue Glue Gel as a resist for silk painting. The glue gel will certainly act as a resist against the dyes, but will you be able to wash it out afterwards? I've also heard a recent report that the Elmer's glue gel may be getting more difficult to wash out, perhaps due to a formula change. Furthermore, it is almost always more difficult to wash anything out of silk than out of cotton, because silk is made of a more complex molecule that can bond to more types of other materials. If you are going to use Elmer's, please do a quick test first, using the same sort of silk fabric and the same dyes and dye-setting procedure, to make sure you can wash it out when you are done. (Soak the fabric in cold water before laundering.)

Instead, I recommend that you use soy wax. Soy wax must be melted just like regular batik wax, and applied with a brush or a tjanting, but it is easier to remove. You can remove the soy wax, after your dye has been set, by washing it in a bucket of very hot water with Synthrapol or another suitable detergent. Use plenty of detergent to be sure to solubilize the soy wax, so that it does not solidify in your drain pipes. (If you steam-set the Green Label dyes, just wrap your work in many layers of plain newsprint, and the steaming will melt out the wax.) Soy wax give splendid results, very much like real batik wax. Buy it from your dye supplier, or look for pillar-type candle soy wax at your local crafts store.

There are other good alternatives to use as resists in silk painting, as well. The most traditional resist for silk painting is gutta, a natural rubber dissolved in nasty organic solvents, but there's a lot to be said for avoiding extensive exposure to the solvents. Gutta is the very best resist for silk painting, but the organic solvents can damage your brain and internal organs, and it is possible to get excellent results with safer materials.

Water-soluble resists are much safer than solvent-based gutta, and they are highly suitable for dye painting, as long as you are careful not to apply so much dye that it floods right over the resist line. One of the most popular water-soluble resists for use by silk painters is Resistad, from New Zealand (see procolour.co.nz); some of the others include Silkpaint brand water-soluble resist, Jacquard water-based resist, Presist, and Inkodye Resist. Acrylic-based fabric paints, such as Jacquard Products' Lumiere, will also work well as resists, but you must heat-set them before applying your dye.

Using resists gives wonderful effects, but it can take a while to learn how best to use any particular resist, and the different resists are each a little different to work with. To avoid frustration, please start with a simple project, and work your way up to more complex and difficult projects only as you feel you have mastered the techniques.

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