LACE PRINTS

   Using a lace item of clothing I found at the charity shop, I wanted to do some printing onto canvases using acrylic paint. At first I just experimented with one of the arms of the top and put a thin layer of black paint onto it then pressed it onto the canvas. I did this multiple times to see if the pattern would come out well. I realised quite fast that it is hard to get an even layer of paint on a large section to create a consistent and even image. I tried multiple ways of solving this such as covering a large flat surface with paint, pressing the material into it and then putting it on the canvas, dipping it in watered down paint, and using a sponge to apply the paint to the lace. In the end, just using a paintbrush was the best option and applied the most evenly this way. 

  I painted two canvases black and cut out the section of the item that I wanted to print, then used white paint on the lace and carefully placed and pressed the lace onto the canvases. One of them had too much paint on, causing some blotchy areas, and the other didn't have enough paint on some areas so there was a lot more black space. I decided to work into them both using a white graffiti pen, a black fine liner and more paint. This was to add more details to the images, as some of it was lost in the paint / lack of paint. I think this definitely helped push forward the small patterns in the lace, making it look less like random splotches of paint on a canvas, and more like lace related pieces. To finish the canvases and make them look a bit neater, I went over the sides with black paint, a bit like a boarder.