After waiting months for the proper weather, we were so disappointed in the results of our first attempts at this week’s project that we were ready to give it a thumbs-down.
We found our sun painting kit on the bargain table at a local craft store back in the dead of winter. It had a couple of pieces missing, including the instruction booklet (which is why it was on sale), but we really didn’t look at it again until the rain went away.
When the weather turned hot recently and it looked like the sun would stick around for a while, we decided it was time to break out the kit and give it a try.
Using the paints appeared to be simple and fairly straightforward, and we had also found a kids’ kit, put out by the same company, that included basic instructions. Assuming that the instructions would be about the same for our adult kit, we jumped right in.
Following the instructions in the kids’ kit, we wet the bandanas (included in kit), laid them out flat and applied the mixed paint. You can make the paints as vibrant or as pastel as you like, and you can make all kinds of colors using the primary colors included in the kit.
The colors went on easily and we were impressed with the way they blended into each other and with the vibrancy of the colors.
What we weren’t pleased with was the way the imprint of the “masks” – the objects used to block the sun and leave impressions on the painted cloth – turned out.
The instructions said that almost anything could be used as a mask, but the only thing that worked well for us was tiny star-shaped pasta.
On the blue-purple bandana, we used one of the beaded spiders mentioned in a previous Craft Corner column, with lengths of thread radiating out from the center of the cloth. The spider imprint was hardly visible and the thread could not be seen at all, except for one or two very small spots.
Our orange-red-yellow bandana with floral and insect cut-outs (included in the kids’ kit) wasn’t a total failure, but the cut-outs curled up around the edges, which made the impression not as true to the design as we would have liked.
We tried some other items, such as actual ferns and leaves from the garden, but the impressions were completely invisible.
Finally, we tried painting a tote bag in rainbow colors and used a crocheted doily and some fish tank stones as masks. Again, we loved the way the paints blended together and their brightness, but the design was almost totally lost.
As mentioned above, we were ready to throw in the towel and label the paints a bust.
But not so fast: In this case we were wrong and the failures we experienced were caused by our not having the complete instructions for the adult kit and not thoroughly reading the instructions in the kids’ kit.
We have since found another kit with a full set of instructions, and now we know what we did wrong the first time around.
One mistake we made was not washing the fabric completely to remove sizing before painting; another was allowing sunlight to hit the paint before we added the masks. Even though it was only a matter of seconds, apparently that was enough to make a difference in how well the masks worked and how stark the impressions were.
Having said all this, we liked the idea of sun painting so much that we really wanted it to work and it looks like it was just our errors that made our first attempts less than impressive.
While a couple of the bandanas weren’t total flops, we think we can do better, so we’re going to do another column – probably the week after next – with a couple of different projects and, hopefully, better results.
We want to try using actual ferns and leaves again, and we also like the doily idea well enough to try it again.
To wrap up this week’s column, we recommend that you do try the technique if it sounds interesting to you, but be sure and follow the instructions closely for best results.
If you pick up some paints or a kit, save a little bit of paint for our next project suggestions in a few weeks.
Note: The name of the product we used is Sun Printing by Pebeo. We’ve found kits in a few local craft stores (the kids’ kit at Craft Mart in Marysville; the larger kits at Pacific Fabrics &Crafts and Michael’s, both in Everett), but you might want to call ahead before making a trip as it looked like in-store supplies were quite limited. You can also find the paints and kits online at www.fabricstodyefor.com/pebeo. The prices range from $15 to $25 for the kits; individual paints (we found them online only) are about $3.50 per 1.5 ounce bottle.
What you’ll need
* Sun painting kit
or
* Sun paints
* Sponge brushes
* White cotton bandanas or piece of cloth
* Plastic containers (for mixing paint)
* Board or other portable flat surface
* Sunshine!
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