4 - Applying liquid paint to fabric

Example: St Ives Harbour

Easiest of all my techniques is to apply liquid paint (silk paint or acrylic ink) to a piece of fabric before mounting it on board. I wet the fabric first and spread it out on a polythene sheet or a piece of glass. I apply the colours generously with a No 16 watercolour brush or equivalent. I can get a surprising amount of detail without too much trouble. I let the fabric dry completely before ironing it and sticking it with PVA glue onto hardboard. Or rather sticking hardboard to the reverse of the fabric! Then I am ready to paint the foreground using hand-cut stencils and my little sponges.