Katazome, or stencil dyeing, is a Japanese paste-resist surface design technique. While the process is centuries old, the art was revived in the 20th century by Serizawa Keisuke, an artist of the mingei, or “people’s crafts” movement of 1920′s and 1930′s Japan.
The process incorporates elements of both printmaking and painting, and relies on simple non-toxic materials such as rice paste resist, natural pigments and soymilk. Here is a brief outline of the steps involved.
1. Once the design is complete, the stencil is cut from a water-impervious Japanese paper called shibugami, and reinforced with netting.
Heron Stencil before reinforcing © Kit Eastman
2. The fabric is sized with soy milk to prepare it for the paste and the dyes.
home-made soybean juice and crumble
3. Rice paste resist is “printed” through the stencil and left to dry.
Pasting linen with tulip repeat stencil
4. The natural pigments are blended with soy milk, which serves as a binder. The pigment colors come from plant, mineral and other natural sources, and are both subtle and rich.
natural pigments mixed with soybean juice
5. The colors are hand painted in three separate layers plus highlights. Pasted areas are protected from the dyes.
Painting on the pigment dyes
6. The work is left to cure (oxidize) and then the rice paste is simply soaked off in cold water, revealing the design.
Katazome Owl Pillow © Kit Eastman
There is virtually no color wash out from this process – the pigments are permanent, locked into the weave of the fabric by the high-protein soy milk. In addition, the original feel of the fabric is not affected by the process. To care for the piece, you may wash it gently in cool water, dry it on the line, and then iron it as necessary.
