DIYP reader, Jerry, made a great comment on the process of making a tie-dye muslin backdrop.
It appears that Jerry remembers those happy days from when Tie-Dye was in fashion, and hair was the best show you can catch on Broadway.
Jerry tells that back is those days Tie-Dye shirts were the thing to wear and making Tie-Dye shirts was a common art. (Well, Digital cameras were very expensive then – they cost was just about a time travel ticket plus 1000$).
To spice up the color of a fabric, Jerry spiced up the Tie-Dye process. After the dying process has finished, but before removing the cord and hanging out to dry, you place the fabric in a fixer container.
To make a fixer container, just add a one quart of white vinegar to the water and slightly agitate the container. Now place the corded fabric in the container and let it soak for about half an hour.
This process is much like fixing a negative (yes, I am that old…). The colors will be less washable and the color will look more alive.
This will work great with white vinegar, if you use ketchup or mustard you’ll get a great fun, but backdrop results are unexpected.
This is also a great opportunity to highlight Peter’s comment on a different artsy way to color the fabric. Follow his advice to get more diversity in your backdrops:
What you will need are some containers for the colors (as many as you like). cutoff milk containers or cutoff plastic bottles.
Some tubes of acrylic artist paint (does not have to be expensive, hobby standard is o.k.) A large brush. or squirter. A plastic sauce bottle etc. Mix up your paint with water. 1 color to each container. Test it on a piece of wet paper for color strength. Add water or paint accordingly.
Lay muslin out on a lawn and hose down the muslin with a fine spray until it is wet through. Then (here is where the artistic part comes in) carefully splash color on by dipping brush into liquid and with an arcing motion spatter a line of color onto the wet muslin. The color will start to spread so don’t try to cover too much at once. Leave blank space between color for spreading or to add a different color in between. The natural muslin color can be used in between if you like.
When you are happy with the result let the sheet dry and then you can use it. It can be rewet to add more later or you can fine spray it to redampen or run color or to tone it down. This technique produces soft cloud like effects. You can even hang the muslin with clothes pegs for a different effect by adding the color and letting gravity take control.
More Cool Backdrop Thingys:
– Really Cheap Homemade DIY Studio – No Lighting Needed
– Greenscreens and Backdrop Stands
– Home Made Cheap DIY Backdrop Stand
– Super Easy Hardware Store Light-Backdrop Stand
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