Update To Testing Jacquard's New Water-based Resist

Jacquard's Water-
based resist

I was very excited to test out Jacquard's new Water-based Resist for silk painting.  I've used a variety of resists and each has their pluses and minuses... and this new resist is no different.


On the plus side:
  • It's premixed and already at a good consistency for applying with an applicator bottle. 
  • It drys fairly rapidly
  • It repels dye very well
  • Dye painted on top of the line doesn't soak through
  • Once dried it can't be scrubbed away
  • It is relatively inexpensive and easy to get a hold of (Dharma Trading carries it - as does at least one local store)
  • Dye can be added to it to tint the resist
But there are some issues that I am having some challenges with!  So to be fair, on the negative side:
  • It doesn't always flow out of the applicator nicely and I often get bigger globs (meaning I have a hard time getting nice, crisp edges on my lines!)
  • Along with coming out of the applicator unevenly, it also tends to spread out rather than hold the line which also results in very uneven lines.
  • It re-moistens while you're painting - which for me is a REAL problem! Sometimes I need to transport my paintings (which admittedly, is a dangerous thing to do while the dye has not set!).   SO normally, I demo or teach and then carefully wrap up my painting (which I have made sure the dye is dry) in  newsprint paper and then a plastic bag.  Initially I didn't realize that the resist actually re-moistens and then it stuck to the newsprint --- but as it got jostled around inside the bag... the re-moistened resist not only stuck to the newsprint - but then reapplied itself to the painting in new and unwanted places!!! NOT good!!

Other resists I have tried and few of their pluses and minuses:

Prochemical Cold Wax 
Prochemical's Cold Wax
Pluses: Relatively affordable, tintable, applicable with Molotow pens or a brush (I LOVE the fine lines that I can get when applying it with a brush!!), washes out easily (little residue).
Minuses: Prochemical has discontinued sales (apparently similar products are available through other outlets), super-runny so won't work with my regular applicators, can actually be scrubbed out of the silk while you're painting it if your brush rubs it too much, sometimes the wax separates in the bottle and if not well-mixed - will not act correctly as a resist.
Conclusion: When it is mixed well and works correctly - I love it!! When it isn't... well let's just say I have a painting with odd-looking oil stains that won't clean out of the fabric - it's a serious bummer!





Resistad - and yes, this is the packaging it
came in!

Resistad
Pluses: It holds an applied resist line beautifully, once heat-set it can not be brushed out as you paint,
once steamed the Resistad is easily washed out of the fabric, it is easily tinted, you can thin it down as much as you want and will still act as a resist while pretty thin, I bought a medium-sized bottle and it has lasted me quite a long time.
Minuses: It comes from New Zealand only (and I just heard through the grapevine that they are probably going to discontinue it's manufacture!!! - OMG!),  because it comes from New Zealand - it is pricey, once applied to the fabric and heat set -- it has an odd action of resisting the dye that comes next to it - BUT if you paint over the heat-set resist line --- it will PULL the dye INTO it...meaning you'll get weird-looking dye-lines inside the resist lines (which means I have to be super-careful...and that is sometimes hard for me).
Conclusion: It was what I learned with - and my best paintings have been created using this as my resist.  I will cry if it truly becomes discontinued (along with many of my fellow silk painters!)





Gutta/Permanent Water-based Resists
Jacquard's water-based PERMANENT
Resist (dry-clean to remove)
Pluses: It holds the line well, it comes in pre-mixed colors, it adds texture/depth, inexpensive and easily obtainable (I personally love it for adding gorgeous texture and strong color to stamens - or to give the lines a look like stained-glass lead).
Minuses: Making a mistake is not fixable (you can't wash it out - some can be removed with dry-cleaning fluids but not all). Limited color options, adds texture that is always there (unless it can be removed with dry-cleaning fluid)
Conclusion: I use it occasionally  - mainly for stamens and mainly for silk paintings that are painted in the Serti technique

My overall conclusions?   Well... I am truly stuck.  Jacquard's new water-based resist works OK but it really doesn't meet my needs for a resist - other than being easy to use for beginning students.  I still prefer Resistad's versatility and ability to apply nicely (no clumps) and hold a line well - plus I love that I can move my paintings and not worry about the resist being sticky.   I can add color, it holds my line, it can't be scrubbed out while painting.    Really, no one thing meets ALL of my needs and my advice to you is to try them all and decide for yourself (I wish I could tell you that Brand X was the only good choice, but alas...that isn't so).  None of them are too expensive and it is worth the price to test them all.    

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