Working With Resists - Potato Dextrin

It took a few years for me to really appreciate potato dextrin. It is best known for its distinctive crackle pattern, however I have found that it can be very versatile. It works well in a squeeze bottle, stamped or stenciled, brayer printed and even screen printed. It washes out easily but it can withstand low water immersion. The main downside is that it is more costly than other paste resists. Covering a large piece of cloth for the crackle effect can get expensive. But it does look fabulous!

Here is the classic crackle pattern. The dextrin was applied unevenly, resulting in some areas with fine cracks and some areas with larger cracks.

Potato dextrin was brushed through a plastic grid, then painted with thickened dye. When using objects as stencils, the result is not always as expected. Instead of creating neat squares, the dextrin pooled around the grid, resulting in this abstracted pattern.

Potato dextrin brushed through lace curtain, painted with thickened dye.  Prior to being used as a stencil, the lace was stiffened with a coating of acrylic paint.

Potato dextrin applied with a brush, painted with thickened dye

Potato dextrin applied with a sponge stamp, painted with thickened dye.

Potato dextrin applied with a sponge stamp, immersed.  Notice how more of the dye breached the resist, resulting in a softer image.

Potato dextrin brayer print with a chocolate box liner underneath the cloth.

Potato dextrin applied with a circular brush.


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