Working with Resists - Acrylic Medium

I learned about acrylic medium as a resist from Jane Dunnewold. She was looking for ways to achieve a discharge look without the use of discharge agents.  I like acrylic medium because it is versatile - you can apply it in many different ways. It is also permanent - it does not wash out of the fabric. In some cases that can be a downside because it can leave the fabric stiff. However, the way I work, I view it as a positive.  It means that the resist properties of the medium are permanent as well. When doing layers of printing and washing, the resist stays intact.

Below are photos of cloth created using acrylic medium as a resist.

The large labyrinth shape was screen printed with acrylic medium.  In some places the dye wicked through and other areas stayed white.

 

Acrylic medium applied with a syringe. The coating was thick enough to provide a strong resist against the dye.

This cloth was created with multiple layers of resist and dye painting. 

Both acrylic medium and gel glue were used as a resist.  The image in the center and at the left were glue.  The others were acrylic medium.  A thin coating of medium sometimes wicks in color, leaving a darker image rather than a lighter image.

Read my tips for working with resists

Read about sugar syrup resist

Read about flour paste resist

Read about oatmeal resist

Read about potato dextrin resist

Read about soy wax resist