Silk is one of the important materials in Japanese art and culture. It has been used as a canvas for painting in Eastern cultures since ancient times. In Japan, although there were wooden panels and linen as the main substrate for painting, silk started to be used and became popular during the Heian period (794-1185), since then, painting techniques and expressions with silk have developed drastically.
Some artworks painted on Washi paper from the Heian period have shimmering surfaces.
It is because mica was applied to the Washi to create a similar effect to silk. Since silk was a luxurious and rare material around that time, people imitated it with other materials.
Considering its development with Eastern cultures, I would like to explain the types of silk we have and their basic ways to use.
Material
Eginu (絵絹) is a Japanese term meaning silk made for painting. While calligraphies and paintings on Eginu are called Kenpon (絹本).
Kiginu (生絹) is raw silk fabric made of woven threads from the cocoons of silkworms.
The threads are finer than typical silk used for clothing, but even with the finer and thinner mesh, it creates luster and smoothness unique to Eginu. Therefore, you can utilize this characteristic through different color materials, painting methods, and usage.
For drawing, plain weave (Hiraori, 平織), a weaving method to create a smooth plain cloth is mostly used and its thickness varies depending on the number of warp threads. In some cases, twill weave (Ayaori, 綾織) and satin weave (Shusuori, 繻子織) with special patterns are used too.
Method
In the traditional techniques of Japanese art, silk is often used with pigments and metal leaves, and its translucency is perfect for the techniques like Urazaishiki (裏彩色, painting the back of the silk) and Urahaku (裏箔, applying metal leaves on the backside of silk).
Although the ways of preparing silk for painting are according to the effects you want to achieve, silk is generally stretched on a wooden frame and sized with Dosa liquid for preventing ink breeding. Since raw silk (Kiginu, 生絹) will absorb water and color materials, your drawing will bloat out and bleed through the silk.
Moreover, silk is very thin and easily deteriorates, so Urauchi backing is necessary for long-term preservation. And for Urauchi backing, you need to apply water to the silk and your work may be ruined if you paint on raw silk because of the bleeding from paints and Sumi ink. Therefore, sizing is highly recommended, especially if you plan to do Urauchi later.
Type
PIGMENT TOKYO carries silk that is made in Japan in three different thicknesses.
The width of the silk is converted to the size in Japanese "shaku, 尺(1 shaku = 30.3 cm)” and “sun,寸 (1 sun = 3.03 cm”. The silk is available in 3 shaku (≒90 cm), 2 shaku 5 sun (≒75 cm) and 2 shaku (≒60 cm).
You may purchase these silks in length by 50 cm.
*The thickness and translucency used for comparison are based on the stock in PIGMENT TOKYO (as of November 2022).
Thickness: Thick
Translucency / Effect of Coloring and Metal Leaf Application from the Backside: △
Eginu Silk Canvas 3 Chohi is the thickest and firmest among the three types.
It has modest translucency but the texture of the material is quite obvious.
Since the silk canvas is tightly woven, the surface is perfectly smooth for brushwork without causing any friction feedback from the brush. It is also suitable for creating gradation on it.
Moreover, this silk canvas is often used for large paintings thanks to its durability.
Eginu Silk Canvas 2 Chohi Heavy
Thickness: Medium-thickness
Translucency / Effect of Coloring and Metal Leaf Application from the Backside: ◯
Its durability and thickness are moderately good.
Therefore, Eginu Silk Canvas 2 Chohi Heavy is suitable for applying Urazaishiki and Urahaku on a relatively large scale.
Eginu Silk Canvas 2 Chohi Deluxe
Thickness: Thin
Translucency / Effect of Coloring and Metal Leaf Application from the Backside: ◎
Eginu Silk Canvas 2 Chohi Deluxe is thin and highly translucent, so the color layering with Urazaishiki or Urahaku works best with this silk.
In the image below, the silk canvas is placed on top of the gold leaf paper but the brilliant color of the gold leaf is showing through the gaps of the woven silk.
Color・Medium：Sumi Ink, ZECCHI Watercolor Ultramarine Blue
Substate: Eginu Silk Canvas 2 Chohi Deluxe
Under Layer of Silk: Brass Leaf (Metal Leaf Paper)
Compatibility with Color Materials and Mediums (Paint)
The compatibility of color materials and mediums with silk varies depending on the type.
The combination of the materials will affect not only the fixation and preservation but also the process of Urauchi backing.
— Pigments
・Natural Mineral Pigments and Artificial Mineral Pigments
The larger labeled numbers (larger numbers represent finer pigments) have better fixability, while coarser particles like No. 7 or smaller numbers are more likely to peel off. Although particle size varies depending on the color and type, you may refer to the following chart as a guideline in general.
◎ 13〜Byaku
◯ 10〜12
△ 8〜9
╳ 5〜7
・Other Colorants (Pigments, Effect Pigments, etc.)
Same as with mineral pigments, we recommend using fine particle pigments.
For pigments in small plate forms like earth or Suihi pigments, it is better to grind them with a mortar and pestle to make them finer before mixing them with the binder or medium.
Coarse pigments such as some of the effect pigments and mica pigments are more difficult to adhere to silk and they can cause damage, especially to scrolls such as hanging scrolls.
・Sumi, 墨 (Inksticks made from pine soot, oil soot, or so on )
Solid ink sticks made of soot and animal glue have excellent fixation and preservation properties.
However, if you plan to do Urauchi later, not well-rubbed Sumi ink can cause bleeding.
If the ink has been left for a while after rubbing it, the animal glue will lose its bonding power with the soot and the ink will not stay on the silk.
It is recommended to select Sumi ink by considering where the artwork will be exhibited or stored.
・ Bokujyu, 墨汁 (Liquid ink made of synthetic resin or synthetic glue)
Liquid ink that compounds synthetic resin as a binder has completely different properties from traditional Sumi inksticks.
Moreover, the fixation of ink mixed with synthetic resins may vary depending on the products. Therefore, it is necessary to test the ink before use, especially if you plan to do an Urauchi backing or Hyosou framing.
— Medium・Paint
・Animal Glue (Nikawa, 膠)
Animal glue is the most suitable in terms of fixation and preservation. It is the best binder especially for artworks to be decorated with Hyosou which is a traditional Japanese mounting technique for painting. Animal glue has a good affinity with water and changes its form depending on temperature. Since it is hygroscopic, it is solid at low temperatures and when the temperature rises, it turns into a gel or liquid.
Therefore, animal glue is the best medium for preserving in a hanging scroll form and applying Urauchi backing.
・Gum Arabic and Watercolors
Although watercolor stays on silk, it will return to liquid after being exposed to water even after the paint is dried. Since gum arabic has the re-wet ability and is water-soluble, it is not suitable for artworks that require Urauchi or Hyosou which is required to apply water during the process.
・Acrylic Emulsion, Acrylic Paints, and AQYLA Paints
Resin-based paints like acrylic and alkyd are water-resistant, highly durable, and have excellent fixation properties. However, it solidifies as it dries and makes it unsuitable for works to be backed or mounted through techniques like Urauchi or Hyousou.
It also makes the substrate more difficult to roll and can cause the paint to crack, especially on hanging scrolls that are supposed to be rolled and stored.
・Oil Color Medium, Oil Solvents, and Oil Paints
Although oil-based paints can fix on silk just fine, it requires special care when using or storing it for long periods.
Oil paint is unsuitable for artwork that needs to be mounted because it solidifies after drying like acrylic paints and oil stains can cause damage and deterioration.
Stretching Silk Canvas
Stretching silk canvas on a wooden frame makes it easier to paint and also allows us to use painting techniques that take advantage of its translucent characteristic to show the front and back of the silk canvas.
The techniques that most effectively utilize this translucency are called Urazaishiki (coloring on the backside of silk) and Urahaku (applying metal leaves from the backside of silk.) The shimmer of metal leaf and color of the paint coming through silk weaves gets softened and creates a calm atmosphere to paintings.
Moreover, the stretched silk is not attached anywhere so it’s easier for us to create a beautiful gradation without boundaries of color by using water. Another way to utilize the translucent canvas is by placing our sketches underneath the silk so there is no need to redraw them.
Then, let's try and stretch the silk canvas on stretcher bars.
— Things to Prepare
Left: Wooden Stretcher Bars, Silk
Right: Spatula, Scissors, Push Pins, Starch Glue, Paper Palette
・Silk Canvas
Paintings will be made within the frame. Since you will need extra space to apply the silk to the stretcher bars, therefore, please prepare your silk slightly larger than the actual artwork.
When cutting silk, it needs to be larger than the wood frame for later adjustment.
The edges on the left and right sides of the silk are a little tilted, so it is necessary to trim them by making cuts at equal intervals on the edges or by cutting the ends off.
・Wooden Frame
Wooden stretcher bars or frames are used for stretching silk canvases.
A metal frame is not a good choice here since it does not adhere to starch glue.
Inside of the frame will be where the painting fits so measure the size of its inner margin.
・Push Pins
After stretching the silk canvas over the frame, push pins are used to prevent the silk from moving during drying.
For an F3 (273mm x 220mm) sized wooden frame, you would need around 50 pieces of push pins.
・Starch Glue
Prepare some thick glue from either cooked wheat starch powder or store-bought starch glue (such as Shoji glue) that does not contain any adhesive ingredients.
Please be careful not to use glue that contains adhesive ingredients or acrylics, as this will make it difficult to peel off from the frame and may damage the work.
・Spatula or Noribake (Paste Brush)
It is used to apply glue. Although it is typical to use fingers when stretching silk, a spatula is recommended because it allows for the proper amount to be applied and also makes cleanup easier.
A spatula can be of any material and size that is easy to use.
A glue brush is suitable for kneading and applying solid glue. The Tsukemawashi brush is also suitable for detailed work and is the best item for those who do Urauch with silk canvas.
For more information on the methods of Urauchi (backing technique) and how to make glue from starch powder, please refer to the following article.
An Introductory Guide to Urauchi Backing －Overview
・Dosa (Sizing Liquid)
Dosa sizing is commonly applied to silk for preventing ink/paint bleeds.
Since our product, “Pig Skin Glue (Suitable for Dosa/Sizing)” has high jelly strength, adding an alum is not needed for obtaining the sizing effect.
When making sizing liquid with this animal glue, it needs to be dissolved with water and diluted to 1.5 to 2%. Since its color is very light, we can minimize the color affecting your artwork. Moreover, it is a thin sheet and does not take too much time to melt compared to other conventional animal glues.
However, the main benefit of using this animal glue as size is it has enough sizing effect by itself and does not need to add any alum which causes deterioration of silk, so it is highly recommended for artworks that will be stored for a long time.
The below images are the results of my experiment painting Sumi ink and watercolors on silk with and without sizing.
As you can tell, the colors and lines appeared more distinctly on sized silk. And since the thin lines from Sumi ink have less animal glue in them, the ink bleeds and spreads on the unsized silk.
However, size works differently depending on the environment, such as temperature and humidity. The way of applying size also varies according to the thickness, types of silk and painting techniques applied to it.
Therefore, kindly use the above percentage as just a brief guide to search for the right thickness of sizing liquid that works best for your artwork and environment.
Color・Medium
Unsized: Sumi Ink, Zecchi Watercolor Ultramarine Blue
Sized : Sumi Ink, Zecchi Watercolor Ultramarine Blue
Substrate: Eginu Silk Canvas 2 Chohi Deluxe
・Dosa Bake (Sizing Brush)
Please prepare a flat brush for sizing silk.
A thick Dosa brush can hold plenty of liquid which helps silk to absorb enough sizing solution.
— Process
Next, I’ll focus on the steps of how to stretch the silk on a wooden frame.
① Apply starch glue to the wooden frame and let it dry.
Use a spatula or a paste brush to spread the glue. This process is called Sutenori (first application of glue), which needs to be done on a new wooden frame to prevent the wood from absorbing the glue.
If the wooden frame has been used with glue before, you may skip this process.
For canvas frames, apply the glue to the flat side.
② Apply glue on a wooden frame.
Apply the glue leaving a few millimeters from the inside of the frame so it does not merge into the painting surface.
Place the silk quickly before the glue dries.
If you are planning to make it a scroll, it is better to follow the rolled direction and place the cutting edges top and bottom, and the weft threads should come left and right. If you are mounting the painting on a wood panel, you do not need to worry about the vertical or horizontal orientation of the silk.
④ Apply a second coat of glue on the silk.
Apply another coat of glue with a spatula over the silk. As in ②, leave a few millimeters from the inside frame.
Put the pins by pulling the silk to avoid wrinkles.
This process will prevent the silk from moving during drying and keep it taut.
I would advise adjusting the spread where the silk has wrinkles while pinning.
⑥ Dry
Let it dry.
When it dries, there should be no more wrinkles and it will be taut.
Now the silk canvas is perfectly stretched on the wood frame.
Once the glue is dried, you can apply size on the silk surface (the one within the frame).
Apply plenty of sizing liquid to the silk with a sizing brush and once the size is dry, it’s ready to paint. If you want to tighten up the silk, please apply water-activated tape to where the silk and wooden frame are glued together.
Be careful not to bend or fold it tightly as it may damage the paint or metal leaf on the silk.
This process is also introduced in the following video.
Here are some more articles and videos about silk painting.
【ARTICLES】Drawing On The Silk -Aesthetics Of Translucent-
【IGTV】Silk Canvas https://www.instagram.com/tv/CK0kytgiy3Q/
Silk has delicate and elegant beauty that has fascinated people and has influenced Japanese culture and our lifestyles. The aesthetics and the traditional techniques may continue to guide contemporary artistic expression throughout the ages.
Reference
Kyoto Hyousou Association (ed.), “表具の事典 (Encyclopedia of Hyogu)” (Kyo-Hyogu Cooperative Association, 2011)
Translated by Atsumi Okano and Nelson Hor Ee Herng
PIGMENT TOKYO Art Materials Experts
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