Discover the creativity in yourself and the surprising possibilities of experimental silk painting. During a workshop you will learn what the effect is of working with various transparent layers, making the paint flow, but also stopping the paint. You will be introduced to working with brushes, templates, stamps and other tools. But above all, you learn to intuitively fill the white silk with color and shape. There are different types of workshops:
1-day workshop in Deventer - experimental silk painting
2-day workshop in Deventer - experimental silk painting
3-day workshop in Deventer - 1 day felting (in combination with 2 days experimental silk painting)
Read more in the brochure workshops in Deventer
Online experimental silk painting workshop
Online workshop by Zsofia Marx and Ellen Bakker - Combine hat felting with silk painting
More information further down this page.
The workshops are given in the Colors of Ellen workshop in Deventer. Within walking distance of the station and the Centrum parking garage. There are plenty of accommodation options in the area. A workshop day lasts from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. We start around 9:30 am with coffee/tea.
You do not need any experience to participate in all workshops. The workshops are above all fun and surprising.
The workshops offer a great degree of freedom to experiment. This way you can get started painting samples on silk fabrics. Or work specifically towards an end product, such as beautiful supple silk scarves, paintings or fabric for clothing or felting.
This day you start by practicing different techniques of silk painting on a Pongé silk scarf measuring 55x55 cm. The rest of the day you will work on a beautiful scarf, fabric for clothing/interior, paintings or multiple samples. Each student has access to a large frame on which the silk is stretched.
The costs are Euro 95.00 per person, including a sample scarf of 55 x 55, 120 ml silk dye, fixing the silk. Coffee and tea with something tasty. The silk you use in the afternoon is not included*.
Please also check out the webshop
During this workshop you will spend two days working on the possibilities that silk painting offers. You can paint multiple silk scarves, paint silk fabric to make a garment or accessory, paint thin silk for felting, paint thicker silk for paintings or make various test samples. Each student has access to a large frame on which the silk is stretched.
The costs are Euro 190.00 per person, including a sample scarf of 55 x 55, 240 ml silk dye, fixing the silk. Coffee and tea with something tasty. The extra silk you use is not included*.
Please also check out the webshop
Dates of experimental silk painting workshops in Deventer
During the above 2-day silk painting workshop you can paint a large piece of silk of 300x115cm. You can then felt this cloth with 3 meters of wool on a third (return) day.
When felting the silk with the wool, we use a felting machine that takes away the heavy work. The wool we use is so-called prefelt - a lightly felted wool - which can be ordered in various colors*. The starting size is 300x120 cm. The felting process causes the wool to shrink by approximately 25%. A supple and strong felt fabric is created, suitable for a throw/blanket, shawl, wall hanging or fabric for making clothes.
A maximum of 2 people can participate in a felting day. If one person participates, the workshop lasts half a day.
The costs of this felt workshop are euro 150.00 per person.
Included: use of the felting machine, coffee/tea with something tasty. The required 3 meters of prefelt is not included*.
Dates of felting workshop in Deventer in consultation. Before you can felt it, the silk must first be steamed for a long time.
Please also check out the webshop
* Additional silk scarves and fabrics are available on-site; the costs are calculated separately. You can order prefelt for felting in advance.
* Lunch is not included. There are plenty of cozy restaurants in the immediate area.
Download the brochure about the workshops in Deventer
More information about online workshops and masterclasses further down this page.
Examples of hand-painted silk felted with wool
This online workshop on experimental silk painting is conducted in English.
The workshop duration is from 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM with a half-hour break.
The workshop costs Euro 95.00 per person.
A video tutorial is available that covers the materials required, making a frame, and steaming the silk.
The workshop scheduled for March 14, 2024, is now full.
If you would like to stay informed about our future online silk painting workshops, please send us a message.
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Zsofia Marx, an artist from Amsterdam, creates beautiful hats from felt. I have had the pleasure of selling her hats in my store in Deventer.
A year ago, we embarked on a joint project where we combined my hand-painted silk with Zsofia's hats. It was an inspiring and surprising journey of discovery. Which designs work best? Which color combinations reinforce each other? And how do the designs best survive during the felting process? The unique hats that resulted from our collaboration are fantastic. We are both very excited about the endless possibilities that our merger of techniques has opened up.
Good news
We will soon introduce our joint online masterclass, in which you will learn the special techniques of making hats from hand-painted silk with wool in your own unique handwriting.
Sneak preview
We would like to invite you for an inspiring interview in which we take you into our creative process. We would like to share this intriguing process with you and give you a sneak preview in which we share our experiences and inspiration with you.
Stay tuned, more details coming soon!
The creative process of Ellen Bakker's painted silk in combination with Zsofia Marx's felt hats in images
Here a student is painting a 180x45 cm silk scarf during a 1-day silk painting workshop.