Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

For many years I worked as a silk painting demonstrator for Rupert, Gibbon, & Spider, the company that makes Jacquard Products. I loved demonstrating silk painting mainly because it’s a really easy technique that gives brilliant results. During our recent trip to Turks & Caicos I found some silk painting that really caught my eye. I think the pieces fascinated me so much because it wasn’t your typical scarf or tie, but a very up scaled craft application for gift tags and bookmarks!

I am always amazed at the creativity I find as I travel. I’m inspired when artists and crafters think outside the box and match their creative skills to what the consumer is willing to buy.  I might not immediately buy a $200 silk painted scarf, but I did buy $30 worth of gift tags and bookmarks!  The local silk painting artist in Turks & Caicos knew that her consumer was the tourist seeking souvenirs and keepsakes to take back home.  While one or two of the day’s tourists might buy more expensive items, she didn’t lose a potential customer like me by including some less expensive options, yet still kept her designs fresh, innovative, and charming!

We can all learn from that savvy artist down in the islands of Turks & Caicos.  If you want to make a living from your art or craft you must take the time to learn and understand your customer.  High ticket items will sell, but mid to lower ticket items will sell faster in most markets.  Take a look at what I purchased.

Bright brilliant colors make silk painting an eye catching technique! I got the ladybug gift tags for a friend and the fish gift tags for myself. The silk painting is sandwiched between the paper bookmark within a window making it look like stained glass.

Quick Tip!

Round paint brushes are usually the best for silk painting when you need to paint into small places or paint in details.  Flat brushes are best for broad areas that need to be painted.  A quality brush will do most of the work for you!