Have you heard of Shibori?
Shibori is a Japanese manual resist dyeing technique, which produces beautiful patterns on fabric. It has recently picked up popularity and can be spotted in home decor on pillows, bedding, clothing and kitchen linens.
When Gorjana reached out to me about hosting a workshop inspired by Shibori, one of the brands signature patterns, I knew it would be fun! I immediately started mocking up the patterns with indigo watercolor you can see above.
This watercolor workshop was setup a little different than my typical Watercolor and Wine workshops. First off, there was no wine, it was 11am after all and maaaaaybe that's too early for wine? But no judgement here. The other aspect that was different about this watercolor workshop is that it was a pop-up workshop. What does that mean exactly you ask? The watercolor workshop station was setup for two hours while guest came to the store to shop. Many guests took a break from their day for a quick 15 minute tutorial on watercolor painting in the Shibori style. Meanwhile, some guest just painted for a moment while their gifts were wrapped up or their jewelry was custom engraved.
The pop-up workshop was also perfect to keep children occupied who were accompanying their parents shopping.
Since Shibori typically involves folding fabric I had to figure out a way around this without folding the paper. I decided to give guests to options. One using a resist technique using white crayons, which would resist the watercolor paint similar to the way the folded fabric would resit dye. The other option involved some basic pattern making techniques, replicating what you do on one side immediately to the other.
The workshop was a huge success and I hope to do more pop-up watercolor workshops in the future. Interested in hosting a pop-up DIY Watercolor workshop at your home or business? Contact me here for more information.
