The flag in the grand ballroom, above.

The historic flag, shown hanging on the wall of the Reception Room above and left is not the flag in its original form, but with modifications.

MPFC was asked by the DAR to replicate the historic flag so the original historic flag can be sent into archival storage for preservation and possibly conservation. DAR members from across the State of Washington raised monies for this and in an age-old tradition, will be gifting the reproduction to their State.

The first discussion was how do the modifications impact the replication process? Do we replicate it in its historic form, or align with what visitors have seen daily. We voted for authenticity, and the DAR was in agreement.

We needed examples, and so began a search for historic information.

Note: Color differences due to varying lighting.

HISTORIC INFORMATION

The original flag in this incarnation has been cared for with additions meant to assist in its preservation. For instance, the loops (historic view, right), and above, were probably not sturdy enough for the amount of use the grand flag was given. At one time the flag was carried in parades!

When the loops were wearing out, a velvet header was applied across the top; the loops were sewn onto the velvet header. The header supporting the loops is quite large and not in keeping with the original proportions, but thankfully saved the historic loops.

We were not allowed to open the historic flag to see inside, so we do not know how the interfacing attached, but we surmise it may have pulled or stressed pushing against the painted silk and contributed to its cracking over time.

We are recommending when the historical flag is conserved, it be returned to its original design, above, with reinforced loops which will go unnoticed.

What may be most shocking for most people is discovering the flag was historically a deep green, not the khaki color that visitors are used to seeing! The color we are looking to as original could only be viewed in small bits under lose trims, above left. Although it will be a surprise, everyone believes it should go back to the original green, especially because that aligns with the information in the State Flag Senate Resolution (April 1963) and the DAR NSDAR History. Washington State, like most states, outlines the proper parameters for flag replication, and these deeper colors are called for in reproductions.

Above is the best of the information and photographs which we relied upon for the reproduction, courtesy of the DAR and the Washington State Archives. (Note the second image is the back of the first.)

DESIGN

The design was nothing like the drawing Kate made in her travel sketchbook of the modified historic flag, shown left. We would be hanging the reproduction from the new trimmed loops.

Before we began, MPFC searched for the proper materials to present for approval to the DAR and representatives of the State of Washington. (Note: We will stop repeating this; each part of the process was approved by committee.)

We would need to find the appropriate green silk, and it would have to be tested for it’s ability to accept oil paint.

Other materials to be approved were the gold passementerie (trims). Eventually linings and threads would be purchased.

SILK

The silk for the new flag was matched from the smallest area of lifted trim, shown left, which was a challenge. We could not simply remove the historic trim and find a large patch of historic silk which has not faded to the khaki green.

Many decades we’ve been in the business, and we have never encountered a task as difficult as finding the proper replacement silk. The moral of the story is never, ever, ever tell a client something is going to be easy!

We said this knowing that we have all of Sunsilks many colors including several gorgeous greens in that range, from a foresty-grass-green to viridian. Plus we have many greens from many other fabric houses, because we frequently match solid colors. We had another dozen of these EXACT green silks, but they were all discontinued or only in nubby dupioni!

We had one good choice but after ordering a test sample found it low on stock. It was
not discontinued, but they were not going to reorder.

The fabric industry transformed in the last decade into an unpredictable industry.
We no longer ask clients to choose one fabric, but three, because even if in the time to order samples, the fabric might be gone! Plus, companies no longer have lines that are crayola box colorful; they rely on color trends, which at the time were turquoise, brown and pastels!

We began the hunt for the right green silk. We started again with our top showrooms, but instead of asking for a particular sample we asked for a range of solid green silks. We began working our way into smaller and smaller showrooms and fabric companies, finding mostly disappointment. We sent out the image of the five silks above left for the color, and described what was needed: Not nubby, not too shiny, not a shot silk, preferably 100% silk, substantial, like a shantung or taffeta. We would look at a dupioni if not too textural.

Some of the choices sent I simply didn’t understand, shown above right —
perhaps they went by the name of a fabric, like Dublin? Below, some of the better batches sent!

We received many greens, and not one that fit. We were discouraged… Three inches of stacked rejects… seven dozen green silks… and nothing.

Two months of calling, visiting showrooms, sorting and online looking and begging fabric representatives to take another look. Nothing.

Mitchell suggested we open our search up to blends: silk + cotton, or silk + linen. The DAR said yes.

A word about the search for color, and why we expanded the search to include silk blends. The silks we found available in the colors needed were often a very light weight,
measured in mommes* (description bottom of post). Pronounced moe-me, it sounds like mommy in the USA, which cracked Kate up every time she had to say it!

Some of these blends were more expensive than silk! By expanding our materials to include blends, we found sturdy fabrics that suited our requirements.

Finally, we had contenders, right!

Above left, and two images (one you have seen) of the historic flag.

TRIMS

Three types of gold passementerie needed to be found, shown in images 2 and 3 above:

a looped picot trim, shown in images 2 and 3 above;
a woven braid gimp, shown in images 2 and 3 above; and,
a knotted tasselled chainette fringe, shown in image 3 above.

It is possible but extremely costly to have them reproduced in small quantities, though that was our first choice.

Searches began in upholstery and dress couturier shops for possibilities in the USA, England, and among military reenactors. We finally compromised on variations of the gold passementerie through Janet Yonaty, and placed our orders.

TESTING

Next, we ran our tests to evaluate the fabrics for the painting process before sending them to the DAR for final review.

Never underestimate the benefits of testing materials. Kate is by nature an impatient artist and tends to dive into art materials and experiment while creating, but with clients, she has to slow down, and test the products we ordered.

After we narrowed our silks to proper colors,
we tested Gamblin’s PVA Size on the silk samples stretched (as the silk will be stretched when Washington is painted) on embroidery hoops, right.

Eight samples were tested, a sample shown her.

The reasons for the odd pattern to the testing shown in the row below and on the fabric right, was to see how the PVA buildup effected the fabric. Kate noted the manner in which she built up the size as follows:

One coat on half the back,
Several coats on the front, beginning with a full coat covering the entire circle,
Then half a coat, Then a quarter coat.

Each had full dry time in between.

The PVA tests narrowed the field. Example: the Sunsilk silk (a fabulous silk company) above was a candidate, despite the slight texture, but after testing and seeing how the PVA changed the texture dramatically, Sunsilk’s two colors were dropped.

W17 5 11 WA DAR FLAG MATCH SILK FINAL-00015

W17 5 11 WA DAR FLAG MATCH SILK FINAL-00018

W17 5 11 WA DAR FLAG MATCH SILK FINAL-00005

W17 5 11 WA DAR FLAG MATCH SILK FINAL-00008

Our final choice for the fabric was a lovely cotton/silk blend from Osbourne & Little.
Two colors matched closely in both bright light and soft light, shown above and below,
and the fabric has the right sheen for the reproduction to come close to the original flag.

W17 5 11 WA DAR FLAG MATCH SILK FINAL-00029

W17 5 11 WA DAR FLAG MATCH SILK FINAL-00031

Meanwhile, cuts from the dye lots are on their way from England for our approval to match against the samples in our possession. Dye lots can vary, and in recent years some have varied quite a lot. We have both colors on hold for us, pending approval.

REPRODUCTION PROCESS

The process of reproduction of the medallion was as follows:

An accurate sketch would be made to scale of the original image of the historic medallion.
We will create several reproductions on the chosen silk, and choose the best of the three. MPFC did not want to risk losing the only reproduction to a spill or finding it not quite right in the end.
Panels of silk would be stretched for painting, and primed to accept thin layers of oil paint under the medallion location. The sketch would then be transferred onto the silk.
Kate would paint the medallion reproductions in oil.

Left, a close up of the painting of the medallion.

The reproduction banner will be sewn after the silk panels were completed.

TRACINGS

A Flag Room was staged for the duration of the project, shown above.

SETUP

Black foam-core lines the walls waiting for the silk to be stretched upon. The silk will be attached to the foam-core for stability.

The center table would initially be used to lay the historic flag upon while the tracings
are created, below, then will become a work table. The historic flag, for the time
we were allowed to keep it, rested on the far table, covered and wrapped for protection, as it was delivered to us, with one exception.

The historic flag came to us folded in two places, leaving pressure marks on the face of the flag, a pitfall of not having a conservator properly pack the flag. Fortunately, as it was not stored folded for a long time, these were temporary marks and released over a few weeks and with gentle pressure placed across the surface. We advise against folding in any case, as every time the historic flag is folded it wears on the old silk and passementerie. Textiles become brittle as they age even in the best circumstances, and the tiny breaks from folding are often not noticed until they grow to a noticeable tear.

The fold marks brought to our attention the stiffness of the silk, and we wondered if the entire flag was sized, not just the painted medallion. However, without testing that will remain conjecture. Note the line, left. We assume it is a guide line. The color of the silk is imperceptible unless one is searching, on both sides of the line. If only the medallion was sized, we surmise the silk would change color in this area.

Before tracing, Mitchell and Kate together made the final decisions on the particulars of the reproduction, and these would be laid into the tracings.

TRACING BEGAN

1/16-inch clear rigid acrylic was laid upon the historic flag for protection, see top image. Two persons together centered and laid it gently to ensure the safety of the flag; we did not want to drag even this light acrylic over the historic flag. This allows us to take overall patterns of the painting and the details, without risking marking or tearing the flag.

On heavy vellum, the entire flag was traced. Every detail of the flag was all measured and another set of details photographed. Along the way, notes were taken of the oddities of the passementerie and the painting.

The first oddity was that the historic flag was not symmetrical: it ranges from 34.5″ to 35.5 inches wide, and the length slightly droops, or so it appears, as we are not hanging the flag nor pulling on it to find out!

The hand-painted letters are all a bit different, one from the next, which leads us to surmise that a template was not used:

Three different “S” letters: the angled beginnings and ends of the letter are different,
and as most “S” letters will be symmetrical in their circular form, or bottom heavy, it appears that the “S”in “STATE” (above) is upside down from a lettering perspective, as it is top heavy!
Four different “E” letters (above): top heavy, bottom heavy, or perfectly even.
The “A” letters are the most alike, above and below.

We wonder if the same person worked on the flag from start to finish!

Our inclination is to try to reproduce the anomalies, though it is harder to reproduce anomalies than to simply pick one of each letter to replicate.

The seal and drawing of George, as Kate is beginning to call him, on the large tracing above left.

We were not to have the historic flag in our studio for the duration of the project, so every application of the passementerie was noted.

The twisted braid (with eyelets) which was positioned by hand into the floral motif, was not evenly spaced, also evidence that the braid was not created before application, ready to place onto the silk, but hand applied by the seamstress or tailor. Kate noted the center line and spacing of the braid, and in doing so noted that the dimensions are variable, and sometimes not perpendicular. While taking these patterns we created a final count of yardage for the various types of passementerie.

Together we worked out our various design issues, such as creating a silk loop which the gimp trim applies to, which will make the loops stronger than the historic flag loops.

Our largest pattern, left, outlines the general items. Notes cover our sizes.

Finally, there are the tracings for George’s reproduction, below. We apologize for the images; hard to photograph pencil!

Kate created several copies, as we are creating studies and also three silks.

CHOOSING PAINT COLORS

Kate’s next step was to isolate the colors on the historic image, and mix the paint colors she would use for the medallion background and George, as she began to call him.

Colors were matched to images on photo paper, NOT the historic flag itself, as wet paint near the historic flag was not appropriate.

She created test sheets on paper for oil versions of the medallion. Two coats of older shellac sealed the paper for the oil paint. MPFC creates their own shellac mixes for furniture, and Kate saves the old shellac because it is a great sealer on paper under oil paints.

Kate used Gamblin’s artist oil paints and mediums.

Phthalo Green and Chromium Oxide Green were mixed to match the green silk. She wanted to do her experiments on choosing paint colors on the green background, because paints will change how they are perceived considerably when painted on bright white, cream, and especially the lovely green of the silk.

She tore the rectangular sheets into the squares on which she would paint George’s face, leaving her test papers with which to experiment.

She also painted two sheets to go behind her mixing tray which became her palette, shown below; when a color was finalized, she took notes and put a swab on the palette.

Kate took various images of the historic flag in different normal lights before starting, and printed them, above. They were her reference sheets. These were from Kate’s notes:

“…mixing the paints today… they must completely dry before I venture close to the historic flag to compare paints mixed… It appears the darker colors will be the ones to double-check against the historic flag, because the darker blues, greens, and browns change radically when a flash hits them and unfortunately I am mixing against images not the historic.”

Kate has a few color zones to explore in matching and blending:

coat (collar and body, buttons and epaulets);
hair;
skin;
painted background, which is a green that changes over the body of the medallion from a greyed-green to a blue-green.

The collar is a blend of Naples Yellow, moving to a creamier version with the Titanium-Zinc White, and going darker with Raw Sienna, Asphaltum, or Burnt Umber. Kate wanted to hold up the darker mixtures to double check them against the original flag. The buttons and epaulets demand brilliance with added Gold Ochre. (Gold Ochre is the mix second from the bottom; the Yellow Ochre below is too dull.)

The blues were hard to see when looking at the reproductive images. The body of the uniform was an Indanthrone or Prussian base, with Cobalt Blue added to either to mix. The blue is not one color either, but changes across the uniform as light and shadow play.

Kate was prepared to mix George’s skin tones, but Gamblin’s Caucasian Flesh was a
such a good base match from which to mix shadows and blush. George’s face is a challenge to reproduce, because Kate was not adept at portraits, and his is colorful and full of shadows!

Kate looked at his face as if it was a landscape to reproduce. For the slight blush or ruddy skin tone she added Cadmium Red Light or Cadmium Red Medium. Gold Ochre plays into areas around the eyes
and just above the eyebrow.

In the shadows, she added Asphaltum, Burnt Umber, and Raw Sienna, and none were quite right. She remembered Robert Gamblin talking about how they make Torrit Grey, and squished all the palette paint leftovers together into a grey… THAT GREY looked like the right shadow color!

The green background moves from a darkened Phthalo Green (slightly blue) to Chromium Oxide Green highlighting his face, which drew your eyes up to the lighter color.
The greens which she chose to mix are the second, fourth, and fifth at the bottom of the blues — with a little Naples Yellow added!

George’s hair was not pure white, though there is a good deal of white in the mix. Kate mixed Gamblin’s Warm Grey or a blend of Naples Yellow and Titanium-Zinc White to achieve the colors she saw in his white hair. The shadows at the bottom of his curls added Paynes Grey.

From Kate’s paint journal:

“I cannot hope to create an exact replica, but I am attempting to recreate the painted medallion with the types of strokes and colors and looseness the original artist used when s/he painted George.”

Note: 2 test sheets, shown right, were created; the DAR was given a copy at the end as part of the documentation.

FIRST DRAFTS ON PAPER

Most of what follows are taken directly from Kate’s notes, if in quotes.

New tracings from our master tracing are created each time so the marks are fresh, image shown below left.

FIRST DRAFT ON PAPER

“Beginning with the test sheets, I created test paintings of George in oil on paper. The paper was primed with shellac to prevent oil seepage. My first draft was a portrait of George on plain shellacked paper. The lovely background is not noticed much in our original because the original bright green silk has faded to the colors of the background.
The background was created so that it appears a light is coming from behind George.”

“The draft on shellacked paper helped to fine tune the paint formulas.

I had a bit of fun at the end of the day one giving him cat’s whiskers!”

“The original paint mixes when painted in the portrait draft were changed slightly.

I hated what happened when I created a pasty face and left it for the night, right, because it was so blockish, without nuance. Pasty Face George taught me not to let the paint dry, but to mix shadings in the moment.

I painted the draft slowly, using a 50/50 galkyd/linseed mix to thin when needed.”

The above image left was created in one day, and shadings were created properly.

Building up the face;
The hair and lacy shirt;
Adding the green that matched the silk;

A few final tweaks, and the first draft was completed, shown above next to historic George.

“Okay, not too bad for my first oil paint portrait.”

SECOND DRAFT ON PAPER

Another day, a second test was on green painted paper to work the colors again, over green, and the succession of images is shown above.

“Painting over a base of green changes methods just a bit; the green tint bleeds through the paint. Green George gave us both laughs as his eyes followed us everywhere; I was a bit sorry to finish him!”

“Working green George I became much more comfortable with the paint colors and the techniques to create his likeness. His face needs to be a bit thinner and his hair is a bit wildly curly still. Painting George has prompted me to review other images of Washington, because really, while I am creating a likeness of the flag, I am not a forger and have come to realize the painting will have my hand and strokes no matter how I attempt to reproduce it. Many people have painted this famous angle, and each is different, What I want is his eyes to look at you in the manner of the flag and his smile (which has degraded) to be accurate to his personality.

We tried to find the image the original painter used as a model but no luck so far. We thought that they may have copied a famous painting. Our research is leading us to believe the historic flag’s image was an amalgamation of two or three images we’ve found.”

(If anyone has any further history we’ll be happy to share that in this post.)

“This has been an honor and adventure so far; really nothing I’ve done to date has been quite like it. While I am not quite finished with this test (hair, costume) I’m also not sure that I will finish him; I’ve learned a good bit from the paper tests and am now ready for the silk, next post!”

SECOND DRAFTS ON SILK

FIRST DRAFT ON SILK

Note: If the image colors are darker or lighter in the same “canvas”, it is because the images were taken under different lighting at different times of the day.

New tracings from our master tracing were created each time so the tracing paper doesn’t wear and the marks stay fresh, not fat and sloppy.

Silk was primed using Gamblin’s PVA Size.

The historic flag was originally primed in its entirety. We think this created many issues in the health of the historic flag.

Mitchell and I discussed this several times with Dave Bernard (Gamblin); he concurred that some of the aging issues (including some of the cracking on the historic flag) may have occurred due to the stiffness of the primed silk folds pulling on the oil paint on the medallion of George Washington.

For that reason, we decided not to prime the entire silk flag.

Many artists and creators of historic pieces don’t think about what will happen to their works in 100 years, but are in the moment plying their trade, and may be doing so beautifully.

For Kate, the ramification meant her painting must be spot on. No oil paint could land on any portion of the reproduction silk that is not primed, because the oils in the paint will spread out and leach into the silk like a grease spot. Kate compromised and allowed an eighth of priming beyond the edge of the medallion, just to be safe. This would save her from a teeny slip of her brush along the edge — but not a drip!.

During the tracing tests, Kate also decided the blue tracing paper does not work as well as the white chalk paper. The blue doesn’t hold up to handling, yet oddly embeds into the silk and would not brush off easily if it falls onto the silk field. It didn’t make sense but it was her experience during the tests.

Kate also learned something from being a bit sloppy in pinning, because her silk puckered in large stiff waves, and is irreversible. A good reason to run a test!

Mitchell insisted on lots of evenly spaced pins all around the edge.

When Kate began painting George on the silk, she didn’t blend but used the oils more like acrylics, a medium with which she had experience. She also felt uncomfortable with the experience of silk, which doesn’t have the stability of paper or canvas.

The experimental George above at the end of his first day, above.

From Kate’s painting journal:

“I started again, this time ready to paint more in one sitting. Hey, I’m getting used to painting on a fluid moving material!”

She began adding to his uniform, and was getting more comfortable with blending oils on the silk.

(We had to post George with hollow Halloween eyes, left.)

Kate added eyes, and lips, and shadows on his skin tone, before moving to his hair.

“Finally, in one sitting, I fleshed George out, so to speak, by shading his skin tones and hair. I have a bit more to do, but am ready for the next step, the last set of drafts,
where I paint the drafts as I will paint the final flag, in 3-4 sittings:

White circle;
Lettering and background;
George’s details.”

“In preparation for the next step, I mixed a dozen convenience colors from the palette I developed for George; these can be changed slightly as I am painting.”

Paints mixed then placed in tubes and sealed, above. This one looked like chocolate fudge!

“I mixed up the mixture I am going to use to thin the paints, so it is ready for my brush to be dipped into as I paint: Gamblin’s Gamsol and Gamblin’s Refined Linseed Oil. I also decanted Galkyd for dipping into.” See above.

SECOND DRAFT ON SILK

“I learned a lot… and now I had to move into oil painting (processes), taking advantage of the slow drying (properties) of the oil paints to blend.

I have a greater understanding of the issues of painting on silk.

Now I can blend and finish a test piece.

Again, I started with the circle.” Shown right.

“I worked out the lettering + border in the tracing, and transferred it to the silk.

The white encircling George took two coats of the Titanium Zinc White to cover. Titanium Zinc is a very bright white to mimic a lead white, but is not as brittle as Zinc White.

I traced my lettering and tried our gold paints, comparing both golds against the original. Neither the Titanium White border nor Pale Gold or Rich Gold from the tube was ‘just right’.” See above.

Above, “I wanted a warmer white. I mixed Titanium White and added Titanium Buff, into a warm creamy white. I finally mixed a warm white that matched, and batched a small tube of that formula.”

As Kate mixed, when a paint was correct, enough was mixed for a tube, either large or small, and labeled with a dab of the color on the lid and the area the paint would be used. When colors were mixed that were not right, if there was enough it went into a small tube for Kate’s stash.

The golds needed to be bright, warm, and crisp. She tried mixing the two “golds” (Pale Gold + Rich Gold), looking also to consistency. The Rich Gold was creamy and the Pale Gold had a bronzy brightness. Not right.

“I added a bit of ocher to further warm and darken, with success. A batch mixed, placed into a tube, and sealed.” See above.

“I completed two more test runs on silk:

one without the border, where I worked more on finishing his face…
one with the border.

On the second is face is left rough.”

Above and right.

In another part of her journal Kate mused on replicating aged paints, which she has done many times for furniture:

“It is hardest to duplicate a finish that has aged, whether shellac or paint. Years of environmental factors created the color we perceive, not pigments. Also, many pigments from years past are now illegal, (which makes them) hard to obtain, though are conservators can purchase them for reparation on damaged paintings. Our reproductions have never qualify for mixing the older pigments, such as a lead white, for both cost reasons and also toxicity laws or rules.”

All paints are Gamblin Oil Paints, made in Portland Oregon.

THE SILK FLAGS

The current State of Washington flag is quite different than the historic flag. The historic flag is shaped and carried more like a banner. Flag or banner, which to you think?

PREPPING

We wished we had a photo of the room with the green silk along one wall! It was a beautiful color to see when we walked by the open door for the next two months, especially with the tops of the trees along the building!

Kate moved from a small studio with many references around, left, to the expansive one shown in all the images below. It was an open space with lots of light.

The original George Washington State Flag (shown at the end of the room in several images) was her reference for a short time.

Before the silk blanks were propped up on the wall, they were pinned into place with small silk pins, and the circles primed with Gamblin’s PVA Size (PVA moving forward), right.

Leaning over the precious silk to add PVA was difficult. Kate was happy to move the blanks into upright position to paint George!

Three new templates were created for the three blanks, shown left. Over the next few weeks they were traced upon repeatedly.

George’s medallion transfers were created using the white transfer paper, shown below right.

They were labeled George #1 – George #3.

The best one will be chosen for the flag. The other two are insurance in case paints are dripped or a brush is dropped.

Our blue ®Sterilite storage bins became stable lifts to level the blanks at the right height for comfort painting, and as a place to set a reference or the palette, right.

The transfers at this stage were difficult to trace, because the darker green line of the PVA was hard to see through the layers, right.

In a few areas the edges of the transfer were too close to the PVA edge, shown in details below. This was not optimal, because if any oils came into contact with the silk, a stain of oil would spread onto the silk — again, think grease stains.

W19 8 9 WA DAR PAINT FLAG TRACING #1-8826

W19 8 9 WA DAR PAINT FLAG TRACING #2-8831

All the edges of the medallions were a bit tight and uneven.

The wonky edges on panel #3, right, was extreme.

With a textile vacuum we removed both chalky droppings from the surface of the image so that they did not drop onto the silk itself, and also removed as much of the chalk outline at the edges that were problematic, in image one, below left.

Using PVA, Kate corrected the wonky edge of #3, and expanded all the primed areas just a bit so that edge was not in danger of oil paint coming into contact with silk, below.

The first and trickiest area was to establish the outer edge with the first layer of warm white paint. Kate added the faster drying medium.

On the rest of the medallion, if she made a mistake she could correct it, but not on the border.

Three days later I added the second layer, and the difference is shown right.

Painting upright like this under these stressful conditions is not easy. Painters slop paint, drip paint, and most of the time it is correctable, but not if it drips on this silk!

Other precautions:

She washed her hands dozens of times each day, because touching the silk happened frequently. If she touched her skin or hair then touched the silk she might transfer oils onto the silk. She could not wear latex gloves which would have stopped her from touching her face or hair, because she needed more control than they offered.
All paints and liquids were stored on the other side of the room or below the spill line, so that if they get knocked they hit the floor, not the silk. Only the small palette she was using for that day was allowed on the ®Sterilite “table”, and only during the time she was using it.

Kate ended the day by adding the eyes, so that George begins to come alive! Also, one can easily see the three panels (#1, #2, and #3) are a bit different in their sketches.

OILING OUT

We “oiled out” the silk painting several times, and would do so on the finished product.

We choose oil paints for their pigment, which means sometimes balancing has to happen in the form of “oiling out”. Oiling out is to add a layer of medium to the top of the paint,
let it sit for a few minutes, and then wipe it off again. Sometimes this has to be done more than once to balance the pigments.

“I noticed that a powder had formed in certain areas on both the text images on paper, and on the silk images which were fully cured, mostly in the greens and one blue.

In some of these it happened suddenly, so perhaps the drying time combined with the change in weather made the unbalanced areas appear stronger. Having never oiled out on silk before, I tested it on the silk test image.”

The oiling out mixture was 50% Glakyd and 50% Gamsol. Above, it was wiped on the left-hand side, allowed to sit for a few minutes, then gently removed.

It is easy to see the radical difference from the left-hand side to the right hand side, above.

It was allowed to cure for a couple of weeks, and then we can see if a second treatment needs to be performed.

Above, the powdery residue on the left, and the oiled out area, right.

Kate oiled out the paper test images for practice; what a difference, above!

This process delayed our ability to sew the silk immediately. We had to let the paint and the oiled out topper fully cure after it was finished for a couple of months before sewing the finished flag.

PAINTING SILK FLAG CONTINUED…

Note that the painting of the flags happened over many days, with long or short period of drying time in between, which another reason why it took months to complete.

The background was a blend from left to right of Phthalo Green, Sap Green, Olive Green, and Chromium Green, added to give the effect of illuminating George from behind on the right side.

It is hard to see, but the first coats of George’s jacket were applied, moving between two blends, a darker blend to a bright blue blend, and his eyes began with the brighter blue in their first coat. See above, #1-3.

Note the difference above in brilliance from the left to the right, as the paint begins to cure. It will darken even a bit more as it continues to cure.

Our favorite test sat at one end as a reference after the historic flag was returned, left.

A second deepening coat of blues was applied. Thin layers were used to avoid a highly textured painting.

The test images were all created with just one coat, but on the reproduction pieces most colors are getting 2-3 coats on top of the base. Drying time of between 4-7 days
slows the painting process, though some colors dried a bit faster.

Above, the undercoats on George’s face in #1-#3, with shadows laid blocked in. Paint colors right.

“I hesitate to let clients these images; George looks bit freaky!”

Another day, a second coat on background was added, and an undercoat on the hair.

Kate started with the undercoat and it was dry to the touch by the time she finished the background, so she added the second coat on the hair.

The grey palette was the hair, and the blue-green palette was the background.

Yellow lapels on his jacket were added, and a second coat added to the deep blue of the jacket, above left. Above right, an overall image of Kate’s painting table. Plastic cling wrap covers the wet pain on the palette to keep it wet for days.

End of January, beginning of February, Kate made corrections:

“I feel the lapels are too bright, above, and subdued them in the second coat — the fresh paint is brighter, and I am working against bright green versus the faded olive green. Sometimes adjustments have to be made.

…the primed edge needed to be more generous. I traced out the edges again, giving me a tiny bit more “slop” in case I need it. Frankly, tracings are a stressful as paint — I can’t clean paint or wayward tracing pencil off the bright green silk.”

She also added details to the jacket lace, trims and buttons, but to describe these details would make this post too long!

“COVID stopped things suddenly, and I did not get back to painting for over four weeks. We could not foresee how it would change our studio other than protocols: NO one in the studio after beginning of March, and we initially set up a waiting station where incoming deliveries sat for several days. If we got sick we could lose our business!

All our clients were concerned about the delays and how we would handle COVID issues. They needed to be reassured while we rearranged our studio and adjusted our protocols.”

and later:

“Painting George is not like doing a bit of touch-up. I need four hour stretches to drop into painting George. The last day it looked like I was interrupted, above, and I was! I lost mixed paint. Starting back up I had to clean, remix some colors, and relax into the portraits again.”

“The lettering was created with a small 3/8-inch angled specialty brush. I decided not to use the mixed paints because of the separation in the tubes; metallic paints have different properties and ways of mixing with other paints. Instead I painted one the Rich Gold, and two in the Pale Gold.

The lettering was the most difficult of the tasks, because of the way I had to stand with the small brush making precise marks. I wish I could have flipped the blanks around into various positions to make it easier, but they are large and unwieldy.”

“I don’t like showing George’s face when it is blocked in. A layer of paint must go on underneath on the silk to cover the green,
then fine tuning can be done. Without 2-3 coats of thin paint the portrait becomes too textural, something that I do not want in the flag.”

Above you can see George #3 blocked in with some detail added: his eyebrows are not quite right, and his nose needs work.

Below, Portrait #3 as it progressed from transfer sketch to an almost finished face.

W19 8 9 WA DAR PAINT FLAG TRACING #3-8834

PORTRAIT of GEORGE #3

Unfortunately we lost a few images. Camera malfunction.

The lining of the lettering, lace on his blouse, and fine-tuning, and George #3 was finished, shown right curing behind a finished sofa in a closed room. He was meant to be seen from across a ballroom!

Kate also completed George #1 and #2, not shown.

With that, Kate completed the painting of the portraits.

DELIVERY

The DAR exhausted their funds, and are attempting to raise funds, that it might come back to be assembled as an historically accurate examples of the makers decorative intent.