Even though I'm a rank beginner, I convinced some friends that they NEED to try silk painting too. We got together yesterday and spent all day at it. They loved it!!! One joked that she was going to sell her knitting machines and take up silk painting full time. I think she is hooked. There is such variety in color and technique. If you click on the picture, you'll be able to see the detail better. They tried stamping, twisting, plaid, free hand, salt, and outlining with gutta. You can't see the rust colored one very clearly, but it is interesting. She twisted the silk as though she were making a knitted cord, put rubber bands every few inches and painted stripes. The darker colors look like pine trees---or knit stitches! I think for first timers they all did a great job. Each scarf is beautiful and unique. They can't wait to get together to try it again.
Mine is the 4th from the left, with the Chinese red background and pink/orange flowers. I tried the PEBEO silver gutta for the first time. It's nice. I did the design free hand with the gutta while the scarf was stretched and was able to control the lines much better. I like how it gives the scarf a little bit of a dressy feel. Since it leaves a slight raised texture, I don't think you'd want to always use it, but experimenting is fun. I bought pearl white, black, copper and silver. So I've got some play time ahead. I felt like I made some progress in some ways with my blending of color and there are some things I wish I had done differently. So much is dictated by the silk. It wants to be part of the creation and you can't control it. But all in all, I like my flowers.