The beginning of the art of painting on leather
Painting on leather is a leather art that is used to decorate pencil cases, mirrors, coasters, Quran boxes, book covers, etc. The beginning of this period is mentioned from the beginning of the Qajar period. First, the inner surface of the work is covered with special oil, and then, if necessary, the painting is copied on the work. Note: The colors used on the leather are gouache or aquarelle (acrylic) which can be easily removed. Oiling is usually done in several stages and each time a thin layer of oil is applied to all surfaces with a soft brush. This step should be done away from dust. Paintings used on leather of flowers and chickens, miniatures are used in the style of old designs.
History of leather
In the past, cave dwellers considered leather as a valuable asset. When humans were not yet civilized, leather played an important role in the history of life. Before making paper, the Chinese used to write on parchment. At the beginning of the advent of Islam, the pages of the Holy Quran were written on deer skin. This method continued even up to two centuries after the rise of Islam. Skins are very desirable and malleable when they are fresh. If they are damaged by environmental, physical and biological factors, they will disappear very quickly due to weakness in stability, but if they are placed in special conditions such as tanning, they will become resistant and their endurance will increase. According to the distant times, simple methods to increase the softness of skins and prevent them from spoiling were common (such as smoking or greasing with oil, chewing, etc.). At this time, due to the decrease in the endurance of the skin, very few are found in wet lands, on the other hand, in the dry and disinfected borders, many samples of skins from our prehistoric era have been created, all of them for the purpose of drying. , has become brittle and brittle and because of this, they are used raw or not raw, they can no longer be used.
The most suitable leather for painting and painting on leather
The most suitable leather for dyeing is raw and undyed goat leather, because it has a fine and soft texture. For painting on leather, powder colors (pigment) and acrylic colors are usually used, but the best color for painting is powder colors; Because the texture of the leather remains visible and the colors are absorbed well. Of course, if the leather is painted, they work on it with acrylic paints. In the art of painting on leather, in addition to preparing leather and the right color, tools such as: brush for painting the design (head, head), rapid, cutter, ruler, alcohol (paint solvent), resin, varnish oil and thinner are also used.
In the implementation of this work, first the inner surfaces of the leather are covered with special oil and then the pattern is transferred on it. There are different methods to transfer the design on the leather, which are mainly three methods of drawing, copying (using carbon paper or calque) and direct drawing. After copying the pattern, the lines are usually faded, so the penciling process is done and then the design is ready for painting. Coloring should be done step by step and from light to dark to maintain the quality of the colors. After the coloring is finished, especially in the case of traditional designs, open penning is done so that the motifs get better depth and dimension. At the end, to fix the colors, they cover it with special oil; Nowadays, instead of traditional oils, chemical sprays and fixatives are used to fix and insulate the colors.
What is the best color for painting on leather?
To answer this question, you can use leather paint or acrylic paint. The choice of color depends on the project. However, most leather paints are acrylic based. If you decide to use standard acrylic paints suitable for paper, canvas or wood for your leather project, it will be much cheaper. But you’ll soon find that it doesn’t stick to the leather properly and eventually starts to peel off.
Not all types of paint are good for leather items, but acrylic leather paint is specially made for leather. These paints are non-toxic, water-based and more durable and wear-resistant than standard acrylic paints or other types of paints. If your project is related to clothing items, acrylic leather paint is the answer; Because leather clothes must be dry cleaned. This means that heat and steam are used.
The two primary methods of using skin
1- The use of hides during hunting as if they were placed behind the hides.
2- Carved stones were found as a cover during the cold in many prehistoric places throughout Iran, including Belt Cave in the Caspian Sea region in the north of Iran and Yahya Hill in the south of Kerman, which were used to clean and prepare the skins of animals. It would have been possible, it has never been felt that how mankind found a way to transform the hard and perishable skins of animals into flexible leather.
How many types of skin are divided into?
1- Light skin: such as sheep, goat, deer, otter, goat, fox
2- Heavy skin: Where is light skin used, such as horse, camel, buffalo, calf, giraffe? Preparation of leather for clothes – preparation of slippers – products such as bags, belts and collars, making woolen leather linings and all kinds of leather garments where are heavy skins used?
It is mostly used in the preparation of leather for leather board or skin board, shoe upper, furniture upper and all kinds of leather products. In addition to light leather and heavy leather, natural leather can be divided according to the type of tanning: Vegetable leather: In the past, vegetable leather was used to make armor. In the tanning of this leather, chemical materials and dyes are not used as much as possible, and vegetable dyes and animal oils are used instead. Vegetable leather is considered one of the best types of tanning due to its harmony with the environment and the absence of complications due to contact with human skin. Due to its flexibility and brown color, plant leather is due to the chemical composition and color of the skin. Vegetable leather is not stable in water; It becomes colorless and if the leather dries after getting wet, it will wrinkle and lose its flexibility and softness. In hot water, the intensity of its wrinkling is more and it becomes almost like gelatin*. Vegetable leather is suitable for carving and molding leather. Moroccan leather: In ancient times, Moroccan leather was used for book binding. Moroccan leather is equal to the most durable leathers and is very soft and changeable. Moroccan leather was tanned by sewing skins. In this method, the skin is made into the shape of a musk kashkul (a vessel made of fruit skin similar to metal or pottery). What are the types of Spanish leather: Horse leather: Horse leather is actually Moroccan leather. These types of leather are produced from high-quality horse skin by the vegetable tanning method. This type of leather is paid from the inside. The leather produced is very strong and also waterproof. This leather is used to make men’s shoes. Russian leather: Russian leather is used to make luggage. This type of leather was first produced in Russia. The act of skinning was done using the bark of willow trees. This type of leather is known for its pleasant smell, which is related to the pleasant smell of birch oil.
What is the art of painting? | painting on leather
Painting is the application of pigment dissolved in a thinner and a bonding agent of an adhesive on a non-retaining surface such as paper, canvas or wall and is done by a painter. This word is used when this job is the person’s profession. The age of painting among humans is six times the history of using written language. Compared to painting, drawing is the operation of creating a series of effects and marks by applying pressure or moving a tool on a surface.
Learning to paint on leather
One of the traditional and beautiful handicrafts of Iran is called ” painting on leather ” and it is a traditional painting and design on leather that has many uses and has a special beauty. Tanned sheep leather is usually used for painting on leather.
This art is one of the subsets of leather art that is used to decorate bags, shoes, wallets, mirrors, chests, coasters, Quran boxes, covers of exquisite books and Qurans, etc.
worktools
brush for painting the design, rapid, cutter, ruler, wide brush for gluing, saw
Raw material
Powder paint, alcohol (color solvent), resin, varnish, leather, glue
motifs
Motifs used in painting on leather, flowers and chickens, miniatures, which are mainly used in the style of old motifs.
Working Style
First, the desired design is drawn on the paper, then it is transferred to the back of the paper by carbon. In this way, carbon is glued to the back of the design and drawn again on all the lines of the design. The design is ready to transfer on leather. For this, the design is placed on the leather, then the lines of the design are rubbed evenly so that the design is transferred to the leather. The transferred design is very pale and should be painted to make it look more beautiful. For this, they use a brush or a rapid.
The method of transferring the design on leather
First, we stick a carbon paper to the back of the original paper with the design on it and draw the design again on all the lines with a pen, the design is drawn to the back of the paper and is ready to be transferred to the leather. After the design is transferred to the back of the paper by carbon, the paper is placed on the leather and we rub it evenly on all the lines with any other tool, such as the handle of the scissors, so that the design is transferred to the leather. Be sure to remove the design because the design is very faint, this method is done using a brush or rapid.
Color scheme
There are two types of colors used in painting on leather:
- Alcoholic paint: These paints are in powder form and their solvent is alcohol and they are transparent.
- Acrylic paint: It is a tube or glass paint that is painted like gouache, with the difference that these paints lose their ability to dissolve in water after drying, but before drying, their solvent is water. These colors are opaque like gouache.
To paint on leather and paint the designs, dissolve the available powder colors in alcohol and pour them into small jars and then paint them. After coloring and painting, for more durability and longevity, the surface of the painting and leather are covered with varnish or resin or oil.
