Fabric Paint
Step by step fabric Paint projects
Fabric painted scraps
A fun and creative way to use up all those leftover bits of painted fabric to create something new and beautiful!
Articles on Fabric Paint
Fabric Paint Basics
Lees in AfrikaansFabric painting is one of today's most popular hobbies in South Africa – one reason being that it is both creative and a great stress reliever. fabric painting is also one of the quickest and most effective ways to re-decorate your house will little expense.
Requirements for getting started with Fabric Painting
Fabric
100% natural fibers should be used, pure cotton, bleached or unbleached calico, wool, silk or viscose.
How do i determine whether material is suitable for fabric painting? Click Here
It is very important that the material be pre-washed in hot water and then be dried and ironed before painting. The reason for this is that all fabric is pre-treated with starch to enhance its appearance and to make it appear crease-resistant This layer of starch prevents the paint from penetrating the fibers of the material, with the result that the paint could in fact be washed off after the first wash......... MORE
Application and Technique Guide
Place your design onto a flat base board or work table, smooth down and fix fabric to the base with masking tape or drawing pins.Choose your color scheme and start painting. Paint lighter colors first and follow with the darker one. Dip brush into water, pick up paint and evenly color-in the design first and then the background. Create shading to achieve the desired effect.
Remember, the paint is transparent. Allow each color to dry before painting the next one. colors must butt against each other. Two colors overlapping will blend and create a third color. Rather paint alternate areas and then return to the unpainted ones when the paint is dry A hand-held hairdryer will speed drying.
Use small, pointed, round brushes for delicate detail and a flat brush, sponge or roller for large areas. Spout bottles with any preferred color for outlining, detailing and highlights.
It is vital to use the correct tools for the technique you are working with. These can range from brushes, rollers, sponges, stencils, stamps, masking tape, paint palettes, cotton wool buds, water, jars, fabric pens to salt etc. Put everything together before starting.
Wash brushes and tools with warm water immediately after use
Dabbing color on with the sponge gives the effect of fading from dark to light or one color to another. Using potato cuts or rubber stamps, stencils or other shapely objects, you can produce a repeated stamp type pattern.
Flicking paint off the bristles of a toothbrush or paint brush will give a spotted effect.
Practice and experimentation are the key to greater enjoyment from your hands-on fabric paint set.
Handy color tips
The color spectrum which you can create with your kit is amazing. Depending on the quantities mixed you can achieve the following colors. Once again this will be achieved with experience and experimentation e.g.| 1 Primrose | + 2 Azure Blue | = Emerald Green |
| 2 Primrose | + 2 Emerald Green | = Leaf Green |
| 8 Primrose | + 1 Bright Red | = Orange |
| 20 Primrose | + Bright Red | = Golden Yellow |
| 1 Magenta | + 4 Clear Base | = Pink |
| 10 Magenta | + Navy | = Maroon |
| 10 Magenta | + 1 Azure Blue | = Violet |
| 3 Magenta | + 1 Leaf Green | = Brown |
| 1 Black | + 10 Clear Base | = Grey |
| 1 of any color | + 5 Clear Base + White | = Pastel |
Keep notes and color swatches of your recipes for repeat work. With imagination you can create any color. To extend the range of your olour Kit you can order additional colors. color chart and order form enclosed.
History
Fabric painting has a long-spanning history, going back thousands of years to when people originally began twisting & weaving fabric for clothes. People started using the same painting techniques on fabric that they had previously used to decorate the body. Printing blocks were discovered in Asia which date back to 3000 BC and in 327 BC, when Alexander the Great invaded India, colourfully printed and painted fabric was commonplace. The Chinese introduced resist and stencil techniques to Japan, who further developed this art into attractive techniques of fabric patterning. Early Peruvian resist techniques from around 200 BC have also been discovered. Varying techniques in different parts of the world have been developed into the batik, tie-dying and shibori techniques of today.
A few Fabric Painting techniques
Batik: Batik is the ancient art of applying paraffin resist and coloured dyes to fabrics like cotton or silk. It is commonly found in many parts of the World but it is especially well-known for its colourful cloth and wall hangings found in Indonesia and West Africa.
Silk Screening: Silk Screening is a versatile technique which is widely used because of its cost-effectiveness and simplicity. When done properly, silk screening results in high quality prints. To silk screen, a very thin polyester mesh is stretched tightly onto a frame. A negative design is created on the screen using a variety of techniques including rolling or sponging. The screen is then pressed onto the item being printed. This technique is commonly used in T-shirt print design.
Rubber Stamping: Also known as Stamping, Rubber Stamping is a technique in which an ink is applied to an image or pattern that has been molded, carved, engraved or vulcanised onto a sheet of rubber. The rubber is in-turn normally mounted onto a stable base for easier use. Once applied, the ink is then transferred to a material via the stamp, creating a pattern or picture on the material.
Shibori and Tie-Dying: Shibori is the Japanese art of pattern-dying material by folding, binding, twisting, stretching and compressing it. Tie-dying is the most common form of Shibori used in Western Society. These techniques allow for a variety of different shapes and patterns, totally dependent on the way the material is handled.
Stenciling: Stenciling is a technique whereby a template is used to paint identical letters, numbers, shapes or patterns onto material. It is a very common technique and is not only used fabric painting, but in many other crafts including drawing and woodworking. When a variety of stencils are used, the results created can be exceptionally picturesque
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