First Time Fabric Art Step by Step Basics for Painting and

Printing on Fabric

Visit the link below to download the full version of this book:

https://homemader.com/shop/first-time-fabric-art-step-by-step-basics-for-paintin
g-and-printing-on-fabric/

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD HERE

Painting on Fabric
Fabric paints make altering and
decorating fabric very quick
and easy. Fabric paints give
much the same results of dyes
but without the time, formulas,
chemicals, and unpredictability
associated with dyeing. The
hand of the fabric may change
with paints, as they are bonded
to the fabric with adhesives,
rather than reacting directly
with the fibers like dye will.
There are many brands and
types of fabric paints, so ask
friends about their favorites and test any you might be considering
for a project.

Generally, there are four kinds of paint. One is a very thin,

transparent paint, which looks very much like dye when it is
applied. It can be used for color washes and effects where bleeding
and blending are desired. Dye-na-Flow is the kind used in the
samples here. A second type of paint is slightly thicker but still
transparent so it is more controllable and can be used for stamping,
screen printing, and coloring black and white print fabrics. Textile
Color and Setacolor are good brands to try. Both these paints and
Dye-na-Flow work for sun-printing, but none can be used on dark
fabric. Opaque paints cover what is underneath and can be used for
stamping, screen printing, resist techniques, and on dark fabrics.
Neopaque is an excellent choice. Metallic paints are lustrous and
beautiful on dark fabrics, as well as light ones, and cover what is
underneath. Lumiere, a metallic paint, comes in lots of great colors.
Be sure to thoroughly mix metallic colors before using.

If you are sponging or stamping with opaque paints, you can let
them dry and wash over them with thin transparent paint. Or, if you
do a wash with thin paint and let that dry, you can stamp or print on
top with opaque paint. After all paints dry, heat set with an iron
following manufacturer’s directions. An alternative to ironing is
placing the fabric in the clothes dryer on high for 30 minutes or
simply allowing the paint to cure for two weeks before washing.
After setting, the paint is washable, dry cleanable, and permanent.
Wash all fabrics before painting to remove sizing, unless you are
using prepared-for-dyeing fabrics. Paints will work on all fibers,
since the color bonds to the surface rather than reacting with the
fibers. You might even want to paint over some “ugly” fabric from
your stash.

There are many ways to apply paint, and it is fun to try the “what
if” approach to painting. Equipment requirements are minimal—
sponge brushes, sponges, bubble wrap, aluminum foil, paper
towels, a plastic table cover, spray bottle, plastic cups, and an apron
will get you through many hours of play. Remember that paints
will pattern themselves on the fabric even if you don’t intentionally
manipulate the process—wrinkled plastic under the fabric will add
lines, wayward threads will absorb paint, ironing a piece dry on
parchment paper will create a ribbed pattern, an air bubble under
the fabric will make itself known when the fabric is dry.
 YOU WILL NEED
• heavy duty aluminum foil
• PFD (prepared-for-dyeing) or other light-colored fabrics
• Dye-na-Flow paint by Jacquard
• sponge brush
• bubble wrap
• coarse salt
• non-hardening sponge
• Neopaque and Lumiere paints by Jacquard
• rubber brayer
• leaves
• plastic-lace or bamboo placemats, lengths of strings, rubber
bands or other dimensional objects
• flat-bottomed containers
Aluminum Foil
Soft stripes can be made by placing accordion-pleated heavy duty
aluminum foil beneath the fabric.

1 Accordion-pleat a piece of aluminum foil. Set foil on protected work

surface and top with a piece of fabric.

2 Spray the fabric with water. Use a sponge brush or pipette to apply one

color of thin paint to the peaks and another color in the valleys. Color
blending will occur as paint migrates and bleeds. (Here is where you get to

“watch the paint dry.”)

Bubble Wrap
Bubble wrap provides a cheap and wonderful pattern-making
device when used with thin paint.

1 Lay bubble wrap on a protected work surface.

2 Place a piece of damp fabric over the bubble wrap and dab paint on fabric

with a sponge brush. Use plenty of paint. When you see a pattern you like,

dry the fabric with a hair dryer while it is still on the bubble wrap to

preserve that amount of patterning.

3 Place the completed bubble wrap/fabric in a location where it will dry

fairly fast.
Salt
Coarse salt of any kind will make fantastic designs on wet painted
fabric, and works best on smooth-surfaced fabrics, such as pima
cotton, sateen, or habotai silk.

1 Set fabric on protected work surfaces. Spray the fabric with water.

2 Paint fabric with two or three colors of thin paint.

3 Sprinkle salt over the wet surface and leave the fabric to dry (the hard

part). This pattern-making process will take at least 15 to 30 minutes to

 start working.

4 When the fabric is completely dry, simply brush the salt away.
Sponges
Use a non-hardening sponge, like a cosmetic or sea sponge, to
apply opaque or metallic paint to a light colored fabric. Sherrill
Kahn taught me this fun method, which makes a great background
for other embellishments.
1 Protect work surface with plastic. Load a sponge by dipping it into the

paint and then tapping it on the plastic table cover to force paint into the

sponge pores.

2 Place fabric on clean work area. Dab the sponge onto the fabric until the

sponge begins to dry; reload the sponge with paint and continue.

3 Add another layer of interest. Use as many paint colors as you like and vary

the sizes of your sponges. Use smaller sponges to make additional marks on
 top of the first sponged-on patterns.

4 Let the fabric dry.

Wash over the sponged circles with thin paint by spraying the fabric with

water and then brushing paint around the first marks. The paint will flow into

the spaces left between the circles. After the paint is totally dry, iron from the

back of the fabric with a hot iron to set the paints.

Use the bubble wrap differently by printing with it rather than letting the

paint flow around the bubbles. With a sponge brush and opaque or metallic

paint, cover the raised air pockets with paint. Lay a piece of fabric, either

light or dark, over the bubble wrap and press with your hands. Let dry and

heat set.
Leaves
Nature printing is fun to do any time of year, but if you have a few
leaves pressed in an old phone book, you can bring a bit of spring
into play during the long months of winter. (Of course, if you don’t
have any pressed leaves available, you can always rob a house
plant of a few leaves!) A brayer, which looks like a miniature paint
roller, is a great tool to use for getting a good print of leaves.

1 Lay out fabric on a protected work surface.

2 Use a sponge brush to coat the back of a leaf with Textile Color, Neopaque,

or Lumiere paints.

3 Turn the leaf paint side down on the fabric, cover with a paper towel to

catch any paint that got onto the front side of the leaf, and roll over the

paper towel with the brayer. If the leaf is still in good shape, use it again

for another print.

4 Remove the paper towel and leaf. Let the paint dry.
Textured Items

1 Place a plastic lace or bamboo placemat, leaves, cheesecloth, rubbing

plates, string, or rubber bands on a plastic-covered table.

2 Place a piece of fabric over items.

3 Pour thick paint on the plastic-covered table or a piece of plastic or glass.

Roll the brayer in one direction through the paint until the brayer is evenly

and sparingly covered.

4 Roll the brayer over the fabric—the brayer will paint the impressions of the
 things you have placed underneath the fabric. (In the pictured sample, two

colors of paint were used at the same time. After the brayer rolled over the

rubbing plate, it painted a ghost image at the top of the fabric.)

Dip Dye
Dip dying fabric in multiple colors gives you wonderful surprises
since you have no control over where the paint will bleed. Color
theory definitely comes into play with this technique because the
colors will mix. Which color you start with will make a huge
difference in the end result. Do at least two samples so you can
compare them.