Fabric Painting

All that one needs for fabric painting is colors, brush and creativity….and your home will never be the same. You can paint everything from bedspreads, pillow covers, cushion covers, t-shirts, dress, sarees, dupatta, skirts, tops, curtains and many more to give yourself and your home a new look.

Use the best cloth for fabric painting. Try painting on the sample fabric first to check if it gives the desired appearance. Check if the fabric needs to be washed before painting. Painting a sample will help check this. Always iron the fabric before painting to get rid of the wrinkles. Synthetic and nylon brushes available in the market are the best choice with respect to brush.

Before painting, ensure that you keep some old newspapers or cloth below the fabric surface you are going to paint on to prevent the paint from spreading on the other side as in case of t-shirts, dress, pillow covers, cushion covers etc. After finish your work, always iron the fabric on the back side after 24 hours.

Apart from the normal way of painting by tracing the design on the fabric and painting using brush, fabric Painting can be done using several other things –

1) Sponge

Cut a small piece of sponge. Before beginning to paint using it, always dip the sponge well in water and then squeeze it to remove the excess water. Spread the paint on a saucer or palette and then dip the sponge in it. Don’t press too hard. Then start printing on the fabric. The best designs using sponge are of flowers. Keep separate pieces of sponge for different colors.

2) Cotton

Roll out a small piece of cotton in a ball. Dip it in water and squeeze out the excess water. Spread the paint on a saucer or palette and dip the cotton ball. Start printing it on the fabric. Flowers come out very well using cotton. Keep different cotton balls for each color.

3) Thread

Roll some thread between fingers and then crush them to a ball. Spread the paint on a saucer or palette and dip the thread in the form of a ball. Start printing it on the fabric. It is ideal for modern art form.

4) Cellotape

Cut a small piece of cellotape and dip in the palette having colors. Begin printing on the desired surface. The rough surface effect is different as compared to sponge, cotton and thread.

5) Vegetable

Potatoes and ladies finger are the most commonly used vegetables for printing. Ladies finger must be cut into half and then dipped in paint for printing. Flowers come out excellent in this method. Potatoes must be first cut into half. After drawing a design on it, a small blade must be used to carve out the shape. The printing procedure is same like that of ladies finger. Any kind of freehand shape can be carved on the potato.

6) Blocks

It is a very easy method in fabric painting. Wooden blocks are available in the market in various shapes and sizes. First place a small piece of sponge on a saucer, pour some paint on the sponge. Press the block on the sponge slightly and test if the paint has spread well by printing first on some waste paper or cloth. Practice will ensure uniformity in the print. After each print, dip the block in the paint and press again for the next print.

7) Stencil

This is simplest technique of fabric painting. Stencils are available in all craft material shops and can even be made easily. Place the stencil on the fabric to be painted and press well. If required, place some support on the corners of the stencil or use tape to fix it. Dip the brush in the paint and apply it in the relevant place using vertical and horizontal strokes. Ensure that the paint doesn’t go below the edge of the stencil. Slowly lift the stencil but lift the entire stencil at the same time. Repeat the procedure whenever the design is to be painted. Apart from brush, stencil painting can also be done using a small piece of sponge. It gives a completely different look to the fabric. Don’t forget to wash your stencil in warm water after you finish the day’s work to prevent paint from sticking in the corners of the stencil. Never fold your stencil. You can always practice first on rough sheets or fabric to get the right finish on the fabric. Store the stencil properly, it can be used several number of times.

Other Types of Paintings

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