Painting on fabric is not much harder than painting on canvas, but it has one requirement canvas does not: the paint has to stay flexible, survive washing, and not turn the garment into cardboard. Nearly everything below follows from that.
The one thing to know
You can use ordinary acrylic paint on fabric, provided you mix it with a fabric medium first.
Fabric medium is a clear liquid you add to acrylic — usually around one part medium to two parts paint, though follow the bottle. It does two things: it keeps the dried paint soft and flexible so it moves with the cloth instead of cracking, and it improves how the paint bonds to the fibers.
Acrylic without it will work, briefly. Then it stiffens into a plastic patch that cracks at the first fold and flakes in the wash. That is the single most common reason painted clothing fails.
Dedicated fabric paints are simply acrylic with the medium already in them. They cost more per bottle and save a step; mixing your own gives you a far wider color range, since you can use any acrylic you already own.
Fabric paint, dye and ink
Worth separating, because they behave completely differently.
- Paint sits on the surface of the fibers and forms a film. It works on any color of fabric, including dark, and can be opaque.
- Dye chemically bonds with the fibers and changes their color. It leaves no texture at all, but it can only darken — you cannot dye white onto black.
- Ink is a thin, flowing colorant used for screen printing and drawing.
Tie-dye, incidentally, is a dye technique rather than a paint one. Thinned paint will produce a similar-looking effect, but it will sit stiffer and fade differently.
Choosing the fabric
Tight-weave 100 percent cotton is the easiest thing to paint on, and it is what most people should start with. Natural fibers absorb paint well and hold it after heat setting.
Silk and rayon take paint beautifully but bleed more, so the paint spreads further than you intend. Synthetics are the difficult case — polyester does not absorb, so the paint sits on top and is much more prone to peeling. A loose or stretchy knit will crack a painted design as it moves.
Fabric color matters too. On dark fabric, most colors need a white base coat underneath or they will disappear.
Preparation
- Pre-wash the fabric, without fabric softener. New fabric carries sizing and finishing chemicals that stop paint bonding, and softener adds a coating that does exactly the same thing. Washing also gets the shrinkage out of the way before your design is on it.
- Iron it flat. Painting over a crease means a distorted design once it relaxes.
- Put a barrier inside the garment. A sheet of cardboard, a clipboard or waxed paper between the front and back layers. Paint will soak through a t-shirt and print itself on the back otherwise. Do not use newspaper — the ink transfers.
- Stretch it slightly. Taping the fabric flat and just taut stops the weave puckering as the paint dries.
Painting
- Plan it first. Sketch lightly with tailor's chalk or a water-soluble fabric pen. Unlike canvas, fabric does not forgive painting over a mistake — each correction adds thickness.
- Test on a scrap of the same fabric, and let it dry before judging. Colors change noticeably as they soak in and dry.
- Mix more than you need. Unprimed fabric drinks paint far faster than canvas, so you will use more than you expect and remixing a match is difficult.
- Thin coats, built up. One thick coat is what makes a design stiff. Two or three thin ones stay flexible and cover better.
- Use synthetic brushes, and expect fabric to be hard on them — the weave abrades bristles.
- Work from the center outward so you are not leaning on wet paint.
Heat setting — do not skip this
This is what makes the design permanent, and it is where most painted garments are lost.
- Let the paint dry completely. Give it 24 hours.
- Turn the garment inside out, or lay a clean cotton pressing cloth over the design.
- Iron with a dry iron, no steam, on a setting appropriate to the fabric, for around three to five minutes. Keep the iron moving.
- Wait 72 hours before the first wash. Acrylic needs that long to cure fully, and washing early undoes the work.
After that, wash inside out, cold, on a gentle cycle, and hang to dry. Tumble drying is the fastest way to crack a painted design.
Techniques worth trying
Freehand
Straightforward brushwork. The usual painting rules apply — build up in layers, and use light and shadow to give the design depth rather than leaving it flat.
Stenciling
The most reliable route to a clean result. Tape the stencil down firmly and dab paint on with an almost-dry sponge or stencil brush, straight down rather than brushing sideways, which is what pushes paint under the edge.
Block printing and stamping
Apply paint to a stamp, press firmly and lift straight up. Good for repeated patterns and much faster than painting each one.
Dot work
The end of a pen or a cotton bud dipped in paint makes an even dot. Built up into mandalas or borders, it looks far more accomplished than it is.
Spray and silhouette
Fabric spray paint through a stencil, or laid over an object so the shape masks the fabric beneath it. Mask everything you do not want colored — overspray travels.
Wet-on-wet
Dampen the fabric first and the paint spreads and blends with soft edges, like watercolor. Damp, not soaked, or the color will simply dilute away. Scattering salt onto the wet paint draws the moisture into mottled patterns as it dries; brush it off once dry.
Common problems
- Cracking: too thick, or no fabric medium.
- Washing out: not heat set, or washed before curing.
- Bleeding edges: paint too thin, or fabric too damp. Use a resist or a heavier mix.
- Stiff patch: too much paint. More medium and thinner coats next time.
- Color vanishing on dark fabric: lay down white first and paint over it.
If canvas appeals more
Fabric painting is unforgiving in a way canvas is not — every mistake adds thickness, and you cannot simply paint over it. If you would rather practice brushwork somewhere more forgiving, a paint by numbers canvas lets you correct anything by letting it dry and covering it.
You can see the Ledgebay designs in the shop, or look through the customer gallery.
