acrylic paint on fabric - advice please
Debi
would like to have the kids paint a square of fabric using acrylic paints. We
plan to set their "masterpiece" into a friendship star and that will be
incorporated into a quilt. One of the paints I have says to use "fabric medium"
in order to make it washable on fabric. Any tips? We also have some fabric
paint with glitter in it that would be great for stars - has anyone used this?
Does the glitter still look nice after washing? Any tips for quilting through
(or around?) the acrylic painted fabrics? I would do my own research (and I
will) but I need to present this to the art teacher at DD's school tomorrow
morning. Thanks for any help!
Debi
"Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most!"
miste...@mindspring.com
great success with acrylic paint on all sorts of fabric. Yes, using a medium
is probably necessary. Some, you coat the area to be painted first, some you
just use to sort of thin the paint with. Added bonus, it makes the paint go
a little further. Glitter still looks nice after washing. A word of concern.
I assume you're talking about paint that already has the glitter mixed in
it. Loose glitter can be sprinkled on wet paint and some (?) will stay but I
wouldn't do this on a quilt - PLUS - I'm a born worrier and glitter can be
dangerous and cause a nasty, cruel, painful (have I said enough ?) cut to
the eyes.
Actually, I would strongly urge you - or the teacher - to do a test run on
some scraps. Some paints want to be heat set with an iron after they're good
and dry. No doubt, the kids would enjoy doing some "just for fun" trials to
see what works and what results they just love and what doesn't and what
spells trouble. Go for it! Polly
"Debi" <debi...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20011022191919...@nso-cv.aol.com...
Kathy
> One of the paints I have says to use "fabric medium"
> in order to make it washable on fabric. Any tips? We also have some fabric
> paint with glitter in it that would be great for stars - has anyone used this?
I'll answer the second question first, since my answer will be *much*
shorter. :) I've only tried glitter paint once, and found the glitter
had a tendancy to come off in washing. May have been the brand, or the
phase of the moon, or just rotten luck. Who knows?
You can use any acrylic paint on fabric. The better the paint, the
longer it will last. (You'll be better off using house paint than using
the "craft" paints that come in 2 oz bottles. Those are, shall we say,
not on the high end of the paint quality spectrum.) Getting *all* the
sizing out of the fabric first will help the paint stick better through
washings. (For tips on how to do this, see the fabric prep instructions
on my hand-dyed web pages
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homespages/KayneyPaints/fabric.htm )
What fabric medium does is keep the paint soft and pliable, which keeps
it from cracking in the wash. (You remember 25 years ago when everyone
bought cheap iron-on transfers for t-shirts, and they would crackle
after a few washings? Same thing can happen if you don't use fabric
medium.) Each brand differs as to how much you mix with the paint, and
how long to wait before heat setting, and how long to heat set with an
iron. Reading the directions is *not* optional, but it's not rocket
science, either.
You can buy fabric paints, which will eliminate the fabric medium step.
Quality will range from downright nasty to extremely good, and
everything in between. You will be more limited in color selection, but
for kids that may not be critical since they have no qualms about mixing
colors. :)
For myself, I've done several quilts where I've stenciled some of the
blocks (and I've dabbled with hand painting my fabrics), and had no
problems quilting through those areas. In fact, I often use the quilting
to add definition to the design. However, as a professional quilter
working on another's quilt, I hesitate to quilt on painted areas,
because they usually put the paint on much thicker. I don't have a
problem doing the quilting, but if I have to "de-quilt" it's very hard
to heal up the holes.
--
Kathy Applebaum (Woodland, CA)
longarm machine quilting
mailto:Kayney...@compuserve.com
Debi
and sound like I know what I'm doing. I'll definitely play with a few samples
before the actual project. This is sounding more like fun now!
SusanTorrens
after washing. Be careful to follow the directions - each brand is slightly
different. Don't know about the glitter paint, but there is paint by "Jones
Tones" that is quite washable and flexible, and it comes in glitter.
In article <20011022191919...@nso-cv.aol.com>, debi...@aol.com
(Debi) writes:
Susan in Kingston ON
NightMist
I am an acrylic artist, and the company that makes my prefered paints
and mediums makes a fabric painting medium.
It is Golden GAC-900 and is available from Jerry's Artarama
(www.jerryscatalog.com) for $31.49 a gallon. It also comes in smaller
sizes. You may be able to find it at a decorative art store or
regular art store, or another mailorder/online store. The url for the
company that makes it is http://www.goldenpaints.com
I'm certain there are other companies that make the stuff, Golden is
just what I use by choice for my paintings.
Other than that, if you dampen the fabric it will improve the flow of
the paint into the fabric.
You can make your own glitter paint. Just mix the glitter with some
plain acrylic medium (gel medium) then treat it like regular acrylic
paint, adding the fabric medium as you would any other color. The gel
will hold and coat the glitter and bind it to the fabric like a
regular pigment.
I assume you are using fluid acrylics or craft paints rather than
artist's paints, the regular paint often contains pigments that aren't
very good for you.
NightMist