Painting on fabric can be a lot of fun and produce some unique pieces of art, but it can be a little tricky and needs a little more prep.
The first thing you need, is good fabric. I recommend something with a tight weave. The tighter the weave the easier it is to paint on, this will also give you the cleanest image when you paint. Prewash your fabric is also a must. You need to get rid of any chemicals on the fabric and allow it to shrink if it is going to.
Next up is your choice of paint. The truth is you really need to use fabric paint or a paint that is intended for fabric. This is especially important if the end result is something you will need or want to wash.
Another alternative is called fabric medium. This is something you add to paint. I already own a lot of good quality acrylic paint and having fabric medium just means I can add that to any of those paints to use on fabric. I have been very pleased with the results I get from doing this.
Any of these paint options will work, the question for you might be what is most affordable or easiest to find. Fabric paint can be hard to find in a large collection of colors thus why I use the fabric medium.
Tips And Tricks
Once you mix or have your paint you are ready to begin.
You need a clean flat surface to start with, make sure you lay something under your fabric because some paint will come thru.
Paint will not glide across fabric like it will on paper or some canvases, so keep that in mind. Use smaller strokes, and work on it in little areas.
You want to saturate the fabric with color but in layers, the fabric will absorb the paint more than canvas so you will lose some of the boldness of your color. A few thin layers will improve the look of the paint.
You need to let it dry between layers and once done it could take a day or two to dry completely.
