How to Do Fabric Flower Paintings
Painting on fabric helps to enrich the textiles, while enlivening the design the fabric is used for. There are many patterns and designs that can be created on fabric, and flowers are a popular design. Varieties of flowers are endless, and the artist can even create her own flower image without directly referencing a specific flower.
Instructions
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Select a fabric you would like to paint. Think about how you will be using the fabric when the painting is complete, as different fabrics are better suited for different types of projects. Silk and cotton fabrics are ideal for creating garments. A thick cotton/poly blend is ideal for drapes and upholstery, and a duck cloth or heavy canvas is ideal for a tablecloth. A fabric with a coating, such as oil cloth, is not an ideal fabric for this process.
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Prepare the fabric by washing it, or clean it according to the care instructions for that fabric. Most silk fabrics are not washable, but should be dry-cleaned to remove any dirt or particulates that could impede the steadfastness of the paint on the fabric.
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Select the type of paint suitable for your chosen fabric. Different paints are formulated for different types of fabrics. For example, there are paints made specifically for painting on silk. Get a variety of colors for painting, or the primary colors--red, yellow and blue--with the addition of black and white for mixing your own colors.
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Test the paint on the fabric. Test the paint before beginning your final design by trying a variety of brush strokes and methods for painting on a scrap piece of fabric. If you are creating this fabric for a wearable item that will be washed, wash the scrap of fabric to ensure steadfastness. The fabric paint label should detail care instructions: follow those instructions for washing.
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Begin painting the fabric. To create a flower, press down with the side of the brush, creating an ovular shape on the fabric with the paint. Do this in a circle, changing the direction of the brush to point outward, completing the circle to form a basic flower shape. Paint the inside of the circle to finish the center of the flower. Another method for painting flowers entails laying a translucent fabric on top of a picture of flowers. Follow the outline of the flower with the paint and brush, creating a replica of the flower in the picture. To create depth in the flower, water down the paint to create a lighter mark, adding highlights with the thicker paint.
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Cure the paint as instructed by the label on the fabric paint. Generally this entails letting the paint dry completely and ironing with a hot iron on the backside of the fabric to cure the paint.
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Tips & Warnings
Be sure to cure the paint before washing the fabric
