How to Paint Cloth With Fabric Color by Indian Style
India is known for its bold and intricate use of warm-toned, deep color on fabrics in either symmetrical patterns or prints that tell a story. Popular methods of painting include those where the fabric is painted directly in much the same way as it would be on a canvas, such as the patachitra and kalamkari styles, as well as those that use resists, such as wax, so that colors are not absorbed in certain areas, with the most well-known style being batik. You can combine methods to develop your own personal style.
Things You'll Need
- Fabric paint
- Clothing
- Straight pins
- Wax paper
- Paint brushes
- Ruler
- Wax stick
- Fabric glue
Instructions
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Choose a washable natural fiber blend garment, such as a cotton and polyester blend. Wash and dry it, but don't use fabric softener. You may want to choose colors that already have an a strong Indian feel, such as rust reds, mustard yellows and deep browns.
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Lay the clothing on a flat surface. Place wax paper inside the item so that paint won't leak through clothing layers. Pin the item so that it won't move during your project.
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Use a flat shader brush to draw a series of squares within each other. Use a ruler to get precise lines. Some of the squares can be flipped within a larger square so that they are in a diamond shape with the points touching the outer edge of the larger square.
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Use the clear wax crayon to fill in some areas of the shirt so they don't receive color. This is a batik style of separating colors.
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Paint the interiors of the squares in different colors and patterns, staying true to the Indian palette of rich hues. You can make zig-zag and "S" shaped patterns, as well as geometric rectangles and circles.
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Press on mirrored circles, beads and other Indian-style embellishments into the wet paint--you can add a dab of glue if necessary. Indian patterns are not random, so follow the same embellishment all around a square in a symmetrical way. Let the shirt dry.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit indian fabrics image by Melissa Schalke from Fotolia.com
