What is Fabric Painting?

What is Fabric Painting?

Fabric painting is a form of art that involves the application of pigments and dyes to various types of fabric, transforming them into unique and beautiful works of art.

If you’re bored with your current wardrobe or are just looking to give your personal style a funky upgrade, then you should give fabric painting a go! You can use fabric painting techniques to paint fun designs onto your jackets, jeans, shoes, shirts and more! 

What’s really awesome about learning fabric painting is that it’s a cheaper and more environmentally friendly way to spruce up your wardrobe instead of going out and buying entirely new clothes. 

History of Fabric Painting

The practice of fabric painting has a long and rich history, with evidence of the use of cloth as a canvas dating back to ancient civilisations across the world. One example is that of the ancient Indian art known as Kalamkari. Around 1000 B.C., Indian civilisation developed a technique that utilised brushes made of bamboo, animal hair and sticks to create patterns on cotton cloth. Similarly in China, the art of silk painting came about around 476 B.C. Silk painters would typically grind the silk fabrics with a stone to smoothen the texture out, and would then use paints derived from natural materials to stain the cloth. There are many examples of humans engaging in fabric painting throughout history, and it remains a popular form of art to this day. 

How to use Fabric Paints

Fabric painting is different from regular canvas painting since it requires a few preparatory steps. If you are painting on a piece of clothing like a T-shirt, it’s best to iron it out first to get rid of any wrinkles. This will just make the process of painting on it much easier. It’s also important to place a barrier between the different layers of fabric. For instance, if you are painting on the front of a shirt, the paint will seep through to the back unless you place a barrier such as a sheet of plastic in between. There are also specific paints that are made to work with fabrics and textiles since regular acrylic paints will not set and will wash off when you do the laundry.

Thanks to the internet, you can find a variety of completely free fabric painting tutorials on websites like YouTube. There are tutorials geared towards complete beginners as well as those who are already at intermediate or advanced levels. So you can easily teach yourself some basic fabric painting techniques at home by watching instructional videos! 

Buy artworks, home décor accessories and paintings online on Artezaar.com Online Art Gallery in Dubai