Acrylic paints for fabric: subtleties of choice

Nowadays, it is not difficult to pursue your favorite hobby armed with the right tools. There are many possibilities. One of the most interesting activities is painting with paints on fabric.

With all the necessary accessories, you can create unique canvases, original prints on clothes. And acrylic paints are best suited for this.

Pros and cons

Acrylic paints are made on the basis of polyacrylates. Available in jars, cans or tubes. There are matte, pearlescent, glossy, glitter, metallic.

No special skills are required for drawing with acrylic on fabric. But it is worth considering some features of acrylic paints.

When applied to fabric, acrylic does not absorb, but coats the fabric, forming a dense area. Elasticity is lost.

The paints are thinned with water or a thinner. The latter is recommended.

Paints can be applied in several layers, improving the drawing, drawing individual details. There is a practice of fixing the image with an iron from the inside of the product through a thin sheet of paper.

There are also commercially available outlines for drawing on fabric. They are used to draw borders so that the colors do not spread throughout the fabric, but remain within the pattern.

Pros:

easily dissolve in water;
dry quickly enough;
different shades mix well, producing a new color;
available;
the finished drawing is not washed off with water during washing;
the brightness of the color lasts for a long time.

Minuses:

the properties of acrylic deteriorate over time, so it is imperative to observe the shelf life;
the coloring matter spreads strongly over the matter, therefore it is necessary to use contours;
when mixing different colors, it is difficult to get the desired shade immediately.

Acrylic paints are made from environmentally friendly materials, they are hypoallergenic and do not have a strong unpleasant odor.

What fabric is suitable for painting with acrylics?

Any fabric can be chosen. But you need to familiarize yourself with the marks on the paint cans, for which materials they are suitable.

For thin, soft materials (silk, chiffon, batiste) use acrylic marked "Silk"... This dye doesn't change the stiffness of the fabric much.

For dense materials (cotton, linen, denim, leather, suede, velvet), use dyes marked "Textile"... They have low fluidity and are easy to work with.

If you want to see the original paint color on the product, it is better to choose white or light fabric. On dark and colored canvases, the shades will change slightly.

Types of staining

Hand painting on fabric is called batik. In this case, reserve trains are used. There are several types of painting:

Hot batik using molten paraffin or wax. The application technique is quite complex and requires skills and experience. The image comes out bright, structured.

Cold batik. A clear outline of the drawing is drawn so that the paint does not go beyond its limits. Stencils can be used.

Knot batik. The fabric can be tied in one knot, or you can make several small knots and paint the fabric in the desired colors. Interesting patterns turn out.

Free painting. Drawing on the fabric is done in the same way as, for example, watercolors or gouache. For fixing, a reserve composition is used.

Spray paint. With the help of an airbrush, paint is applied to the canvas at the desired angle, and original images are obtained with indistinct boundaries and different color intensities.

The main methods of painting on fabric

The method of applying the dye to the fabric depends on the selected tool:

work with a brush;
working with a stencil using a roller or foam swab;
a combination of paint application with a brush and an acrylic relief contour.

Required tools

To apply a pattern to a textile fabric you will need:

acrylic itself;
a pencil or felt-tip pen (you won't be able to wipe it off without leaving a trace, so you'll have to apply the contour over it);
high-quality brushes of different thicknesses;
clean ironed fabric;
palette;
hoops and frames (if there are no ready-made ones, you can make yourself from what you find at home);
stencils;
reserve composition;
rollers, sponges, cotton swabs;
thinning agent for paints.

What to look for?

Consider a few guidelines and rules for dyeing fabric with acrylic. They will allow you to get a colorful, indelible image:

On the work surface (table, floor, etc.), you need to put impervious paper or film and place the material for painting on it.
It is recommended to use only high quality branded thinners.
Several colors should be selected in advance so that when applied, one smoothly flows into the other.
In screen printing, drawings are applied in several layers. Each subsequent one is applied when the previous one dries. When staining, you can use a cotton swab or sponge.

The rule is from light to dark with regard to shades. Each next layer will be darker.
It is recommended to draw thin lines with a brush with natural fur, and thick ones with artificial fur.
It is desirable that the layer of applied paint is not too dense, thick, otherwise cracks will soon form in the image.
After complete drying (about 24 hours), the pattern is fixed with heat. The image is ironed through the fabric for 5 minutes.
After 48 hours, the product can be washed, preferably in a delicate mode, at a temperature of 30-40 degrees.
After complete drying, the paint will not wash off and will not rub off, therefore, if any flaws have occurred, you need to mask them with a decorative element or the same paint, but do not try to wipe off the dried one.

Items painted with acrylic paints require special care.

If you plan to use a product with a pattern for a long time, follow a few simple rules:

do not use bleach when washing;
the washing mode should be delicate, the spin speed should be small;
the water temperature should be 40 degrees and below;
it is best to wash such things with your hands, do not rub hard and wring out very gently.

Average price

Acrylic paints can be purchased at any arts and crafts store, office supply store, and baby store. Sold as individual, piece or multi-color sets.

One jar of acrylic paint in 50-70 ml costs about 100 rubles on average. The price of a spray paint with a volume of 100-200 ml reaches 400-600 rubles.

Do not forget that long acrylic does not retain its properties, so do not rush to spend on large quantities of goods. Better to buy later than to overpay for the material, which will deteriorate later.

Popular manufacturers and customer reviews

Olki

Domestic manufacturer. The paint from this company is suitable for many types of fabric. Available in 32 colors.

Can be thinned with water, but a special solvent is recommended. Available in jars, which, according to customer reviews, is very convenient.

Consumer opinions are mostly positive.

"Gamma"

The company produces acrylic paints for painting on fabric "Batik-Acryl", which are very easy to use. Steaming is not required, it is enough to iron the drawing with an iron one day after drawing the drawing.

The brand provides a wide color palette, which includes fluorescent shades. The reviews are positive, it is noted that the painted things look like new.

Procion H Dyes

A concentrated colorant used by both professionals and amateurs. Suitable for all fabrics. It is fixed by steaming method.

Marabu

German manufacturer. The paint is available both in aerosol cans and in standard form in cans.

Buyers note a rich color, no pungent odor. But also in the reviews it is indicated that the price is too high - 120 rubles for one jar of 15 ml.

Decola

This paint is suitable for synthetic, cotton fabrics, silk. The company has a wide range of colors, which also includes pearlescent and fluorescent paints.

Buyers note good quality: it dries quickly, odorless, thick, well diluted with water, easily applied to fabric. The drawing lasts a long time, does not deteriorate after washing and does not fade.

Elbesoie

This French manufacturer offers a wide variety of colors. The paint is well diluted with water, resistant to sunlight. Fixed with an iron. The image can withstand many washes.

Javana batik

This German company has established itself as a manufacturer of quality products. The paints are suitable for wool, viscose, silk, linen, cotton.

Fabrics weighing 200-400 g are dyed at temperatures from 50 to 95 degrees. Buyers after staining were satisfied with the result.

Jacquard

This paint is offered by an American manufacturer. Rich vivid colors are noted. The paint hardly changes the structure of the fabric, has no unpleasant odor, is safe for health, so children can use it. The use process is easy. The paint is fixed by ironing it with an iron.

With the help of acrylic paints designed for painting on fabric, you can transform any wardrobe item, textile shoes, bag, umbrella, etc.

Instead of buying, for example, a new T-shirt, you can try to give a second life to the old one by decorating it with an original pattern or pattern. One has only to give free rein to imagination.