The History of Fabric Painting

 Being the incredibly expressive and creative species that we are, it is no surprise that we have been creating art for as long as we have known how to, or at least for as long as we have had the resources to actually create art.

Fabric painting, both as an art form as a type of symbolism, showing various messages, giving status to royals and people of power, etc., has been around since at least 3000 B.C, the earliest date at which printing blocks have been discovered in various parts of the ancient world.

Using these blocks, weavers and artisans used minerals and colours created from plants and animals to leave printed patterns and symbols on fabrics, which were then sold or given as gifts to elders and affluent members of society. By 300 B.C, painted fabrics were common among even regular people in India, and would soon become popular around the world.

One of the most common uses of fabric paint was for the creation of house flags which were carried into battle to show which families were being represented. The patterns and colours used were personalized to each family or city, and were later used to brand clothing and all kinds of possessions, and even weapon sheathes and homes.

By around 1000 B.C, a form of fabric paining called Kalamkari, literally meaning ‘pen work’was developed in India, and made use of brushes made from animal hair, sticks and bamboo shoots to draw patterns on cloths. While cotton sheets were most commonly used, as they allow the paint to be absorbed easier, later examples of silk painting has been found, obviously from after the artists found ways of making it hold the paint properly.

By around 200 A.D, as painted fabrics were traded and sold to other societies as the world started to expand and explorers began discovering new worlds, different techniques started forming in countries such as China and Japan, who commonly used stencils and resists in order to create even more detailed patterns in a shorter time than it would take if done completely by hand.

These techniques, while they have obviously changed over the last 19 centuries, remain commonly used to this day. We make use of much more advanced tools and paints, which allow us to both, make fabric art that lasts a long time, while increasing the variety of colours we are able to make use of in painting.


Written by: Wesley Geyer
Creative writer

Six Tips for Creating Incredible Fabric Paintings

Whether it’s your first time trying your hand at fabric painting, or you’ve been doing it for a while, and are just looking to get better and change up your style, or if you’re having some trouble getting something to come out the way you want it, asking the Internet for help is always going to be your first port of call.

There are too many tips that can be given to aspiring fabric painters to be covered in one simple article, but a lot of the fun of learning to paint using a new medium, or challenging yourself to getting better at fabric painting is in giving it a shot yourself and learning from your own mistakes.

Here is a short list of tips to help you get started, and some things you should remember before getting started: 

1. If a fabric is loosely woven, the paint you’re using might seep through the threads before it's dry. This will reduce the intensity of the colors and leave less paint sealed into the fabric, meaning that it could also wash out quicker and become patchy. A finely woven fabric is also easier to paint detail on than a loosely woven one.

2. You’ll want to wash the material you’re using before starting the painting process in order to remove any sizing added during manufacture which may prevent the paint from adhering to the surface. It also gives it a chance to shrink, if it's going to. To test whether a piece of fabric needs to be washed beforehand, drop a little bit of water on it. If it beads up on the surface, it needs washing because there are chemicals soaked into it that are preventing anything from being absorbed. If it sinks in, the paint you're going to use will also likely soak into it and get locked up permanently.

3. Wetting the fabric with clean water before painting it encourages colors to flow into each other, like in a watercolor. But don't add too much water, as it'll dilute the colors; the fabric should be damp, not soaking.

4. Remember when painting a t-shirt to insert something a few sheets of newspaper, a bit of card or plastic inside the shirt so the paint doesn't seep through onto the back of the shirt.

5. Stencils can make fabric painting easier. To get the best look when stenciling, begin by applying the paint with a sponge to keep the paint from leaking out under the stencil.

6. Heat set the fabric paint to protect it in the washing machine. You can do that in one of two ways: hold a hot iron over the painted section without touching the paint, or turn the garment inside out and ironing over the opposite side of the fabric for five minutes or so. Wait at least 24 hours after painting before trying to heat it up, or the paint will loosen and might run into each other or seem put of the material.

Written by Wesley Geyer

Creative writer

What is the difference between acrylic paint and fabric paint?

There are many people who believe that it is perfectly okay to paint on fabric with a regular acrylic paint, and many more who believe that you should only use fabric paint when working with fabric.

The difference between the two kinds of paints is something that should be considered before making your choice, however, since it will affect how successful your painting is, and what can be done with it afterwards.

Fabric paint, for instance, contains a binding agent that is specifically designed to cling onto fabrics, and will adhere better than acrylic paint will, since it is thicker and more likely to stick only at a surface level.

You can easily turn an acrylic paint into a fabric-suitable paint with special mediums. When mixed equally, the medium adds the adhesive agent that is found in fabric paint to the acrylic, which will allow it to stick more successfully and permanently.

Standard acrylic paint, however, should only be applied to fabric if the fabric does not need to drape, or to be loose at all, such as a curtain, a t-shirt or a flag. Acrylic paint, when dry, will harden and create a layer over the material, so any bending that is done under the paint may cause cracks in the paint over time, whereas fabric paint seeps into the material, leaving it free to move around without cracking or chipping off.

Both types of paint are water resistant once dry, but in order to securely set fabric paint; it is advised that you set it using a source of heat, such as an iron or a blow dryer. Once that is done, washing the fabric will not cause the paint to chip or fade in any way. Acrylic paint, however, even though it is water resistant when dry, is more likely to crack under heat in the washing machine if it hasn't been mixed with the medium mixer mentioned above.

Written by Wesley Geyer
Creative writer