Spring is in the Air

Bunny Tea Towel

Something Unique Studios

by Amy Boettcher

Super Easy Fabric Painting Projects with So Soft Paints by DecoArt

SUPPLIES

DecoArt So Soft Fabric Paint

  • Christmas Red (DSS25-37)
  • GreenApple (DSS75-37)
  • Christmas Green (DSS26-37)
  • Antique Gold(DSS2-37)
  • Dark Chocolate (DSS23)
  • Lamp Black (DSS24)
  • White (DSS1)
  • Bright Azalea(DSS73)

Brushes

  • #8, Flat Brush
  • ¾” Flat Wash brush
  • #2 Script liner

Other Supplies

  • White copy paper to put under tracing
  • Sharpie Marker Black
  • Chalk Pencil
  • Paper Towels
  • Scissors
  • Tracing Paper
  • Water container
  • Acrylic or Watercolor Palette paper
  • Painters Tape or Masking Tape
  • Paper Towels

Tshirt painting board or smooth cardboard covered with plastic garbage bag

Surface

  • 28 x28” cotton Flour Sack Tea Towel (Walmart or Amazon)

INSTRUCTIONS

NOTE: Please refer to the instructions, pattern and color photos as you are painting.

Fabric Prep

  1. Wash tea towel gently and dry on cool. Iron so you have a smooth painting surface.
  2. Decide where you would like your art on the towel. I like to concentrate most designs in the middle 1/3 of the bottom ½ of the towel. If you are going to sew this into a pillow or apron make sure to leave enough room for seam allowances.
  3. Lay your towel over board and tuck any extra fabric behind the board. Tape to hold in place.

Transferring the pattern

  1. Transfer the pattern if necessary (but I usually just slide the printed copy under the towel and follow the outline if fabric is transparent enough. If your copy is too faint to see well thru the fabric go over it with a Black Sharpie Marker.)
  2. To Transfer your Pattern: Lay transparent tracing paper over your pattern and trace off with a pencil. Next go over the pencil line with black sharpie marker. Turn your tracing over and retrace your lines with a charcoal chalk pencil. Do not press too hard (we don’t want to rip the paper) and tape pattern gently to fabric (as this chalk will smear if it’s moved too much). It will wash out of your towel but you don’t want so much that it bleeds into your art work. This pattern is just a “guideline”. Once paper is chalked lay your pattern chalk side to fabric in desired spot. Use painter’s or masking tape to hold in place. Lay your hand gently on top to keep it from moving and use your thumbnail or bottom of paint bottle to rub across all chalked lines. Before removing the tapemake sure to carefully peek under to make sure it all got transferred. Remember-These lines are just “suggestions”. Feel free to add only what you feel you need.

Terms and Techniques

Wash- thinning your paints with water to make them flow better and become more transparent.

WARNING!! These next two techniques are so much fun you will not want to stop so practice on something else FIRST. This form of creative expression will decorate not only your art but the artist, your walls, shoes….etc. Take to a safe place covered with newspapers or drop cloth so you can really let paint fly!

Speckling – in this case (as there are many techniques) is the light dots obtained by gently tapping your brushed, filled with a wash of paint, gently against your finger. Remember to not get too close to your fabric as this will give you a concentrated area of dots as opposed to a general overall effect.

Splattering-This technique is used to get a trail of dots that show direction and movement. Using a heavily wash filled script liner,whip your brush strongly at your intended target. Hold your brush close to the end but be careful not to fling it out of your hand! Remember these dots will show direction so give consideration to the angle you are working. Feel free to move your art in many directions to get the look you want.

Let’s Get Painting!

Outline- Lamp Black

Bunny Body- Dark Chocolate, Lamp Black, Antique Gold

Inside Ears- Bright Azalea, Antique Gold

Wild Flowers- Bright Azalea and Antique Gold

Grass- Green Apple, Christmas Green, Dark Chocolate, Lamp Black,

The Outline-Use Lamp Black and your Script Liner brush

Thin paint to ink consistency with water and roll your brush to a fine point. Gently hold brush perpendicular to project (not to the side like a pencil). This project is about freedom!! RELAX!! Again- these lines are just merely suggestions of the object. Sketch as opposed to drawing the lines. Follow the pattern. Remember you can always go back and add more if necessary. STOP when you wonder- “is this enough?”.

Add Color-

I lay out all my colors on my palette paper with room between for mixing new combinations. I make a small puddle of water next to my color to dip and drag color to it so I have great variety of intensity and depth in my work. Be careful to not get fabric too wet because the colors will continue to CRAWL, expand and get lighter as they dry.

Using the largest brush you are comfortable with, very slightly dampen area to be painted with clean water. Add drops of color with your small flat brush. Blend different colors together lightly. Watch it move. Leave white space. Feel free to mix colors or let it happen naturally as colors seep into each other.

I add flowers first then fill in the grass areas just giving the impression of flowers and blades of grass. Mix different colors together to get darker tones and hues. Play!

Sign and date your painting and enjoy!