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In a recent personal search for some statement tops, bags and shoes to kick off 2016, there was one standout trend that kept catching my eye. Fashion’s getting painterly this year, and my little DIY-obsessed heart could not be happier! Bring on the brushes and blending techniques, because we’re making some DIY painted clothes and accessories RIGHT NOW.
Considering the resurrection of all things 90’s AND the fact that I am a product of everyone’s favorite decade myself, this DIY is a little bit Fresh Prince, a little bit Lisa Frank and a lot of fun with brushstrokes. You have no excuses like it’s too difficult or too exact, because this style is BUILT on randomness. But if you’re still nervous, check out our Acrylic Painting Online Class first and learn everything you need to know about creating color, texture and pattern with paint!
Materials:
- plain cotton sweatshirt
- plain cotton sneakers
- plain pleather purse
- fabric paint in assorted colors
- paintbrushes
Additional Household Supplies:
- paper plate
- sheet of cardboard
- cup for water
*Need a little pep-talk first? Learn the basics of working with paint in our Acrylic Painting Online Class before diving into painting the rest of your wardrobe!
Instructions:
- Insert a sheet of cardboard into your sweatshirt so that paint will not seep through.
- Squeeze fabric paint onto a paper plate in a variety of colors and dip your paintbrush in.
- Lightly brush paint onto the surface of your sweatshirt, lifting the brush upwards at the end to make a sort of wispy tail.
- To get a two-toned effect in one brushstroke, load up your brush with two colors positioned next to each other on your paper plate and paint onto your sweatshirt as usual.
- Repeat with a few different colors to make your pattern. Play around with different shapes like circles, squiggles and triangles.
- Apply this same technique with a smaller paintbrush to your cotton shoes, being careful not to get paint on the white rubber soles.
- The same process works for a pleather bag. Just be careful with your brush since the smoother surface is a bit trickier to paint.
- Let everything dry completely for four hours and hand wash as necessary after 72 hours.
Grab a plain tee, sweatshirt, bag, shoes or whatever you have and let’s get painting!
Insert a sheet of cardboard into your sweatshirt so that paint will not seep through to the back side while you are painting.
Squeeze fabric paint onto a paper plate in a variety of colors and dip your paintbrush in to start.
Lightly brush paint onto the surface of your sweatshirt, lifting the brush upwards at the end to make a sort of wispy tail.
To get a two-toned effect in one brushstroke, load up your brush with two colors positioned next to each other on your paper plate and paint onto your sweatshirt as usual.
Repeat with a few different colors to make your complete pattern. Play around with different shapes like circles, squiggles and triangles.
Let everything dry completely for four hours and its ready to wear and machine wash after 72 hours.
Apply this same technique with a smaller paintbrush to your cotton shoes, being careful not to get paint on the white rubber soles. If you do accidentally get paint out of bounds, quickly wipe it up with a wet paper towel before it dries.
If these shoes could talk! Let your shoes dry for four hours and hand wash as necessary after 72 hours.
The same process works for a pleather bag — just be careful with your brush since the smoother surface is a bit trickier to work with. The paint may want to slide around on the surface more than it does on cotton.
You know the drill — let it dry for four hours and then spot clean by hand as needed.
Check out that fresh ensemble! Wear them together or apart and I guarantee the compliments (and custom requests!) will be rolling in.
It’s a head-to-toe paint party and I’m STOKED to wear this out.
And don’t forget – if you want to up your painting game a little bit more, check out our Acrylic Painting Online Class and learn a whole bag of techniques from a pro!
What other pieces of your wardrobe will you cover in brushstrokes? Share your pics with us on Instagram @britandco using the hashtag #iamcreative.
