Do you have a brilliant idea for painting on fabric, but all you have in your house is acrylic paint? If you are wondering whether or not you can use acrylic paint of fabric, you’ve come to the right place.
While fabric paint is going to be your best bet for painting on any type of fabric, it is still possible to use acrylic paint on fabric. So, can you use acrylic paint on fabric? Absolutely! Acrylic paint is a top choice for painting on fabric, and you can use it with or without a medium.
Some people choose to mix a medium with the paint, but luckily, you can still use acrylic paint on fabric if you do not have a fabric medium. This is an easy process and will not take any extra time. In this article we go over everything you need to know to use acrylic paint on fabric, with and without a medium. Let’s get to it!
Using Acrylic Paint on Fabric
The very first thing you need to do when it comes to using acrylic paint on fabric is washing your fabric first. Washing the fabric to make sure it is clean will also help the paint stick to the fabric easier. This is especially important for clothing, because it likely won’t shrink again after you paint.
My favorite and top pick is always Arteza Acrylic Paints. They have so many different colors, and the quality is amazing! I usually use Arteza Paints for all my projects.
You will also need to protect the area you are going to paint. Acrylic paint is easy to wash off an area while it is still wet, but if it gets on something and dries it will be much harder. Place a piece of plastic or cardboard beneath the fabric to avoid any spills or bleeding through.
It is also important to test out a piece of the fabric with the acrylic paint before completing your entire design. If you are using an article of clothing, consider buying a second to be the test subject. Set the paint, wash it, see how the paint reacts with the fabric. You will be happy that you did.
To get the paint to stick to the fabric a little easier, try rubbing the fabric with a fine grit sandpaper to increase the amount of paint that adheres to the surface. You can also dampen the fabric with a spray bottle for a wet-to-wet application.
How to Paint Fabric with Acrylics
First, decide what type of fabric you are going to be using. You want a fabric that will make the paint colors pop, but you don’t want a texture that is going to be rough and make painting even harder. However, it doesn’t matter whether the fibers are natural or synthetic, the paint will work the same either way.
Next, you will need to figure out your design. You should practice drawing your design on paper first to make sure it is easy enough for you to paint. This will also give you more confidence in your painting, leaving less room for mistakes. You can’t get rid of mistakes on fabric because the stain will always be there.
Once you have your design figured out and you are confident that you can paint it, you will want to outline it on the fabric. The best way to outline is using chalk, but you can also you a pencil if you have one handy. Chalk and pencil can be erased, and adjustments can be made when necessary.
As you start painting, you should start with the background of your design and any darker colors first. Build your layers of paint until you achieve your desired design. If you want to create a pattern instead of a design, you can do that as well.
Heat Setting
It is also common practice to heat set your design after it is finished to ensure the longevity of your artwork. You will need to wait a minimum of 24 hours before heat setting to make sure the paint is completely dry.
To heat set the acrylic paint on clothing, you can use an iron. When you are ironing, make sure that you are not using the steam setting on your iron. The paint only needs heat to set, not any moisture. Place the fabric painted side down for the best results when ironing.
You will only need to iron for three to five minutes to heat set your design. It is also important to make sure that your iron is set on medium, not high. You don’t want the iron to be too hot because it could potentially ruin your design. After the heat setting is complete, wait four to five days to wash the fabric.
You can also use your oven to heat set your design, but you need to be very careful. Set the oven to about 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the fabric in the oven for no more than five minutes and keep a close eye on it the entire time.
Finally, you can heat set in the dryer. Using the dryer will take the most time, but it is by far the easiest method. Your fabric will need to go through the dryer for about 45 minutes on medium-high to high heat. This will depend on the type of fabric you use.
Can You Use Acrylic Paint as Fabric Paint?
You can absolutely use acrylic paint as fabric paint. For the best results, you will need to prepare the acrylic paint. The process is incredibly easy and relatively inexpensive. It is highly recommended to use a fabric medium to prepare the acrylic paint.
An acrylic fabric medium is basically just a liquid polymer emulsion that is used to mix in with acrylic paints to give them stability and a soft feel. Fabric medium also makes the acrylic paint easier to work with by allowing the paint to flow and spread easier.
If you want to use fabric paint, I highly recommend Arteza Fabric Paint. This is one of the best fabric paints out there, and I personally use them for all my fabric projects.
if you use a fabric medium, it also helps control the amount of bleeding that happens when paints are thinned with water. A fabric medium basically makes your acrylic paint have a watercolor texture while still having the effect of regular acrylic paint.
Does Vinegar Turn Acrylic Paint into Fabric Paint?
There is a rumor out there that you can use vinegar to make your acrylic paint turn into fabric paint. Unfortunately, this doesn’t actually work. Vinegar is usually used with fabric when dyes are being set, such as a tie dye design. Dyes and paints are not the same thing.
Acrylic paints are water-based, making them alkaline. This means that the paints can be very touchy when it comes to change and adding things to them. If you add just vinegar to acrylic paint, the paint can react negatively. This could ruin your paint and your design, so it is best to avoid using vinegar alone.
Can You Make Your Own Fabric Medium?
As mentioned above, you should avoid using vinegar by itself to turn acrylic paint into fabric paint. However, you can mix acrylic paint with vinegar, glycerin, and water to make your own fabric medium. It is incredibly easy and less expensive than some store bought fabric mediums.
All you need to do is mix one part glyercin with one part of vinegar and two parts of water. For example, if you have 10 mL of glycerin, you will also need 10 mL of vinegar and 20 mL of water. You can then add this to your paint until you reach the right consistency for fabric paint.
There is some trial and error that you may have to play around with, before you get a good consistency. I always recommend buying fabric paint if you can.
Can You Paint Fabric Without Medium?
If you do not have a fabric medium and you can’t make your own, you can still paint on fabric with acrylic paint. There are a few things you can do to make the process easier and to have the paint stick better to the fabric. First, you will need some medium-grit sandpaper.
Using the sandpaper, you will very gently sand the surface of the fabric. This will roughen up the surface a very small amount and will allow the paint to adhere much easier. You can also dampen the fabric slightly to get a more even coating with the paint.
Once that’s done, just paint your fabric, let it dry and heat set it as we discussed above. I also recommend sealing your painted fabric with this Mod Podge Waterproof Sealer. It protects fabrics against flaking, and works great for pillows, jackets and other fabric items.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking forward to painting a design on a piece of fabric, but you do not have any fabric paint, don’t worry. If you happen to have some acrylic paint lying around, you will be able to use that instead of regular fabric paint.
The easiest way to paint on fabric with acrylic paint is by using a fabric medium, but they can be somewhat expensive. If you don’t have a medium, that’s fine too. You can use regular acrylic paint on fabric.
If you are going to paint on fabric without a medium, there are a few things you can do to make the process easier and last longer. You will want to use a medium-grit sandpaper to rough the surface up some, and you will want to make sure the fabric is damp before you start painting. Make sure to follow all my tips and recommendations to ensure your fabric project turns our great.
Don’t forget to check out my other articles for all you painting Q&A’s. Happy painting!
