How to paint a T-shirt with acrylic paints at home, 9 easy ways

Dyes – rich colors and unusual patterns

The instructions on packages for chemical dyes are usually quite comprehensive. They indicate the type of fabric that can be processed. Most often, the dye powder is ground with liquid until a homogeneous composition is formed, and then dissolved in half a liter of water and filtered into a non-metallic container with a volume of no more than seven liters.

To improve the “adhesion” of the paint, you can add a couple of tablespoons of rock salt to the solution. The next step is to heat the dye liquid to 40 degrees and place a pre-washed T-shirt in it so that it is covered with the solution. 30 minutes without additional heating with constant stirring will ensure high-quality painting.

Artificial dyes can also be used in automatic washing machines. Machine dyeing is carried out in several stages:

the dye solution is poured directly into the drum;

After the procedure is completed, the T-shirt is washed with a vinegar solution, and the machine is started to rinse.

“Watch the video to see how you can easily and quickly turn a simple plain T-shirt into a very bright and cute thing that will undoubtedly lift your spirits!”

How to change the color of flowers in Photoshop

How to change the color of flowers in Photoshop or another object:

1. To change color in Photoshop, load a photo into the editor
2. Select the part of the image that needs to be edited
3. Adjust the selection in “Selection” – “Refine Edge”
4. Now you need to replace the color in Photoshop. Select “Image” – “Adjustments” – “Hue/Saturation”. With this setting you can replace the color with another one in Photoshop.

5. Adjust the color and click OK to correct the color in Photoshop

Naturalness above all

Natural fabrics such as linen and cotton can be dyed using organic dyes such as cinnamon, coffee and onion skins.

1. Coloring with the first ingredient allows you to create a delicate “flesh” shade. 1 spoon of cinnamon and half a liter of water are brought to a boil and cooked for 10 minutes. After that, wash the fabric with cold water and dry it.

2. Painting with ground coffee is carried out in the same proportions and for the same amount of time, and the result is darker.

3. The onion skins take a little time to saturate the same volume of water, so the T-shirt is put in after the solution has boiled for 20 minutes and it also needs to be cooked a little longer. This coloring allows you to get a whole spectrum depending on the shade of the husk: from sand to terracotta.

In order to get different patterns on a T-shirt, you can tie the fabric with elastic bands: twisting allows you to get a spiral, a “flash” is created by several successive knots, and an “accordion” is obtained by folding the fabric several times and clamping it with clothespins. Dyeing a T-shirt at home is a very simple and fun activity that you can easily devote hours of leisure to.

What you need for painting

Before painting, you need to prepare all materials and tools so as not to be distracted during the process. You will need:

• special paints for textiles;
• White T-shirt;
• containers for diluting paint and fixative;
• dishes for painting;
• salt;
• latex gloves;
• retainer

Only clean 100% cotton items are suitable for dyeing. If there are greasy or oil stains on the fabric, they must be removed.

At home, industrially produced paints and natural raw materials are used. Artificial dyes have brighter and more varied colors, but they can cause allergies. The use of natural-based coloring pigments is safe, but the choice of shades is limited.

On a note. You can use iodine, onion peels, turmeric, tea, coffee, brilliant green, field chamomile, and berries as dyes.

Types of synthetic paints

How can you dye a T-shirt? The range of specialized stores is rich in textile paints. With their help, you can paint an item in one step, thanks to the content of special fixing components. Dyes are divided into:

• Acrylic - produced on a water basis. They are universal and suitable for any type of fabric, dry quickly. They are easily diluted with water, and if necessary, washed off with it (until the dye dries). T-shirts painted with acrylic look bright and impressive. Over time, the colors do not fade or fade in the sun.
• Aerosols. Used for natural or mixed fabrics. When used, stencils are used. Spray paints are easy to apply and adhere well to fabric.
• Aniline. Produced in liquid or powder form. Used for all methods of dyeing T-shirts (described below).
• Glowing. Become visible in the dark. They are based on phosphors (powders with a fine-grained structure with the addition of colorless varnish). There are visible and invisible paint options. In daylight they are white, but in the dark they glow in different shades.

What fabric can be dyed

Natural fabrics with a high content of cotton thread can be permanently dyed. Silk, linen or wool fabrics can be dyed well. The color applies quite evenly to them and is resistant to repeated washing.

Mixed fabric types are less susceptible to dyeing. On products that contain different amounts of natural and synthetic fibers, the color does not apply evenly, and the selected shade may be distorted. Fully synthetic fibers are dyed differently, and special technologies are applied to them:

• fabric such as bologna is dyed only using a cold method;
• polyester can be painted with acrylic dyes, can withstand painting, and retains clear color boundaries for a long time;
• finished products made from blended jeans are dyed using a special hot method.

Preparation and methods of staining

To paint a product with high quality, you must first place it in cold water for 1 hour, then wash it by hand with powder, rinse, dry and iron it with a not hot iron.

There are several types of painting, depending on the pattern obtained on the T-shirt:

• solid;
• with ombre or gradient effect;
• Tai-Dai technique;
• tying knots - Sibari.

Full painting

To repaint a T-shirt with chemical compounds, follow the detailed instructions that come with the purchased paint. When using natural dyes, follow the following sequence of work:

• Boil water in a container and throw in a certain amount of the selected raw material (depending on the desired color saturation).
• Remove from heat and let sit for 30 minutes;
• Strain the mixture through a strainer and add table salt (1 tablespoon per liter of liquid).
• Immerse the T-shirt in the liquid and simmer for 1 hour.
• Let the infusion cool and remove the product.
• Rinse thoroughly.
• Place the item for half an hour in a specially prepared 1% solution of tin chloride or other mordants to fix the paint.
• Rinse in a weak vinegar solution, then in clean water.
• Squeeze lightly and lay out to dry.

Ombre effect (gradient)

You can achieve a smooth transition from a saturated shade of color to a pale one using two methods - immersion and spraying. For the first method:

• Mark the transition points of shades.
• Dilute the paint in a special container (according to the instructions).
• Dip the product into the solution up to the top mark for a minute and let the liquid drain.
• Lower the product again, but to level 2 mark and for 2 minutes.
• Repeat the process several times, increasing the time the T-shirt is in the solution and each time moving away from the colored layer.
• Rinse the product in vinegar water.

How to spray paint a white T-shirt:

• Lay down a clean cloth and place the product on it.
• Dilute the paint in a spray bottle as indicated in the instructions.
• Spray onto the bottom/top of the t-shirt.
• Add water to the sprayer (the color of the paint will become less intense).
• Spray a second layer, add water again, etc.

Tie-Dye technique

A fantastic method of dyeing fabrics. T-shirts are folded, crumpled and curled in a variety of ways and then dyed. The output is intricate, bright patterns, which looks very impressive. It's easy to become the owner of an exclusive item. You need to do the following:

• Place the item on a slippery surface, press your fingers into the center and twist the item in a spiral.
• Tie the resulting bundle with threads.
• Dilute the paints according to the instructions, each in a separate container.
• Apply dyes with a brush alternately from each container.
• Dry without unfolding.
• Rinse the product in cold water and dry.

As a result, a multi-colored spiral should appear on the T-shirt.

Sibari

The secret of this dyeing technique is tying different knots on fabrics using pebbles, elastic bands, and threads. How to do:

• take several round pebbles;
• place them under the front of the T-shirt and secure them with rubber bands;
• soak the product in paint for an hour;
• remove the stones and rinse the item in slightly salted cold water.

On a note. By showing your imagination in dyeing fabric using the Sibari technique, you can get the most varied and original designs on things.

Using different types of dyes, it’s easy enough to turn an ordinary white T-shirt into a unique thing. The recommendations given above will help you paint products in any color. Don't be afraid to experiment!

Useful tips

Painting on T-shirts with acrylic paints allows you to express your creativity. In order to reveal them fully, it is necessary to take into account the advice of experienced masters and not repeat their mistakes. The following tips should be highlighted:

1. Before starting work, be sure to wash and dry the item of clothing that you are going to paint. After this, it is ironed and stretched onto a batik frame.
2. If you want to get a drawing without any clear outlines and with smooth color transitions, then you can use the free technique of applying the image. It consists of randomly applying several shades. After that, they are allowed to spread over the T-shirt.
3. To obtain an image with clear shapes and boundaries, you should use the cold or hot batik technique. In the first case, the details of the drawing are outlined with a special compound that prevents the paint from spreading beyond the boundaries of the drawing. In the second case, the light parts of the image are impregnated with wax, which prevents them from coloring. The drawing is applied with strict adherence to the sketch, starting with light details and ending with dark ones.
4. To give reality to the drawing, it is necessary to supplement it with a volumetric contour.
5. You can use fabric markers to write pre-designed words.
6. You can cut out an inscription template or symbol from thick paper and paint it with acrylic paint.
7. You can decorate a T-shirt with various stamps, which can be any vegetables and fruits with a beautiful structure and shape. To do this, the fruit is cut into two parts, one of which is dipped in paint. The finished stamp is applied to the desired location on the T-shirt.