Sometimes it is difficult to find the pattern or details you want for your fabric and your only solution is to paint it. If you follow my advice it shouldn’t be difficult to get good results on your fabric and it will make it stand out. In this article I am going to cover how to traditionally paint your fabric with a brush, but remember that you can also use stencils, sprays or even print your design on an iron on

Painting fabric tips

These are just some ideas that I have picked up through the years. Once you get used to it I am sure you will get many others. Always try to do what’s more comfortable to you while painting fabric. Be aware that for a perfect finish you will want to be prepared.

Before you start

• Decide on your fabric. Some fabrics are easier to paint than others. Canvas and cottons are some of the best ones. Stretch fabric will be more difficult to paint and the designs will last less time. You can always paint your design on canvas and use it as an applique if you need to.
• Wash your fabric before painting it. I don’t always follow my own advice as my cosplays are so delicate I usually handwash them and only use them a few times. However, for a lasting finish you may want to wash your fabric. All fabrics come with some kind of starch from the factory that protects them from dust and impurities. If you want your paint to last it is better to wash it.
• Sketch your design on paper first. Always design your drawing before painting it. Preferably don’t sketch directly over your fabric. You won’t be able to fix mistakes later and any pencil lines will be very visible if you commit a mistake.
• A lightbox or tracing paper are good ideas to trace the design. Once you have your design you will want to transfer it to your fabric. If your fabric is thin enough you may be able to use a lightbox to reproduce your sketch. If it is too thick you can trace it with tracing paper on top of your fabric. Keep in mind that any mistakes will show trough, use a similar colour to your finished product. Dressmaking pens are the best idea but you won’t always be able to use them.
• Protect the area underneath your fabric. Paint is very likely to soak through fabric and you don’t want to stain your working space. Preferably put plastic under the fabric, not paper. The paper may stick to your fabric and stain the back of your painting. It becomes messy. Keep in mind that if you are painting for example a t-shirt you will need to place your protection inside it, so it doesn’t soak to the back.
• Test a scrap of fabric before you start. You will be able to practice and determine what is best for your painting. You may need to thin some paints with water but be careful not to overdo it or they will stain the fabric. This is your chance to test the right consistency and the look of your paint over the fabric.

Painting your fabric

• Use fabric paint. You can also use acrylics but they may crack in larger areas. If you can’t find the right colour try adding fabric medium to your acrylic paint. It works the same as a fabric paint which makes your paint more elastic. Some fabrics like silk are very different to normal fabric and may need totally different techniques.
• Use the correct brush for your design. The quality of your brush matters and a good brush will help you do the task better. Use large brushes for big areas and small brushes for tiny parts. Don’t be afraid to change often. A flatbrush works great for straight shapes and a fine point will help outline any painting. I find it easier to work from the outside inwards.
• Paint from left to right and from top to bottom (reverse if you are left-handed). You will avoid stains on your arm and hand and won’t smudge your paint if you do this. Be careful on where you place your hands and wash any stains immediately to avoid accidents. Fabric soaks the paint and keeps the material wet for long periods, be careful not to touch or smudge it.
• Apply at least 2 layers. Ideally you want two layers for every colour but light ones will be the more obvious. They are more see-through and need building up to look good. Make sure you wait and let your paint dry between each layer. Also, if your colour is not showing through, try applying a first layer of white to the area to get more vibrant colours. Always test before you commit.
• Clean your brushes often. You should at least clean them for different colours. Otherwise, your paint will get mixed. Also, your paint will start drying on your brush after a while and will make it difficult to use.
• Try gradients and outlining your paintings. They give them extra volume and they look much better. For a gradient you may need to mix the paint while it is still wet. Cleaning your brush on a paper towel will get the excess of paint from your brush and will create a fading effect when you dab it on the fabric. A very fine line around your painting will make it stand out too. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

After you have finished

• Allow time to dry. Even if you think your piece is ready, allow extra time to make sure it is completely dry. You don’t want a nasty surprise and stain your fabric or another piece.
• Iron your finished piece. You can put a cloth on top and iron it after it is dry. Most fabric paints recommend you to iron the paint so it sticks better to your fabric. Always follow the instructions of the bottle.
• Handwash your painted garments. Although you can put them in the washing machine they will last longer if you gently wash them with some soap and hang them from a line to dry.

I have used these methods for cosplays like Ignis, Emilia, Ran Mao, Raven or Koujaku. It shouldn’t be difficult to start painting your own projects. However, it does take practice as well as trial and error to improve.

I hope my best tips for painting fabric helped you, let me know if you have any others! And if you are stuck for new ideas to sew, make sure you check my pattern collection. If you liked this article and want to give me your support to keep me going consider supporting me on Ko-fi, it all goes to new projects and there is no subscription needed!

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Painting technique

When you paint a big prop you need paints that have good coverage. Above you have a picture of the colours I used.

First, I started with a mix of silver and black for the blade. Later I applied pure silver. The handle simulates bone, therefore I used a paint called bleach bone. Finally, I used copper and red for the last details.

Cuando pintas un prop de gran tamaño necesitas pinturas con alta pigmentación. Arriba tenéis una foto con los colores que usé.

Primero empecé con una mezcla de plateado y negro para pintar la hoja. Después apliqué solo color plata. El mango simulaba hueso, así que usé una pintura llamada blanco hueso. Finalmente, usé cobre y rojo para el resto de detalles.

As a final step, I used a toothpick and my fingers to simulate blood splatters. The paint I used is called Blood for the blood god by Citadel. However, any glossy paint should work.

Como paso final, usé un palillo y mis dedos para simular las salpicaduras de sangre. La pintura que usé se llama Sangre para el dios de la Sangre de Citadel. Sin embargo, cualquier pintura brillante debería funcionar.

Time-lapse video

In the video you can see the process to paint a sword made of foam. Also, don’t forget to seal your foam with glue or PlastiDip before you start painting otherwise you won’t get a good finish.

En el video podéis ver el proceso de como pinta la espada hecha de foam. Además, no os olvidéis de sellar vuestro foam con pegamento o PlastiDip antes de empezar a pintar, de otra manera no conseguiréis un buen acabado.

In the end, this sword was part of my Dark Eldar Wych costume. In general, I used several weathering techniques in order to make my costume look postapocalyptic. Did I succeed?

Al final, esta espada fué parte de mi Bruja eldar oscura. En general, usé diferentes técnicas de desgaste para crear su apariencia postapocalíptica. ¿Creeis que lo conseguí?

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Cinder Fall fue un proyecto divertido para mi. Sabía desde el principio lo que quería hacer y tuve que experimentar para encontrar el acabado perfecto. En este tutorial os enseño como pinté el terciopelo usando pintura acrílica normal.

Start cutting your pattern

I started with my dress pattern, it is better to have it all cut and ready before you start painting. Then I drew the tribals on the pattern itself. I used a marker and made it as exact as possible to avoid having to correct any mistakes later on.

Empecé haciendo el patrón, es mejor tenerlo todo cortado y preparado antes de empezar a pintar. Después dibuje los tribales en el patrón mismo. Usé un rotulador y lo dibuje lo más exacto posible para evitar tener que corregir errores más adelante.

Transfer your drawing

The best way to transfer your drawing is using carbon paper. It is very cheap and I found it in a stationary store. You need to layer it in this order, fabric, carbon paper facing the fabric and your pattern. Optionally but very recommended use a transparent sheet to avoid breaking your pattern when you are tracing.

La mejor manera de transferir vuestro dibujo es usando papel de calco, es muy barato y lo encontré en una libreria. Necesitáis ponerlo todo por capas en este orden, tela, papel de calco mirando a la tela, vuestro patrón. Opcionalmente, pero muy recomendable es una lamina de plástico transparente para evitar que se os rompa el patrón cuando estéis calcándolo. 

As you see I traced both lines of the drawing to make sure everything was even when I painted it. You can find the carbon paper in different colours, I recommend you one similar to the colour you want to paint as the carbon will remain in the fabric to a degree unless you wash it. Additionally, if you can’t see well the drawing there are also felt pens specially designed for fabrics (in white too) You can retrace all your patterns with one of them.

Como podéis ver dibujé ambas lineas del dibujo para asegurarme de que todo quedaba igual cuando lo pintara. El papel de calco podéis encontrarlo en diferentes colores, os recomiendo usar uno similar al que vais a utilizar para pintar ya que la marca se quedará en la tela a menos que la lavéis. Además, si no podéis ver bien el dibujo que habéis calcado también venden bolígrafos especiales hechos para pintar en tela (también los hay en blanco) Podéis repasar todo el patrón con uno de ellos.

Paint your fabric

Finally, I used acrylic paints to do my drawing. As I wanted my drawing to stand out more I used two colours for it, the difference is subtle but totally worth it. First I painted my drawing in orange, slightly bigger than needed. Then I traced an inner line in yellow. You may need a second layer to make it look perfect.

Finalmente, usé pintura acrílica para mi dibujo. Como quería que el dibujo quedara más brillante usé dos colores, la diferencia es sutil pero merece la pena. Primero pinté el dibujo en naranja ligeramente más grande de lo necesario. Después pinté el interior con amarillo. Puede que necesitéis una segunda capa para que quede perfecto.

Final touches

Finally, the little secret to avoid our fabric to become very stiff and crack is to brush it with a cat brush. In bigger areas with lots of paint I recommend you to do it while the paint is still wet. Always be careful not to stain other unpainted areas.

Finalmente, el pequeño secreto para evitar que la tela se quede tiesa y se cuartee es cepillarla con un cepillo para gatos. En áreas mas grandes cubiertas de pintura os recomiendo pasarlo mientras la pintura esté aún húmeda. Siempre ten cuidado de no manchar las partes sin pintar.

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Materials you will need

The materials you need to dye a wig are:

• Wig (preferably white)
• Permanent markers of your chosen colour
• Rubbing alcohol
• Spray bottle
• Knife
• Water.
• Gloves

Keep in mind that this process can get messy, I highly recommend you to wear an apron, gloves and cover your workspace to make sure you don’t stain anything during the process. Also, note that I didn’t use any special brands when I chose my marker but many people like the brand Sharpie.

Preparing the dye

In order to get the dye, I first opened the marker and I used a knife to open the ink cartridge. Then, I put the cartridge with the ink inside the spray bottle. After that I filled it with 2 thirds of 96º rubbing alcohol and a third of water, You can also use 70º alcohol and no water instead. Once you have your mixture ready, close your bottle and shake it well.

Dye a wig with permanent ink

Make sure to start by a hidden strand or some cut leftovers to make sure you got the right colour. Darker colours may need a higher concentration of ink. Also, remember that while the wig is still wet, the colour will look much darker than it actually is when dry.

Always start from the bottom of the wig as it will be easier to move upwards later. Get little strands at a time and make sure to cover well the roots rubbing them with your hands. For larger wigs, use hair clips to keep the extra hair away.

Once the wig is completely dyed let it dry or use the blow dryer on a low setting. Although it is not likely in some occasion dyed wigs like these may bleed. Make sure you test it first.

Re-styling the wig

If you are using a heat resistant wig you can use the iron and a hairdryer to shape it. You can also remake the curls or create any other style. However, keep in mind that some hairsprays may make your wig bleed so it is better to test it first. With a bit of love, your wig will be perfect.

Don’t forget to check my goals on Ko-fi, I will be ablet to create more cosplays and more tutorials with your support, and I will share them with you! Some of my cosplay patterns will end up in my patterns and cosplay related downloadables make sure to check my current collection! Also, don’t forget to download my Cosplay Planner to start your own list!

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