fabric paints

[mollykins]

Where's the best place to buy fabric paints from? will wilkinson have them?

Plus, can you mix them to get different shades of similar colours? and once you've applied them, do you let them dry, then iron them to make the colours stay? and if so, can i use my hair straighteners which i use on my cadet uniform which are easier to use than an iron (i don't straighten my hair anymore.)

[sophie_1003]

I think the way you allow them to set will depend on the individual brand. Hobbycraft would be a good bet but they can be expensive so if you can't find any in Wilko any local craft shop should have them or be able to order them in. Not sure about mixing though.

[mollykins]

Thanks I can't think of any other place nearby that would do them, i know wilko have an arts and crafts section with acrylic and watercolour paints, brushes and canvasses but i don't know if they have any fabric paint stuff.

[sophie_1003]

I know the one in our town does fabric pens, not sure about paints, they have a website so you could see if they do them on there, if they don't they probably won't have them in store either. Also, try chemists, one near us does fabric dye and might do paints as well, worth a look.

[mollykins]

and dyes would do aswell . . . .

[Eve]

Asda should have fabric dyes. You could try kids toy shops which have an arty section. The Works have arts and craft materials but probably only acrylics and normal paints. I used to get all my acrylics from there.

Are there no local art shops or similar?

[AlBags]

Get eBay cranked up Molly.

[welshlibranr]

lots here on E bay mollykins!..........Have a peep!..........
http://shop.ebay.co.u...at=See-All-Categories

[rowanwitch]

Dyes wouldn't be any good for creating images,and the sort of fabric paints you would find in a cheap store are designed for little children to do t shirts and they fade away really fast, If you want do do some proper creative work you need to select a type of fabric paint that is appropriate for the fabric you are using, Dylon fabric paint is fine for cotton or poly cotton but you need special paint for silk and for silk you also need an outliner to stop the colours running together, I find it easiest to buy them online from Fred Aldous.

Yes you can mix them so you only need to buy a few colours Red, yellow, medium blue, black ,white , and if you want a proper purple you will need that too as the red/blue mix tends to be a bit plummy
If you want to paint on black however you will struggle as you will need to mix enough white in the colours to make them show, the gel type fabric paints in tubes are better on black as they sit on the surface, TEXTIL markers are brilliant for fine work as they come with a thick and thin end

I use Setacolor and setasilk

and no you cant use your hair straighteners
A) because it is downward pressure that makes the dye set into the fabric and
B) Because even if it doesn't say on the jar/tube the best way to finish off is to iron the finished design through siliconised baking parchment Do not use greaseproof paper it doesnt work and just peels the image off the paper.

Hope that helps, I will check back on this thread in case you need more help

[mollykins]

thanks guys, I have a couple of long light grey t-shirts that now i've finished art i want to still be creative and they are a blank canvas to me.

I was going to try and go for a splattered effect (or something that looks messy but is actually well thought out and meant to be like it is), but will this be possible? One i was going to do greens and blues the other yellows oranges and brown hence the need to mix, especially if i only buy the basic colours.

[AlBags]

Try some Batik, Moll ... Fascinating and unique, but tricky to do.

[mollykins]

Ok, but if i can't get a splattered look i'll dab it on with a sponge in layers. Would acrylic paint work if i then iron it on?