Crafty Stencil and Painted T Shirts

Well I went shopping and I just couldn't find the color shirts I really wanted, although I found many things I did like, and did I mention I LOVE to SHOP? Still I had colors in my head for shirts I wanted so I found some plain tshirts and decided to take them home and start decorating. I am a long time painter/teacher/crafter, and this is an old long standing craft for me to do. and one I really love. I have done custom painted shirts for many customers including country stars I am proud to say and my work has been in several shops and a few stores over the years.
So I remember I have some stencils and I got 1 I liked for this shirt

Here is the stencil I used for this shirt

You can buy different designs at your craft stores or online

You can even draw a design and make your own with stencil sheets then trace on them and cut out your designs. We used to make these out of layers of paper coated in glue and let dry LOL

There are several brands of acrylic paints at the craft stores

I buy all kinds as you can tell ;)

I also like a painter palate to mix colors and hold paints as I work

They are washable so you can clean it (don't let it dry too long though)

then I gathered up my paint box, fabric medium (add 1 part fabric medium to 2 parts paint) to keep the paint from getting stiff on the fabric, brushes, paper towels, a large cup of water for mixing and cleaning brushes.

Steps to Paint your Tshirt
First Wash your Tshirt, to remove sizing and preshrink(do not use fabric softener) and dry, I always dry my clothes on a medium setting, perma press.
Lay the stencil on your shirt where you want the design to go, then I taped mine down with some duct tape, Yeah I forgot that picture, I'm so bad at taking enough pictures as I work, I get so involved in my art or cooking :)
After it's taped where you want it on your shirt, get out your colors you want to work with and some stencil brushes. these are flat bristled and stiff to dab your paint on so it wont bleed under the stencil.
You also don't want to get your brushes too thick with globs of paint, the idea here is to do what's called dry brushing on your material on the stencil. You can add more paint as you go, this is also how I do my shading as you see above.

the brushes on the left are stencil brushes and the ones on the right are fabric brushes

I love wearing original designs and I bet you'll have fun making something unique as well

I make many different styles and designs

Also check out the new KEEP CALM line of T Shirts here

My Tshirts start at $25.00 plus shipping if you're outside my area

You can email me at mscheriiluv@hotmail.com

for order inquiries