Best way to splatter paint on clothes

Customize plain table linens (T-shirts and sneakers, too) with our easy drip-and-dry method.

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Ta-ta for now, tie-dye! Splatter painting is a fun and even easier way to jazz up plain table linens (T-shirts and sneakers, too). Pictured here, we used Kaufman Essex Linen-Blend Fabric in Cadet ($9.25 a yd., fabric.com) and Southern Classic Linen-Blend Fabric in White ($9 a yd., fabric.com) as our canvases of choice. All you need is a squeeze bottle, paint, and fabric medium (to thin the contents a bit). Shake it up, then drip, drip, drip, and dry.

Styling by Naomi deMañana

What you need

You know what's REALLY fun? Splatter painting!

Remember

? It was so much fun! Making a Splatter Paint T-Shirt is just as entertaining, with the bonus that you can wear it when you're done. This is a great project to do just for fun or to pair with a study of artist Jackson Pollock.

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Materials

• an apron or old clothes
• a plain t-shirt
• 4+ colors of Folk Art acrylic paint (affiliate link)
• a random container
• a paintbrush
• a lawn that needs mowing

Steps

• Put on an apron or old clothes. You won't necessarily get paint on yourself, but better safe than sorry. 
• Spread the t-shirt out on the lawn that needs mowing. 
• Pour a little bit of paint into the container. 

• Dip the brush into the paint, step back, and fling the paint toward the shirt as it you were throwing a ball overhand. Most, if not all, of the paint should land on the shirt. If it doesn't, adjust where you are standing.
• Continue flinging paint toward the shirt until there is an even coating of splatters.

• Pour the second color of paint into the container. Using the same brush, dip into the paint and start flinging. 

• Continue this with the remaining colors. There is no need to wash or change the brush between colors. 

• When you are happy with the amount of paint on the shirt, leave it to dry in the sun. When it is dry, turn it over and repeat the process on the back if you want that side painted too. 
• Bring the dry shirt indoors, hang it up, and let it dry completely overnight. 

If you don't go too crazy with flinging, there won't be too much paint on the grass. But if there is, no worries. The lawn needed to be mowed anyway!

I think the idea for this gold paint splatter fabric was sparked by this insanely beautiful gold paint drip dinnerware. Can you imagine eating breakfast cereal out of one of those bowls? That would have to be some seriously chic cereal. I don’t think my lifestyle can live up to that, but what I can handle is some metallic gold splatter paint fabric, sewn into throw pillows.

Splatter paint fabric, in your mom’s favorite colors, sewn into a pillow, table runner, or even tote bag or skirt, would make a fun Mother’s Day gift for a hip mom.

Before I decided on the blush and gold color scheme, I was considering black paint on white fabric, for a monochromatic look that would add a graphic punch to a room. I still might do another round with those colors!

Materials

Craft paint
Textile medium – I used both this kind and this kind
Fabric – I used cotton, and a mystery fabric that’s probably a linen blend.

Tools

Paint brush
Mixing cup or jar
Spoon or stick for mixing
Iron (optional)

Steps

1. Mix up the paint with the textile medium. Follow the instructions on your bottle. I used two different types, and one said 2:1 acrylic paint to medium, and the other one reversed the ratio. Being exact isn’t super important here, however.

2. Now for the fun part, the splattering! This makes a big mess, so do this outside. Wear old clothes you don’t mind getting paint on, or a smock or an apron. Wear sunglasses or safety goggles so you don’t get paint in your eyes. You might get it on your face or any exposed skin, so be prepared to wash up when you’re done painting.
The basics are:
Load up a brush with paint.
With one hand, hold the brush over the surface you want to splatter, and gently flick or hit the brush with your other hand.

3. When you’re finished splattering, let the paint air-dry for 24 hours. I left mine on the ground for a while, then hung it up on a clothesline, then brought it inside because it was threatening to rain. So just put it someplace clean and dry where it won’t be disturbed.

4. Optional step: Heat set the paint after it has dried at least 24 hours. Dampen a pressing cloth with white vinegar, cover the back of the painted fabric with it, and iron the damp pressing cloth and the fabric (paint side down) with a dry iron until the pressing cloth is dry.

Now you can use your splatter-painted fabric for whatever you want! To keep it really simple, you could avoid all sewing and just make it into a raw-edged table runner. Hemming the edges, or at least sewing around them to prevent fraying, is extra credit. I made mine into a couple of pillows. The smaller, square one doesn’t even have a closure–I just sewed up three sides on my machine, put in the pillow form, then hand-sewed the last side shut. For the bigger pillow, I used an invisible zipper on one of the short ends.

Have fun doing your best Jackson Pollack impression!

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