DIY 

Do It Yourself!


After learning that quite a few of my customers were artists, I had an idea!  Why not offer my Morphin Messenger Bag flaps made with a paintable fabric so they could embellish them with their own work?
I asked two artistic customers their thoughts and they were enthusiastic about the idea.
I sent them each a swatch of a cotton canvas I found and they gave the fabric a thumbs up.
They also provided feedback as you see below.

Then I thought the majority of my products could be made this way.

If you would like to order a specific bag style please contact me and I will make it for you. 



Feedback from my artistic consultants!

Hi Karen!


I did get the fabric swatch you sent me and got around to painting it today! This is my first time working on any kind of fabric so it was a new (and slightly nerve-wracking) experience. I went for something simple, just a lily on a solid background. I did not have any fabric paints nor did I have the money to purchase some, so I chose to go with what I did have, Gouache paints. They worked very well for my purpose, and the only issue I had to deal with was my colors bleeding when the fabric was still too wet (common problem with watercolors and the like anyway, so I should have expected it).

I was honestly expecting my paint to bleed through the fabric and show through the back, so I was really surprised when it didn't, except for in one tiny spot (which I really overworked so that was my fault). My only concern at this point is that the paint I used is a water-based paint, so getting it wet would be a major no-no without mixing my paints with an acrylic medium of some kind to make them waterproof. Or I could just use a non water-based paint such as actual fabric paints or acrylics. :P Even markers may work (I've seen people use them to color white shoes, very cool).

Bonnie



Hmm... I think that most painters would already have a feel for what they could do with it, although it will take a bit of experimentation to figure out what works best.   Acrylic artist's paints would work best if they have a fabric "medium" added.  That allows more flexibility once the paint is dry and allows a more fluid paint application without bleeding.   Obviously, paint that is manufactured specifically for fabric would be a safe bet, and fabric markers work very well on this material.  I would recommend hand-washing or just wiping with a damp cloth for cleaning any of those materials.   Anything oil-based will cause fabric breakdown and staining of adjacent fabrics, so I wouldn't suggest that anyone go at it with their artist's oil paints!   Cracking would be a problem as well with oils.
 
As Bonnie discovered, overworking when painting directly on fabric causes problems.   When paint is thin, it bleeds, when it is thick it will tend to pile up layers as you work but those layers will be prone to cracking and peeling.   I am thinking of starting with fabric markers to sketch on my flap, then using acrylic with fabric medium added to intensify/modify the image.  I have been playing around with the fabric markers on the swatch and they work very nicely.  


Amy