Tutorial on sun painting fabric

Sun painting is a technique using semi- transparent paint on cloth. What this specialized paint will do is dry on the top of your fabric  into vibrant colors where the sun hits, and white or much lighter images where you place items that make shadows on the fabric using leaves, jewelry  or whatever you like.  I will give you tips along the way that allowed my project to excel. This project takes about 40 minutes for your first try and 20-25 minutes for future ones.

1. Use Setacolor  Semi-transparent Paints for the best results. You will also need foam paint brushes or a larger one cut into 1x1/2" pieces. Have a pair of rubber gloves handy.

2. Plan to work inside with your paints, but on a sunny warm day.


3. Prepare a board covered in plastic to paint the fabric. This piece needs to be big enough so the entire cloth can lay flat. It also needs to be stiff so you can carry your prepared piece outside, undisturbed. I have a piece of Styrofoam I bought that has the plastic cover on it from when I purchased it. It works great because it has a non-absorbent cover and I can use straight pins to keep my fabric in place. This will be helpful because when the project is working outside, the fabric tends to lift  as it dries and becomes lighter.

4. Have ready items to place on your cloth where you want the image to appear. I found it best to use solid items what have weight to them and with definite outside lines. What happens if you don't is the image will roll around and not stay put long enough to work, Choose two or three colors to work with. Mix paints in little bowls, 50% paint and 50% water. Stir well. It will look like you have very little paint to work with but it goes far.

5. Wet your fabric and squeeze out the excess till it is damp. Too much water will make colors lighten and may not have enough pigment for the process to work. If you wish to make lighter colors, there is a product to use specifically for that. Pin the piece to your board or tape the sides.

6. Wet your fabric and squeeze out the excess till it is damp. Too much water will make colors lighten and may not have enough pigment for the process to work. If you wish to make lighter colors, there is a product to use specifically for that. Pin the piece to your board or tape the sides.

7. Arrange your items on the cloth and take outside for the process to work. Project is set when the fabric is completely dry. Set colors with a dry iron using correct fabric setting.

Way to use these fabric pieces:

• Use a plain silk scarf as your fabric. Paint will transfer to the back side of fabric too.
• Cut fabric imto quilt squares or strips for wall hangings, pillows, or other quilt projects.
• Use rough torn strips of fabric as a base for making jewelry cuffs, or consider purchasing the cuffs already created from our Etsy shop.