Spring is in the AirHey Chick Tea Towel

Something Unique Studiosby Amy Boettcher

Super Easy Fabric Painting Projects with So Soft Paints by DecoArt

SUPPLIES

DecoArt So Soft Fabric Paint Green Apple (DSS75-37) Christmas Green (DSS26-37) Primary Yellow (DSS37-37) Antique Gold(DSS2-37) Dark Chocolate (DSS23) Lamp Black (DSS24)

Brushes #8, Flat Brush ¾” Flat Wash brush #2 Script liner

Other Supplies White copy paper to put under tracing paper (if not transferring pattern) Sharpie Marker Black Chalk Pencil Paper Towels Scissors Tracing Paper Water container Acrylic or Watercolor Palette paper Painters Tape or Masking Tape Paper Towels

Tshirt painting board or smooth cardboard covered with plastic garbage bag

Surface

28 x28” cotton Flour Sack Tea Towel (Walmart or Amazon)

INSTRUCTIONS

NOTE: Please refer to the instructions, pattern and color photos as you are painting.

Fabric Prep1. Wash tea towel gently and dry on cool. Iron so you have a smooth painting surface.2. Decide where you would like your art on the towel. I like to concentrate most designs

in the middle 1/3 of the bottom ½ of the towel. If you are going to sew this into a pillow or apron make sure to leave enough room for seam allowances.

3. Lay your towel over board and tuck any extra fabric behind the board. Tape to hold in place.

Transferring the pattern1. Transfer the pattern if necessary (but I usually just slide the printed copy under the

towel and follow the outline if fabric is transparent enough. If your copy is too faint to see well thru the fabric go over it with a Black Sharpie Marker.)

2. To Transfer your Pattern: Lay transparent tracing paper over your pattern and trace off with a pencil. Next go over the pencil line with black sharpie marker. Turn your tracing over and retrace your lines with a charcoal chalk pencil. Do not press too hard (we don’t want to rip the paper) and tape pattern gently to fabric (as this chalk will smear if it’s moved too much). It will wash out of your towel but you don’t want so much that it bleeds into your art work. This pattern is just a “guideline”. Once paper is chalked lay your pattern chalk side to fabric in desired spot. Use painter’s or masking tape to hold in place. Lay your hand gently on top to keep it from moving and use your thumbnail or bottom of paint bottle to rub across all chalked lines. Before removing the tape make sure to carefully peek under to make sure it all got transferred. Remember-These lines are just “suggestions”. Feel free to add only what you feel you need.

3.Terms and Techniques

Wash- thinning your paints with water to make them flow better and become more transparent.

WARNING!! These next two techniques are so much fun you will not want to stop so practice on something else FIRST. This form of creative expression will decorate not only your art but the artist, your walls, shoes….etc. Take to a safe place covered with newspapers or drop cloth so you can really let paint fly!

Speckling – in this case (as there are many techniques) is the light dots obtained by gently tapping your brushed, filled with a wash of paint, gently against your finger. Remember to not get too close to your fabric as this will give you a concentrated area of dots as opposed to a general overall effect.

Splattering-This technique is used to get a trail of dots that show direction and movement. Using a heavily wash filled script liner, whip your brush strongly at your intended target. Hold your brush close to the end but be careful not to fling it out of your hand! Remember these dots will show direction so give consideration to the angle you are working. Feel free to move your art in many directions to get the look you want.

Let’s Get Painting!

Outline- Lamp BlackChick body- Primary Yellow, Antique Gold, Dark ChocolateBeak and feet- Antique Gold, Dark ChocolateGrass- Green Apple, Christmas Green, Dark Chocolate, Lamp Black,

The Outline- Use Lamp Black and your Script Liner brush Thin paint to ink consistency with water and roll your brush to a fine point. Gently

hold brush perpendicular to project (not to the side like a pencil). This project is about freedom!! RELAX!! Again- these lines are just merely suggestions of the object. Sketch as opposed to drawing the lines. Follow the pattern. Remember you can always go back and add more if necessary. STOP when you wonder- “is this enough?”.

Add Color-

I lay out all my colors on my palette paper with room between for mixing new combinations. I make a small puddle of water next to my color to dip and drag color to it so I have great variety of intensity and depth in my work. Be careful to not get fabric too wet because the colors will continue to CRAWL, expand and get lighter as they dry.

Using the largest brush you are comfortable with, very slightly dampen area to be painted with clean water. Watch it move. Leave white space. Feel free to mix colors or let it happen naturally as colors seep into each other.

Start with chick body and face. Get fabric slightly damp. Use a primary yellow wash to fill in most of the area leaving the belly and cheeks white. The paint will naturally bleed to fill those areas in lighter.Shade around edges with antique gold to give depth.Add Dark Chocolate under wings, tail, along neck and under body to act as a soft shadow.Fill in beak and feet with Antique Gold, shadow with Dark Chocolate.

The field- Using your largest flat brush dampen the ground in horizontal strokes with clean water. Using a variety of greens, yellows and browns just “dash” strokes of color to give the feeling of grass. Make sure to paint up past his little tail feathers with the greens or he will look like he is floating. It’s okay to let colors run into each other and mix.

Speckle using blacks, browns, greens and yellows.

When it’s dry- if you feel colors have faded too much you may sparingly come back and add some color and shading but be careful. Second time around the fabric will not absorb nearly as much paint so color will be bolder.

Sign and date your painting and enjoy!