Paint on Velvet
The lushness of velvet gives paintings unique contrasts that makes them seem to glow with an inner light. Painting on velvet requires special techniques. You must first use a stencil or carbon paper to transfer a design onto the velvet, then build up the paint in several layers to compensate for the fabric's high absorbency.
Contents
Steps
Preparing Velvet for Painting
- Select velvet made from natural fibers. Velvet made from cotton or silk is preferable to synthetic velvet.
- Paint a small scrap of your velvet with the paint you plan to use. Decide if your paint and technique are compatible with the fabric. See how much of the paint the fabric absorbs.
- Stretch the velvet over frame bars. You can buy frame bars at art supply shops.
- Fix a barrier between the velvet and the frame bars. This helps prevent a line from forming in the paint where the velvet contacts the frame. A piece of cardboard or an acid-free foam core board are options. The barrier should be slightly smaller than the frame bars.
Transferring the Design With a Stencil and Chalk
- Sketch your design on a large, heavy sheet of paper. It should be large enough that when placed over the stretched velvet, the entire painting surface is covered.
- Outline the drawing by punching holes in the paper. Use the sharp end of a drawing compass or a similar sharp object to punch a series of holes to trace your drawing. Make the holes about 3/8 of an inch (1 cm) apart.
- Tape the outlined drawing to the velvet.
- Rub white pastel chalk over the holes in the paper outline. The chalk dust will go through the holes in the design and deposit on the velvet.
- Brush away the extra chalk dust and remove the stencil. If the stencil was large enough, the only chalk on the canvas will be your design.
Transferring the Design With Carbon Paper
- Draw your design on translucent tracing paper.
- Place the tracing paper on top of a sheet of carbon paper. Make sure the ink on the carbon paper is a different color than the velvet.
- Put the tracing paper, with the carbon paper beneath it, on the velvet.
- Go over your design with a pencil or pen. The ink from the carbon paper will deposit on the velvet.
Painting on Velvet
- Use a dry brush dipped in acrylic paint to paint velvet. Choose high-quality acrylic paints made for coloring fabrics.
- Layer the paint on the velvet. Velvet absorbs paint, so the paint's color tends to dull as it dries. To compensate, you'll need to paint in layers until you achieve the color intensity you want in the finished, dried painting.
- Consider starting with a base coat.
- Paint a thick white base coat only on areas of the velvet that will be painted with color.
- Let the base dry before painting over it with color.
- Use a clean brush to lift paint that was erroneously applied. Do this immediately, before the paint is absorbed by the fabric.
Tips
- When painting black velvet, the areas that you want black should be left unpainted. The results look better than using black paint.
- Velvet paintings date back to the 14th century in Kashmir. Velvet art carries a somewhat undeserved kitsch reputation in modern times because of mass produced velvet paintings of cultural icons.
Things You'll Need
- Velvet
- Acrylic paints for fabric
- Frame bars
- Cardboard or foam core board
- Heavy paper
- Drawing compass or other sharp tool
- Tape
- White pastel chalk
- White base paint
- Translucent tracing paper
- Carbon paper
- Paint brushes
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