Printing Words with Acrylic Paint on to Fabric

Printing Words with Acrylic Paint on to Fabric

My art group tried another technique with paper, acrylic paint and fabric. It’s mainly used to make fabric or paper that is then cut up and used in collage.

Louise, Paula and Sally working on word printing on paper and fabric around a wooden table.

It’s a simple process. You apply a “writing tip” to the paint bottle, write some words on paper and then press the paper with the acrylic writing on to fabric. You  then have printed words on fabric but the words are backwards on your fabric. I like this better since it makes the words hard to read. You can still see that it is words but it isn’t “a cute saying” easily read.

Here you can see Sally has written words in white acrylic paint on the brown paper and then she is pressing her fabric down on to the paper to transfer the words.

I wrote on book pages (which I will use later as backgrounds or tear up for collage) and then printing on to fabric. I used lines from the poem “Think Like a Tree” by Karen Shragg. You can see that the words aren’t really legible but it still conveys writing.

Louise writing with black acrylic paint on to book page.

Louise is writing with black acrylic paint on to a book page.

Paula's collaged page of printed words.

Paula was working only on paper this time. She collaged her pieces of torn, printed paper together on to book pages.

Here are a couple of pieces of fabric that Sally printed. The purple circles in the right photo are from eco printing with purple carrots. Sally then printed the words on top of that. It gives a graffiti look, doesn’t it?

Here are the two pieces that I created. These were done on pre-painted canvas (a light wash of grey) which had then been stained with tea in places.  Then I printed the tree poem on top of that. I will use these as some book pages in my altered book I have been working on.  If you’re looking for a fun and easy project, this technique definitely qualifies. You can write whatever you like and get those thoughts out of your brain, but it won’t be legible enough for someone else to read your innermost thoughts.

16 thoughts on “Printing Words with Acrylic Paint on to Fabric

  1. A very different way of mark making or creating asemic writing which I like
    I will try this tomorrow as I’m at a 2-day collage workshop working with paper, paint & fabric.
    Very timely – Thanks Ruth

    1. Thanks Antje! I had to look up asemic writing as I didn’t know that word. But that is what I wanted, symbolic for writing but not meaning anything specific. I hope you have fun at your collage workshop, I look forward to seeing your results.

  2. My immediate thought was to write on a piece of clear(ish) plastic with a felt tip, turn it over and then write with the acrylic paint over the reversed writing and print it the right way round. That was what I thought you were going to do – silly me!
    The process does give me several “what ifs”. First of all, will it work on felt? Then, would it work with heat erasable ink? I’m thinking there of when I add an embroidered quotation to a felt picture. Before, I have written the words on paper and stitched through them and then removed the paper, a tedious task.
    Then I wandered on to making a painted background for an embroidered picture, with perhaps a needle felted addition. Hmmm, lots of what ifs.
    Oh no, another rabbit hole. Thanks Ruth, I think!
    Ann

    1. Thanks Ann, I guess this could be used as a transfer process to give you a pattern to stitch by but it’s a little iffy on whether the ink would stay dry enough to transfer. You could use this with thickened dye on felt or paint if you don’t mind a stiff surface. But there are many possibilities for sure.

  3. You have such fun with your art group and do some interesting things! Always nice to have collage fodder to work with whether paper or fabric.
    Tesi

  4. What a great idea Ruth. I often feel limited when it comes to mark making on pieces – afraid I will destroy the work. This extra stage would certainly help and writing the words certainly helps with the flow.
    By the way, inspired by one of your posts, I painted a miniature piece, mounted it on a card and sent it off with a piece of felt for a felt swap. Recipient loved the card and is now mounting it for her wall. A double whammy! Thanks for the inspiration Ruth!
    Hélène x

  5. You always do such interesting things with your group. I like the backward patchy writing. It would be interesting to just make up symbols to look like writing too.

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