Can You Use Acrylic Paint On Fabric? Step by Step Guide 2024

Acrylic paint is one of the unique paints people use on different clothes, leather, metals, and wood. But the question that most people ask is can you use acrylic paint on fabric?

The answer is yes, and you can use acrylic paint on materials made of fabrics. The reason is that it works and absorbs light more quickly on the fabrics than any other thing. Another fact is that acrylic paint does not stay for a long time on any other element except the clothes.

Can-You-Use-Acrylic-Paint-On-Fabric — Can You Use Acrylic Paint On Fabric

So, down in this post, I will provide complete information on how to use acrylic paint on fabrics without affecting the quality of clothes. However, firstly, you need to know what are fabric paint and acrylic paint, and the difference between them. People are also confused about will acrylic paint stay on the fabric. Here I mentioned all the facts about it.

Fabric and Acrylic Paints- Facts, Differences, and Features

Fabric paint does not require any medium to make the paint permanent. However, acrylic paint always needs a painting medium. Additionally, fabric paint works on natural materials more than artificial materials. On the other hand, acrylic paint can operate on natural or artificial materials.

Fabric paint has an advantage over acrylic paint, as it remains permanent on the material. Moreover, it never fades due to water or any other liquid.

Acrylic paint also sticks; however, can easily fade until you use a solid material that can eliminate the risks. It quickly dries up, which means that it does not stick to the fabric or wearable clothes for a long time.

Don’t worry because an acrylic medium can work efficiently in these fabrics. Additionally, this is soluble in water and other liquid mediums, which can easily blend with liquid. Hence, there is an advantage, and the acrylic art fabrics are now waterproof.

So, Is It Good To Use Acrylic Paint On Fabrics?

Yes, even it is recommended to use acrylic paint on fabrics. However, make sure that you are doing it correctly, according to the instructions I provided below. Acrylic artwork is very similar to textile art.

There are some clothes and fabrics where people recommend using this paint. These are pillows, shirts, canvas, and shoes.

Note: as I mentioned above, a fabric medium is required for acrylic art. So let’s learn about the fabric medium.

What is a Fabric Medium?

Fabric medium is any element that is a liquid in most cases, which helps to adhere the paint on the fabrics correctly and efficiently. It is a liquid acrylic polymer emulsion that allows staying on things for a long time without affecting the quality of the cloth or the painting itself.

Acrylic Paint On Fabrics — Can You Use Acrylic Paint On Fabric

Why use Acrylic Paint?

Here are some advantages of acrylic paint which show why it is important to use:

Helps in the Adhesion of the Fabric Paint

The most important advantage is that it helps in the adhesion of acrylic paint, working as a medium between color and the fabric itself. Acrylic paint itself is not good or enough for long-term results on clothes.

Easy to Dry

The paint quickly dries up, due to which any additional crevices or paint dots can be removed soon by applying the force of resistance. You can remove it either by nails or any other element.

Paint Becomes Flexible

By applying a medium, paint becomes more flexible and easy to clean. It helps in thickening the paint, which is an advantage again on any external solid or liquid. The results are fewer effects of elements that are not in the fever of color when applied to clothes.

Note: Most people also ask how to use acrylic paint on canvas? The method is the same as I have mentioned painting on fabrics.

How to Paint Fabrics with an Acrylic Paint

Required Material:

First of all, you need to collect and buy the required material for this purpose, including:

Paintbrush
Sponge
Water
Stencils
Tamps
Protective clothes

Steps involved in Applying the Acrylic Paint on Fabrics

Painting on fabric with acrylic paint is one of the best and most entertaining processes. Here are the easiest steps to do so!

Step1: Selecting the Right Fabric

The first step in painting fabric with acrylic paint is selecting the right fabric. A synthetic or natural fiber fabric can be used for acrylic paint fabrics.

Silk, cotton, or soft cloth is more likely to paint the art easily. However, it isn’t easy to paint on rough fabric. So, I don’t recommend using tough material, instead, use a soft texture cloth and have fantastic acrylic paint in less time.

Step2: Considering the Design

Design consideration is the most important step after selecting the right fabric. Think deeply about the design you want to get on the selected material. It may be a picture, image of an animal, text including a name or letter, art, or anything else.

In my experience, Make sure to practice the selected design several times to avoid mistakes later. The reason is that these paints are permanent once you make a design on fabric or any other substance. So, it’s better to avoid minor mistakes than regret them later.

Step3: Prepare the Fabric Paint

Preparing the fabric paint is time time-consuming step. Prepare it by mixing color and fabric medium. Keep in mind to use the right proportions for both the paint and the medium. Preparing it is very easy if someone knows the right way. If you want to change color shades, mix the color with the paint before adding the medium; otherwise, there are chances to fade up for color.

Step4: Painting in Layers

This is the actual step to painting the designs. First of all, take the acrylic paint and start to fill up the background of the printing design with the selected shade of color. Once you have completed this step, now add different layers of colors to the dye. And before adding the second layer of paint, allow the first layer to dry up.

If you want to fill blocks rather than other art, you need to use a sponge and a fabric medium. Use a sponge first so that blocks are prepared for printing, and it also helps to avoid fading up the color process. Secondly, use a fabric medium to prevent the color mixing process in layers.

Step5: Wait to Dry the Whole Painting

This is the second last and most important step. Here, wait for some time to completely dry the whole paint. Don’t wash or wet the fabric until it is completely dried. The reason is that fabric paint is easily resolved in water. So, it is necessary to remove that it is 100% dried up before using.

Step6: Sealing Acrylic Paint on Fabric

Sealing the acrylic paint on the fabric is as necessary as the above steps are. Most people miss this step, thinking that it’s no longer important, and they finish the painting once they apply acrylic paint to the fabrics.

However, it’s not the end; sealing the acrylic paint is even more necessary when you paint a complicated design. Sealing paint is important for protective measures against any bad activity against the color mixing and paint fading process. Here are the steps to perform it:

Keep a pressing cloth above the painting design without leaving any paint color to uncover. Keep in mind to cover the paint from top to bottom.
Now keep the iron on the pressing cloth at a very medium temperature. This should be on three numbers if you have six numbers for the iron temperature intensity.
Start ironing the pressing cloth for 3-5 minutes continually. Once you are sure the sealing process is completed, you can turn off the iron.

Softening Fabric after Acrylic Painting

Softening the fabrics after the painting is also necessary to get a clear painting texture. Painting design can be easily affected by any external medium, which could be another fabric, solid, or even a liquid material. Heat set using iron for pressing cloth and putting it on the painting design helps soften the painted fabric. This is similar to sealing the paint.

Tips for Caring Acrylic Paint to Make it Useful for a Long Time

Here are some aftercare tips that are necessary to follow and keep your design protected for a long time:

Don’t wash the fabrics and art designs regularly. Cleaning the material makes the invention not useful for a long time
Always do deep research on selecting the paint color, paint texture, paint fabric, a fabric medium
Ironing the cloth as much as possible can increase the duration of the painting design

Note: Also watch this complete tutorial for more tips and tricks on acrylic paint for fabrics!

The Best Acrylic Paint for Fabrics

Want to know the best acrylic paint on clothes? Here are some top-reviewed acrylic paints of 2022 that our professionals and editors recommend using!

Golden Fluid Acrylic Set

If you are searching for an acrylic fabric paint with high tint strength, I highly recommend this paint with multiple features. From high textile strength to the long-term usage of the painting color, you can use it without any worry about color damage issues. You can also use this acrylic paint on a t-shirt.

Moreover, you can mix it with other different paints and colors. The best thing is that this paint could be used either for acrylic paint or any other regular paint for high-quality of design and attractive painting.

Apple Barrel Gloss Paint Set

Another well-reputed brand is the Apple Barrel Gloss Paint Set. It comes with 16 colour shades which are bright and attractive. Moreover, this is water resolved paint, so make sure to avoid it from the water to eliminate the chances of fading up.

Hopefully, now you got the answer for can you paint clothes with acrylic paint? Here are some top fabric mediums and paints.

Best Acrylic Paint Fabric Mediums

Here are now some of the best and most useful paint fabric mediums I recommend buying. All of these are highly durable and are available at less costly rates. Let’s proceed with them:

Liquitex Best Effects Fabric Medium

One of the good painting and ideal fabric mediums is Liquitex which is top-rated on Amazon and other marketplaces. With high adhesions and flexibility features, this medium is very easy to use for everyone. It is the best protective measure against multiple fabrics and clothing, including water-resistant and colour bleeding fabrics.

Moreover, you can consider it for long-term and permanent usage of acrylic paint fabric. It is best when it comes to knowing about the durability features.

Delta Ceramcoat Acrylic Paint Textile Medium

Another best and ideal paint medium is the Delta Acrylic Textile Medium which is durable and less costly. When you want a permanent and fade-free paint design, using this medium could be even better than you thought. Its non-toxic features are another reason that makes it considerable among hundreds of fabric medium products.

Best Fabric Paint for Acrylic Painting

After selecting the paint fabric medium and color, another important consideration is the selection of the best fabric paint. Here are some of the best fabric paints which I reviewed after testing them all:

Castle Art 3D Fabric Paint Set

It comes with a complete package of 24 paints and three brushes. Hence, you don’t need to spend extra money on the brushes. Both the brushes and paints are available with a money-back guarantee. These paints can offer 3D and realistic art with little effort. Whether you want to start your child’s journey in acrylic paint or if you are a professional and want to use paint as your career, this is always an excellent choice. It is also considered the best paint for canvas.

Arteza Permanent Fabric Paint

This paint comes in 24 different color shades and has excellent features, including durability. However, it does not contain brushes and other necessary items. It offers to paint a design on different fabrics and other materials with varying shades of color. The best thing about this paint is that it dries up quickly, saving you money that you may spend using different dryers. It is best to paint for jeans.

Can Acrylic Paint Be Used On Fabric- Frequently Asked Questions

Although it’s not recommended to use any other alternative as a fabric medium, you can use a homemade medium if you don’t have a medium or are unable to find it. It could be vinegar with some other solvents, including glycerin and water. Then mix vinegar with glycerin and water in equal proportions. This process as an alternative for the medium is similar to many other paint types used on fabrics.

Don’t try to use acrylic paint on the fabrics without adding medium. However, you can use an alternative like a vinegar mixture with a solvent. On the other hand, using sandpaper for scrubbing the fabric before applying the paint is also useful. The reason is that without a medium color can create peals and crevices on cloth by fading up quickly.

Yes, it’s good to wash the fabric before applying the acrylic paint. Washing the cloth does not only clean it but is also useful for the colour to stay for a long time without affecting the quality. However, some points are necessary to keep in mind. These are the following:

Make sure that the fabric is dried fully
The material should not have shrinking or stretch effects; instead, it should be smooth and soft
After drying up the material, ironing it can offer good results

Yes, you can use heat to dry the acrylic paint. However, make sure firstly the paint is air-dried for 24 hours after completing the painting process. You can use an iron or a hairdryer for this purpose.

Yes, it’s washable but only in its liquid or wet stage. Once, it’s fully dried, it becomes very tough to wash. If you ask a question does acrylic paint wash off, the answer is same.

Wrapping Up- Can You Use Acrylic Paint on Fabric

Hence, it’s clear that you use acrylic paint on the fabric. However, there are some steps to follow and tips to make the painting color useful for a long time. Moreover, using a fabric medium is helpful to make the paint soft.

In the end, make sure to seal the acrylic paint at the right time to avoid any hurdles when any solid or liquid material is touched by the painting design.

Finally, I highly recommend following the tips for making your paint design useful for a long time. For more information and advice on acrylic paint, keep reading our latest blogs.