Paint

[taimatsu]

I am attending a Greek play-reading plus Gods and Goddesses party next weekend, and for my costume I require paint, which will be applied to musln draperies. This paint has to blend nicely, one colour into the next; it has to leave the fabric reasonably flexible when dry; and it must be in containers which allow me to use a very large brush or even a roller with the paint, as I will be covering large areas. I think the first condition might rule out fabric paint, the second rules out acrylics, and the third rules out the watercolours I own. Can anyone suggest how I might achieve my aim, or tell me more about fabric paints?

Comments

[ifimust.livejournal.com]

Is there a reason you can't use dye?

[taimatsu]

I don't want to go into too much detail because I'd like the costume to be perhaps something of a surprise, if I can manage it. I'll just say that it involves quite a lot of colours in well-defined regions, with blending only at the edges, so I'd have to do some fairly involved dip-dying to get it right, and I've never dyed anything before. But I can roller on paint with no trouble. :)

If you do have a better way to do this with dye or anything else, though, I'd love to hear it.

[ifimust.livejournal.com]

I don't, really - but I remember some fairly precise tie dying mannny years ago - perhaps a web search? I just can't think how paint is going to work...?

[colours.livejournal.com]

How exciting! What play?

[taimatsu]

Custom translations of Trojan Women and Lysistrata. I have fairly significant parts in both.

[gnimmel.livejournal.com]

It's been a while since I've used fabric paints, but I remeber using them to cover bedsheets (I was making throws) quite effectively. At least some of them are water-soluble, so you can mix them with water in a big bowl and apply a brush to that (the hardest thing is finding a place to do this in, as they stain everything -- I used the bath in my college house, which was thereafter ever-so-slightly turquoise and glittery).
At the end of it all the fabric was flexible, but the more-diluted parts didn't have very intense colours. However when diluted they blend well.