Originally Posted by Mooly
Have any of you multi-talented people ever used blocks or stamps to print on cotton fabric? I have a complete book on the subject, but it has two full pages of different types and brands of inks to choose from and I'm overwhelmed.
I need the ink/paint to withstand multiple washings. It also has to be completely heat resistant for use on pot holders, etc.
For days I've searched these forums as well as the Internet. And I haven't found exactly the information I need. I don't want to just start buying stuff and experimenting. I can't afford that route. Been there, done that too many times...have the reciepts to show for it. LOL
I hope someone has gone before me on this path and can tell me what to use.
Thanks,
Mooly
Your first decision should be whether to use paints or inks. Acrylic ink is thinner and more liquid than acrylic paint, dries faster, is very highly pigmented and does not change the hand of fabric. If you mix ink with fabric medium to thicken it, the medium will not change the color of the ink, just the viscosity.
Inks are great for detail work, but if you are going to use lino or wood blocks or stamps of some kind, you will want something thicker than straight ink. Have you done any block printing on paper? Printing on fabric is just the same as on paper.
Acrylic inks and paints, either made especially for use on fabric or combined with fabric medium, are permanent and washable when heat set with a hot dry iron. The same cannot always be said for ink jet image transfers. I would not give up on going the art route if I were you.
If you are looking for specific brand names to use, it's really a personal preference for most artists. For block/stamp printing, I would start with Jacquard textile paints in the three primary colors plus black and white. The one other thing you might want to add is some colorless extender. It keeps the paint from drying quite so fast and gives you more time to work with it...something you may need as you are first starting out. Does that help you any?