debcavan

Shiva Oil sticks are very expensive and do a great job. They work well on dark colors. But I have been playing with pastel oil sticks. They are smaller and you can get like 60 colors for under $10. They were $7 the last time I bought them. You can even get a small set at Walmart. I found mine at Hobby Lobby. They are in Art supply departments. They work best on lighter fabrics not dark and are not glittery.

You can stencil with them or paint directly with them. Let them dry overnight and then set them with a hot iron. Cover the painting with something, don't iron directly on them so that there is not possibility of getting a dirty iron. Like any type of stain or paint, they actually should cure before washing. The heat setting helps but time to cure is the best way to ensure washability.

They are great to use on landscape quilts or to help change color of fabric on an applique.

Sewflower

Thanks for the information. Always looking to save.

Lori S

I can see using them for a wallhanging ... Have you ever washed a quilted item that you had used them on .. just curious as to how they would hold up?

ghostrider

Oil sticks are oil paint in solid form. The same basic pigments and drying oils that are used in the formulation of tube paint are combined with wax and rolled into a crayon. They cure and dry permanently on fabric, just as they do on canvas (which is just another type of fabric after all). Cure for several days to a week before you heat set them for the best results. (Do not heat set before curing and do not skip the curing step.)

Oil pastels are very similar to oil sticks but with one critical difference: the oil used in formulating oil pastels is generally a non-drying oil. Like pastels, they never dry permanently and will attract and retain dust and grime because of the slightly tacky surface. It's the reason pastel art work is always covered with glass while oils are not. Heat setting will not change this fact.

Shiva oil sticks have the highest pigmament concentration and that is why they are the most preferred for use with fabrics. It is also why they are at the higher end cost wise. There are several other brands available and student grades of many, including Shiva. Student grades use less pigment which reduces the cost to make them and therefore the price. If cost is a concern, it would be wiser to go with a lower grade oil stick than to use an oil pastel for work on fabric.

ETA: One other note, because oil pastels are made with non-drying oil, they may continue to permeate fabric just as they do when used on paper. Fixatives are used on papers, but you wouldn't want to use them on fabrics.

sewbeadit

This was really informative to me, I have been thinking of buying the Shiva sticks and I can see why I should now, thanks so much.

phusker5

Thanks for the info. I've wanted to try painting on fabric but didn't know where to start - it sounds like Shiva Oil Stick paints are the place to start.

jaciqltznok

Shiva painsticks are not referred to as OIL sticks!
You can go the cedarcanyon site and learn all about them. They are so worth the investment!

http://cedarcanyontextiles.com/learning-center/

NOTE** using these paintsticks is NOT the same as fabric painting!
There are other products used in the actual painting on fabric techniques. These are more suited to stenciling, rubbings and free hand creative work.

ghostrider

While Cedar Canyon (who is not the manufacturer of Shiva Paintstiks) may not refer to them as oil sticks, that is how they are classified by art supply stores and how they were developed in the 1960's...as an alternative form of oil paints for artists. They blend with tube oils and can be thinned/cleaned up with turp just like any other oil paint. They are oil color, the same as tube oils...and that's a direct quote from the maker.

For an independent article on Paintstiks and fabric
http://www.lauramurraydesigns.com/paint-chem.php

For product details from the manufacturer
http://www.richesonart.com/pdfs/shivapaintstiks.pdf

For an excellent art supply retailer with great prices (also has a video)
http://www.dickblick.com/products/sh...ntstik-colors/

sandyms

Yes, please let us know if they hold up to washing.

arizonagirl

Thank you Deb, Ghostrider, and Jacquie for such wonderful information. I have been thinking of doing fabric painting, dyeing and such and I have booked marked this page for future use.