Some months ago I finally got around to doing a piece I'd been planning for some time - painting a
denim jacket for myself, featuring one of my dogs, Danni, going over an agility jump. It was done primarily using an airbrush, and I was pleased with how it turned out and started thinking about what other pieces of clothing I could paint. With this summer being so hot I decided to paint another agility design on a light comfy tank top that would be perfect to wear at the hot summer trials. Since Danni had already been the subject of the denim jacket painting, it was her daughter Frankie's turn to be immortalized in paint. The photo reference for this piece was a shot taken by photographer Wendy Beard of
Muddypawz Photography at a local agility trial, of Frankie going through a tire jump. Wanting Frankie to really stand out and wanting the design to remain light and loose, I opted to not include any part of the agility obstacle itself, but instead left the space blank where the tire had been, which provided a perfect spot to include Frankie's name.
Painting on a white shirt is much easier than the denim, because it takes many more layers of paint to cover the darker denim base (especially when trying to paint white fur!) Since this was a cotton t-shirt which of course is not going to be anywhere near as durable as denim, the design was intentionally kept looser and quick so I wouldn't spend so many hours on it that I would fear wearing it and getting it ripped or stained! Again like the jacket this was painted primarily using an airbrush. Clothing items are painted with my regular acrylics mixed with airbrush medium, with a base coat and top coat of fabric medium that is heat set to increase permanence and launderability. Basic washing instructions are similar to any somewhat delicate item - turn inside out, hand or machine wash in cold water, and hang to dry. Commission inquiries for shirts, jackets, or other fabric items are most welcome.
