Bleach Art Tutorial :D

Hello everyone! For this week's blog post, we were tasked with creating an art tutorial to share with the class! As soon as I found out that this was one of our assignments, there were so many ideas that came to mind. Naturally, I wanted to do a tutorial for an art project related to fashion but I wasn't sure what medium I was going to use. So, I scrolled through Pinterest to find some ideas and I landed on bleach painting. Bleach painting is essentially the process of using bleach to remove color from fabric in a controlled way to create a design, rather than adding color on top with paint. I chose this medium because I wanted to incorporate art into wearable fashion. I also chose this medium because it is a great way to upcycle old clothing and personalize thrifted or plain clothing. Here is some inspiration if you are unsure what to paint. 

*THE DESIGNS ABOVE ARE NOT MINE AND ARE PICTURES I FOUND ON PINTEREST*

What we will be making:

Materials you will need:

-Water

-Bleach

-Hydrogen Peroxide

-Disposable Gloves

-4 Disposable Cups 

-A 100% Cotton Shirt (dark colors work best)

-Masking Tape

-Marker

-White Colored Pencil or Fabric Chalk

-Paint Brushes or Bleach Pens

-A Big Piece of Foam Board or Cardboard

Step 1: First and foremost, sketch and plan out the design you will want to paint on your shirt!

Step 2: Place the piece of foam board or cardboard inside the shirt you will be painting and draw your sketch onto the shirt using a white colored pencil or fabric chalk.

Step 3: Next, cut 4 pieces of masking tape and label them as follows: 1:1, 1:3, 1:6, and 1:10. These will be the bleach to water ratios we will be using to achieve different tones when painting. The more bleach you pour in each cup, the lighter the tone on your shirt will be and the less bleach you pour into each cup, the darker the tone on your shirt will be.

Step 4: Pour the proper bleach to water ratio into each of your 4 cups according to the size of the cups.

Step 5: Now, we can begin painting! As I said, bleach painting is very similar to acrylic painting, so you are more than welcome to use the techniques we have used in class. To better understand how to layer smooth gradients and add depth to your shirt however, please watch this YouTube video which does a great job at explaining how to layer bleach to achieve your desired gradients. You can also use stencils or stamps (wink wink) and a spray bottle to add fun shapes to your design. :)

Step 6: After you have finished painting on the design onto your shirt, let the bleach set for 10-30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes until your design reaches the desired shade

Step 7: To stop the bleach from damaging the fabric over time, soak the shirt in a mixture of 1 part hydrogen peroxide and 10 parts water for 10-15 minutes.

Step 8: Rinse the shirt thoroughly in cold water and wash seperately, then hang dry.

After washing and hang drying your shirt, you now have your very own customized shirt adorned with your art!

IMPORTANT TIPS AND SAFETY:

-Use bleach in a well-ventilated area and always wear disposable gloves when painting to avoid chemical burns on your skin!!!

-If using a spray bottle for your design, use a fine mist setting and spray atleast 6 inches away from the shirt.

-Don't leave the bleach on for too long before soaking in the hydrogen peroxide mixture as it can damage the fibers of your shirt.

-NEVER apply pure bleach onto your shirt as this can permanently discolor an severly damage the fabric.

-Only apply thin layers of bleach and wait for it to dry to apply more until you have reached your desired tone. For example: