I bought these white shirts with the express intention to try out permanent marker and alcohol designs. They have been sitting in stash for AGES, oh my gosh. I see a project, run out for supplies, and then it takes 3 years to get around to it, lol. Well, finally. Since we’re stuck in the house I am getting to all these things one by one. And of course, MUSHROOM!
Here’s how you do it:
use a piece of cardboard to keep the marker from getting on any fabric other than where you want the design. Sketch it out with permanent magic marker, I used sharpies.
You’ll need a high content alcohol, not the usual 70% stuff. I got it at the drug store where it’s sold as “Rubbing Alcohol Compound” and is 95%. It’s flammable! Be careful.
I put a tub inside the shirt to keep the layers apart and catch any drips.
I have pipettes, somewhere. For this I just used a skewer and dripped the alcohol over the entire design, drop by drop. My favourite part is the tiny dotted flowers in orange and yellow. Maybe I’ll add a bit of embroidery when it’s dry, I don’t know. I sort of like it just the way it is. What do you think?
That is really super cool!
You got excellent shading in the mushroom stem from a sharpie- that’s amazing to me.
I love the dreamy quality of the finished product- almost like looking through a window in a rainstorm. The filling out that happened with the grass and flowers looks fantastic- so lush and vital. Like it has been undisturbed for the whole spring and allowed to just grow wild.
Ha! We are exactly alike with new projects and supplies.
I love this technique and have never heard of it. Unfortunately (?) I only have regular vodka in the house and no source of stronger stuff. Have you tried it with lower alcohol stuff? I might have to experiment
It doesn’t work as well, sadly. I tried making alcohol inks with the guts of sharpies and regular rubbing alcohol with no luck. Wait on this one until you can get the proper supplies, drink the vodka instead!
Every time I see a mushroom project, I automatically assume it’s one of yours! I love this! I love the watercolor vibe that it has and the way the colors feather outwards. I’ve done this technique with random lines and circles, but I never would have thought to try it with a drawing. It’s just gorgeous!
I really like it the way it is, and feel that embroidery would “solidify” it too much. I love the wispiness of it!
Sharpie will fade a bit but it is a “Permanent Marker” so most of the colour stays. You can go back over any areas you’d like darker. You can also heat set the fabric by ironing once completely dry or running through a hot dryer cycle. I suppose you could also colour set by soaking in a solution of vinegar and salt.
The alcohol is a liquid so it wets the fabric thoroughly. It dries from skin & surfaces quickly but it saturates fabric. I didn’t time how long it took to dry but it did have to evaporate out of the fibers.
