Permission to Paint on a Canvas Bag

This month I'm introducing you to experiment with something a little different--painting on a plain canvas bag. If you've ever wanted to personalize a tote bag with your own creativity, I suggest you give it a try! Not only do you get to create something beautiful, but you also end up with a practical item or even a gift for someone special.

Here is the process I used:

There are different sized bags as well as different colors. Since this was my first time doing this, I chose a smaller bag ( 12" x12") but there are even smaller sizes. I also chose to begin with the traditional plain off white color. I did not wash the bag first, I just ironed it to reduce wrinkles. I ordered my bags from Amazon (in bulk because I'm doing this with a group). They have so far arrived packaged to keep them flat.

For a design, I chose something simple. I found a pdf of a butterfly online and printed it out. I put the printed design inside the bag and traced it on the bag using my light box. If you don't have one of those, just use a window: hold your bag on the window with your design inside the bag and you will be able to see it and trace it. Another option is you can just draw something freehand on your bag. I suggest using pencil to do this in case you need to erase. Once your design is on the bag, you can go over your pencil lines with a black fabric marker.

Next is apply color to your design. I tried a couple different things: First was plain acrylic paint. This is ok to do, but it does stiffen the bag when it dries. If you don't mind that, you can absolutely use just acrylic paint. Next I tried fabric paint. This works, but it can be pricey and honestly I didn't like the texture of it. It didn't flow on the fabric the way I wanted it to. Plus you have to buy a lot of these to get more than just basic colors, which as I mentioned can get pricey. Lastly, I bought fabric medium (on line) and mixed it with my regular acrylic paint, which of course I have many colors. I liked this best, because it's not only cost friendly, but it helped my acrylic paint become very fabric friendly, meaning it soaked through the fabric and flowed nicely on it. Once dried, it was slightly stiff but way better than just regular acrylic paint. I used small condiment cups (with lids) to mix and keep this mixture in. Worked great.

Something to know is, before painting, place a piece of cardboard or acetate inside your bag to prevent the paint from soaking through to the other side of the bag. Once you are done painting, just remove it. Also, to set the paint into the bag, use a heat gun to gently heat over the design when you are finished. You could probably use a hair dryer as well.

At this point I need to mention fabric markers. I bought an inexpensive set on line and a more expensive set at Hobby Lobby. My online markers had two ends: fine point and brush. There are many colors to use and they work well, but the colors are no where near as bright as using paint. So I used these markers only for small detail work on top of the paint after it dried, but even then I painted over it with paint. The paint made the colors pop. The Hobby Lobby markers were thicker and when I made a mark on the bag the ink spread out too much. I did not like those at all. That being said, there may be other markers out there that work a lot better, but their price will reflect that. In my opinion, markers would be a good option for children to do this project.

Once you are done with your masterpiece, be sure and follow the cleaning instructions that are given with your bag. Most times it's handwashing in cold water. Or just spot clean it when needed. I do not suggest washing your bag first, even if it says to do so, because when I did this the bag balled up and got so wrinkly I couldn't use it. An expensive bag might behave differently.

I hope sharing my experience with tote painting with you has sparked your interest to try it! It's a fun way to combine creativity with something useful. And a custom bag can make a thoughtful gift. As always, give yourself permission to experiment, create, and enjoy the process!

Happy painting!

From my easel to yours,

Vicky