Review of Simply Spray Fabric & Upholstery Paint

Simply Spray Soft Fabric & Upholstery Paint

      My friend, Stefani Girard, recently did some reviews and tutorials using the Simply Spray "Soft Fabric & Upholstery" paints on her blogs.  She had some extra paint available and gave it to me to test it and see how it worked for me.  I had six colors to work with and decided to give them a try.  The Simply Spray line is specifically created for painting on textiles.  They have smaller can for t-shirts, and offer a larger size can for larger projects like a chair or something similar.

Stef wrote a fun tutorial on one of her blogs on how to transform a plain tank top into a fun "Fourth of July" themed top.  Another posts was on how to upcycle an old purse using the upholstery paint sprays.  I have embedded the links so you can take a look at them and see some of the projects that she used the sprays on.
   Before I got started,  I asked Stef what she liked about the product and she told me it was that the fabric paint sinks into the textile, instead of just sitting on top.  So if you paint it onto a textured fabric, you will still be able to see the texture.  She also mentioned that the paint dries soft which makes it great for t-shirts and such.              
    That being said, I decided to do a few of my own tests to see how the paint performs for me.  I covered my table surface with a puppy training pad because I wanted it to soak up the over spray. I felt that if I used a plain plastic cover then the paint would stay on the surface (it is made for porous materials and not plastic) and might get unintentionally get onto my projects.
    I did a few tests on various bits paper, fabric, etc., and which came out good.  The instructions say to start away from the project and spray into it (it that makes sense....it is a sweeping motion).  If you do not do that then you will get results like the piece below.

The paint squirted and left splotches of paint in certain areas.  So unless you are trying to achieve that type of look, remember to use a sweeping motion and start off the project itself.  Now, the paint did stay

wet long enough for me to grab a brush to blend the paint out.  So if you forget and end with splotches you can fix them by working quickly.   The paint is created for 100% cotton, however, mostly everything I want to recycle is some type of blend.
      So I decided to test it on a cotton and polyester blend flower.  I sprayed the paint on.  I wanted a more textured look, so I made sure not to saturate the color onto the flower so I would have some of the old color show through. Once the flower was dry,  I added a cute button to the center of the flower for an accent.  It worked great on the polyester bits and the blended fabric parts.    I did get some paint on my hands but it washed off quite easily.

     My daughter needed a girly pirate hat for a party, so I decided to test out the spray on a straw hat to see how it would perform.  I picked up an ordinary straw hat at the local bargain store, then I lightly sanded various areas of the hat. Then I hot glued the flaps up, to hold them until I could secure the flaps in place with thread.

I purposely did not paint the hat first, because I did not want the hat to look brand new.   I knew I could achieve an easy weathered look just by spraying the paint on at various angles.

I would spray an area and let it dry.

For areas that I wanted to look a little darker blue, I just layered the paint until I achieved the color intensity that I was looking for.

I found that I did need to let it dry between coats because the hat must have had some residual coating that was keeping the paint from soaking into the straw.  By letting it dry between coats, the paint was finally able to soak into the straw.  After I finished painting the hat and had let it set for 72 hours, I added some fabric

Pirate Hat painted with the Simply Spray Fabric Paint

trim and other accents to the hat to complete the look my daughter wanted.
     Lately, I am really enjoying the fabulous altered books that my friends have made.  I thought these paints would be fun to test out on a fabric covered book and see how it performs.  So I picked a color and started to spray.  I had forgotten to clean the nozzle that last time I used the blue, so that is why you see

 the paint coming out all blotchy.  I used a paint brush to even the paint out and remove my mistake.

I liked the look of the blue paint over the mauve, and decided to paint the edges of the pages. Since they were beige, the blue should be brighter than on the mauve.
Reminder:  it is a really good idea to clean the nozzle after each use.  Also don't forget to shake the can before spraying the color or you will get a splat of color like I did below.

I used a paint brush to fix my little mistake and to spread the excess paint long the edges of the book.

I also painted a few of the pages inside of the book.

In case you were wondering, the paint will bleed through the paper to the other side.  Especially if you are heavy handed with the paint, like I am.  Since I will eventually cover that side of the page with ephemera, it really does not matter if the paint bleeds through or not.

I painted the outside corners of the cover of this book with a little bit of gold paint to create a frame.

To finish the outside of the book, I used a cute card that I picked up at Trader Joe's and glued it to the cover.  Then I added some gold tone chain to frame the card.  It still looked a bit plain, so I glued on some rhinestones, buttons, and other ephemera.  I like skulls and happen to have fun little skull charm that I could attach to the chain to finish it off.

One of the things that I like about this paint is that I can control how intense I want the color to be.  I also can control how much coverage I want.  I wanted the old title to show through on the spine of this book.  So I was very light handed with the paint on the spine. As you can, the the old title is clearly visible beneath the coat of paint.  This was important to me because title itself was stamped in gold mica and I did not want lose any of the shiny finish from the original lettering.

Overall, I really liked these paints.  They are significantly easier to use than traditional dying techniques and the clean up is quick.  The Simply Spray paint colors are nice and it does live up to its promise on quality and ease of use. There a lot of different techniques that can be used to paint items with this paint, just do a search on YouTube or Google to see what other people are doing with this great paint.  The potential for these paints is unlimited and I could easily get carried away painting various surfaces and textiles with these paints.

Pros

• I can control the intensity of the colors.
• The paint can be applied sheer enough to allow the texture of the fabric to show through.
• There was no over powering scent from the paint, like I find with some other products.
• The paint dries soft and will not leave behind that weird crusty finish that some paints do.
• The paint does not require heat setting, just allow it to cure for the required 72 hours.
• Clean up is very easy.
• The paint dries quickly.
• It is non-toxic which is important to me
• Another great product that is made in the USA

Tips:

• You need to clean the "Nozzle".  If you do not remember to clean the nozzle then you run the risk of having bits of paint dry in it and then the paint will not come out evenly.
• It is an Aerosol can and should be shook before beginning to paint.  If you don't then the paint comes out in a bit of a messy splotch.
• The instructions tell you to clean the nozzle when you are finished painting.  If you do not clean it, then any residual paint left on the nozzle will dry and block the paint from coming out.  It is easy to fix by using a wet tooth pick and some baby wipes to gently remove the paint from the nozzle.

The Simply Spray website does have a fact sheet that answers some questions on how to utilize the product to its best potential.  They suggest allowing the project to dry for 72 hours to give the paint a chance to set permanently.   Don't forget to shake the can before each use.  Also, It would be wise to cover your working surface to protect it.  I did try the paint on a hard plastic surface.  It has been a couple of weeks and the paint has still not come off.  I also tested it on concrete and had similar results.  Again, the spray can specifically says it is permanent on porous surfaces which plastic is not.  However, it is better to be safe than sorry and cover your work surfaces while you paint.



Disclaimer

A Review of the Strathmore Visual Journal

I recently attended a visual journal workshop at Catalyst in Westminster, California that featured Kari Foteff teaching multi media techniques on Strathmore's new Multi Media Visual Journals.  The class was offered by the Art Supply Warehouse and in conjunction with the fine folks at Strathmore.  

   The mixed media visual journal from Strathmore solves the problem of pages that warp under the weight of different types of media.  The medium-weight paper was specifically created for both wet and dry media applications.  Strathmore offers several papers of different weights and types of paper (Vellum Finish, Bristol, Drawing, Mixed Media, and Water Color) in these journals. 

   The manufacturer claims that folks can use water color, acrylic paint, pen, ink, pencil, crayons, charcoals, markers, collage materials, and even some of the fun texture mediums that art stores carry in these journals.  To give you a better idea of what types of mediums and materials that can be used on these pages, I have uploaded some fun examples of techniques and materials that can be used to decorate these journal pages.

Example 1: Strathmore Mixed Media journal pages painted with Airbrush.

Example 2: Pan Pastels and Stencil used on the journal pages.

Example 3: Watercolor color with pen and ink.

Example 4:  Letraset AquaMarkers water-based twin-tips..

Example 5: Golden's Acrylics and hot sticks.

Example 6: Acrylic paint and colored pencil.

Example 7: Strathmore Mixed Media Visual Journal with acrylics, mulit media and ephemera.

Example 8:  Acrylics, Gesso, Golds liquid medium and various ephemera

Example 9: Liquid Acrylic Artist Ink and calligraphy (paper was smooth enough to utilize modern calligraphy techniques effectively).

Example 10: Card stock, liquid masking medium, water color, and crayons.

Example 11: Pigment Ink Marker 

Additionally, this journal has wire binding which makes it easier to lay flat while you are working.

The workshop was a lot of fun and had a "Mardi Gras" theme.  I wanted to share with our readers some pictures from our workshop and the finished pages made by various students using the materials they had a available to decorate our journal pages.

Example A:

Example B:

Example C:

    It was fun to see how each person used the same theme and materials to create a layout that was reflective of their own style and interpretation.  

    If you are new to the mixed media visual journaling trend, it is mostly the use of different media to reflect the attitudes, values, experiences, and/or thoughts of the person journaling.  It can also include visual images and the written thoughts.   There are many ways to do visual journaling and/or multi media journaling.  A search on Google, YouTube, and other online sources can provide you with more in depth information on this art form.  You can also attend a class at a local art store or find books on the topic.  If you want to learn more and cannot find a local source, Strathmore offers a free online course that you can register for.  They have a great one called "Doodles Unleashed: Mixed Media Techniques" given by Traci Bautista that you can learn some great techniques from, she also has a new book coming out on a similar topic.

   I also found a blog called iHanna,  that has a great tutorial on how to alter a journal.

Pros

• These journals come in three sizes with a choice of several different types of papers.
• The paper is thick and can hold up well to a variety of media.
• The books are wire bound which allows for them to be opened flat while working on the pages.

Note:    The price of the books is higher than some lesser quality books, however there are great deals to be found online and at local art supply stores and I found the quality to be worth the expense.

The journal papers can buckle or warp if you do not allow the pages to dry properly before closing the book and/or storing it away.  I also recommend using pallet paper between the pages until the ephemera, glues, media have set.  It will keep the pages from getting stuck to each other. Strathmore offers these books with various types of papers,  so be sure to read the label to make sure you are getting the type of paper you want.  By picking the right paper before beginning your journaling project,  you will not have any unexpected issues or disappointments.

I would love to hear from about your favorite journaling techniques and supplies. Please leave a comment and share your tips.

Disclaimer

Disclaimer

Review of the Mepxy Brush Markers

Recycled Soda Tab Earrings colored with Mepxy Brush Markers

I really enjoyed crafting with the Mepxy Brush markers (from the U.K.) because of their versatilty, ease of use, quality, and excellent color selection.  Above is a pair of recycled soda tab earrings that I made using the markers to color the metal.

The Mepxy markers are now being sold in the United States in art stores.  The markers bring Anime artists, calligraphy artists, and crafters a new choice in alcohol ink markers.  Mepxy even has a blog dedicated to anime artists with a fun gallery and ideas for using the markers.
The set that I got is the Mepxy 12 colors basic set which includes:

• B06 Peacock Blue
• L07 Natural Green
• 006 Cadmium Orange
• V06 Iris Purple
• C05 Cyan
• M09 Magenta
• P04 Lavender
• W07 Light Mahogany
• G07 Vivid Green
• N18 Sepia
• R08 Vermilion
• Y06 Bright Yellow

and separately, I purchased:

• 00 Colorless Blending Pen
• Marker Blending Palette

I had a opportunity to test them out and here are my findings in using this product.  The colors are high pigment that makes for a very rich color.  I made a color chart so you could see how they look on ivory card stock.

The inks are also translucent which makes blending the inks very easy to accomplish.  I did a sample blending using two of the colored ink markers and the colorless blending brush.

They all worked very well together and I was quite pleased. The dots pattern on the dress was done with the colorless blender pen.

 The colorless blender pen is used to remove excess ink from the image or to blend colors.

Like the other quality alcohol ink markers in the market place, these markers come with two tips.  The marker has a fine brush tip on one side

and a wide chisel tip on the other.

Shading with these markers is pretty easy.  You can add color by going over the same area with the marker or use a darker color.  The colorless blender pens are great for lightening up areas to create more dimension in a picture.

I read on the Mepxy website that the ink is toner friendly and won't react to it nor would it remove images from it.  So I did my own test on this.  I used five colors and none of them lifted the image from the paper.

I decided to test the markers on different surfaces to see how they looked.  I started by testing them on metal soda tabs.  I used the markers to color the metal soda tabs.  These have recently become popular in recycling craft projects but are often hard to find in nice colors.  So I colored a few with the markers and as you can see some of the colors are more opaque than others.
INSERT PICTURE
I also tried the Mepxy markers on wire hooks.  I used the markers to color the wire in various colors and it worked perfectly.  This also worked well on plain metal staples.

Then I tried it out on a cut up piece of aluminum soda can that I had run through my Big Shot machine.  This also worked really well.

Note:  When working with metal, allow the ink to dry in between coats of different colors.  Also use a toothpick to hold the metal during the painting process to avoid smearing the ink while it dries.   I decided to heat set the ink to ensure that the ink would remain colorfast and permanent on the metal.

For my First Project, I decided to make some simple Soda Tab Earrings with materials I had on hand.

Next, I decided to try test them on some plain cloth flowers.  I took apart the flowers and used the yellow color to paint the center of the petals.  I let them dry for about a half hour. Then I proceeded to wet the outer surface of the petals (one at a time) with the colorless blender pen which was immediately followed by inking the surface with the orange marker.

The finished flowers looked great.  I liked the vibrancy of the colors and I think the colored flowers are much cuter than the original plain flower.

Then I decided to see how these would work on canvas that has been prepped with gesso.
      For my second project, I used the markers to make a page in my altered art journal.  First, I colored the background with the markers.  Then I stamped several designs onto the page. I  filled in the color on the skull with the Mepxy markers.  I could layer the ink without blocking out my stamped images by doing only one coat.  I quickly finished off the page by adding some simple embellishments.

Mepxy Alcohol Ink Markers used in Altered Art Journal Pages

My third project was to use the markers over various card stock to see how it would hold up.  As you can see in the photo below, it worked great on the canvas, card stock, and the various trims that I combined to make a fun wall hanging for my daughter.

      The Mepxy Alcohol Ink Brush markers worked well together with all the different elements that I tested them.  I certainly got the results that I wanted from them.  This product seems to work on so many surfaces that the possibilities for crafting use are vast.

      The Mepxy Alcohol Ink Brush markers also work great on shrink plastic, air dry clay, epoxy clay pieces, lace, assorted papers, various metals, and more.  I enjoyed the versatility of these markers and the intensity of the pigmented alcohol inks.  They are very easy to work with, however, I can not stress enough that once the ink is applied to a surface, it will dry quickly.   Make sure to plan your project with this in mind.  Personally, I love that it dries quickly because it lets me move on to the next project phase.

    The markers are also sold individually at around $10 (but I found them online for less) which makes it easy to collect the colors you like.  The sets retail for $72 to $74 but again, a google search listed them at several retailers for various prices.  These markers would be great for the art students, journaling, or crafter's.  My kids love them for doing Anime drawings because of the smooth flow of the ink and the double ended tip.

Tips:

• Immediately place tips back onto markers so they do not dry out.
• I was told by the rep to store my markers horizontal.
• Do not use with Staz On ink, because it can react to it.
• These are rich colors and will seep through cheaper quality paper, so take that into consideration when planning your projects.
• If you decide to color soda tabs with alcohol ink pens, you have to clean them and sand them to get alcohol ink to stick.  Then you need to heat set it (I use my embossing tool).  The intensity of color you get depends on the amount of ink you use and the brand of ink you use.  
• I found the ink adhered differently to different types of metal.  So I recommend you do a test first to make sure the alcohol inks will work on the metal you are planning on using.

New Disclosure: I am not affiliated with Mepxy Brush Markers, however they did provide these markers to me to do a honest review on my own blog and on the Craft Critique blog.  If you want to read the pros and cons, then go to the Craft Critique blog post and scroll down to the bottom.  The I do Craft Critique Reviews, they like us to post both the pros and cons of a product. I just do not have room to do that on my own blog posts here.

Additionally, I am an Amazon associate and will earn a few cents (literally) from your clicking on my Amazon links and make a purchase. This year was my biggest earner, I earned a total of $9 from my Amazon associate link. Every penny helps when trying to get supplies to do reviews and tutorials.   However you should know that you do not have to use my links. You can do your own Google search and find the best price for your budget.