How To: Splatter Paint A Shirt

For gymnastics I always make shirts. My team mates and I have designed many shirts for our competitions. We usually use AC Moore t-shirts and puffy paint to decorate them. We have written on the shirts and drawn on them, but my favorite thing to do it paint splatter them. I have made two t-shirts and a banner with paint splattering and it was always really fun to do! Many people have commented that they like the paint splattered shirts so I thought I would make a "How To" for it. This way anybody who wants to paint splatter a shirt or any piece of clothing they can!

How To Splatter Paint A T-Shirt:

1. Get a plain shirt, whatever color you want.

2. Get little bottles of paint, in whatever colors you want or think would look good. I suggest getting all the colors and making a rainbow. I also like getting bright colors like lime green and hot pink because they stand out very well. Another fun thing to add to the shirt is glitter paint!

3. Lay the shirt out on the ground with a piece of cardboard in it, separating the front and back.

Now, depending on what you are doing I have made two separate directions. If you want to only splatter paint a small area of the shirt follow the "Small Area" directions. And if you want to splatter paint a larger area or just the whole shirt follow the "Large Area" directions.

Small Area:

4a. Then put a dollop of paint on a paper plate. Take a paint brush or popsicle stick and dip it in the paint. 

5a. Take your finger and flick the paint off the brush onto the shirt.

(Continue to Step 7)

Large Area:

4b. Open the bottle of paint and squirt a  little out onto a paper plate just to make sure there is an even flow coming out of the tube. (no air bubbles) 

5b. Take a step, about a foot back from the shirt.

6b. Squeeze the paint out and swing your arm towards the shirt at the same time. This motion is like throwing a ball at the shirt. (but do not let go of the bottle) A spray or splatter across the shirt should come out.

7. Continue flicking paint until you are satisfied with the look. You can switch colors at any  time so the shirt is to your liking.

8. When done one side let the paint dry for a the recommended time on the paint bottle or until completely dry. The paint may take longer to dry then recommended because of the overlapping paints. 

9. Then flip the shirt over and repeat steps (4a-5a), or (4b-6b).

10. Let the paint completely dry again.

11. When done wash right side out the first couple times, then wash inside out from then on. It may be stick together but that is fine, gently pull the stuck sections apart and no ruining of the shirt should happen.

I hope these directions will help anybody who wants to splatter paint a shirt!