Learn how to make this simple, colorful abstract t-shirt using acrylic paints! It’s a cute, easy, on-trend project you can do in minutes!

Brush Stroke Art seems to be all the rage right now, and today I’m putting a fun twist on this abstract art style by creating a DIY version on a t-shirt! That’s right, friends, this is wearable art that you can make yourself! Read on for the full tutorial on this easy project…

Abstract art has always been my favorite kind of art to create. Probably because you can’t really mess it up! Lately I’ve been loving the simplicity of brush stroke art. Big, bold strokes of color filling up a canvas are the kind of simple, beautiful statement I like my art to make. And the best part is that it’s pretty darn easy to DIY.

In my youth, I made a lot of painted tees, sweatshirts and tote bags. Remember those iron-on transfer designs that were popular in the 1990s? Yeah, I rocked so many of those designs back in the day!

While I still have a soft, nostalgic place in my heart for those, I am much more excited for my latest DIY fashion creation—this brush stroke art tee. It’s like the cooler older sister version of those t-shirts I made so many years ago.

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How to Make a Brush Stroke Art Tee

Materials Needed:

• Plain white tee shirt
  • I purchased mine at Target, but I found similar options here, here and here.
• DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paints
  • I used Snow White, Lamp Black, Dioxazine Purple, Brilliant Purple, and Light Orchid.
• DecoArt Fabric Painting Medium
• Paint brush (at least 1-inch or wider)
• Plastic cups

Tutorial:

1.) Wash and dry the tee shirt according to the care instructions on the tag. Prep the tee for paint by sliding a piece of cardboard (an old cereal box works great!) between the two layers of the shirt so paint won’t bleed through to the back.

2.) Grab some plastic cups and add one paint color to each cup. Then add an appropriate amount of fabric painting medium to each and mix until blended.

3.) Dip your paint brush in one color and add a brush stroke to the tee shirt. You may need to add more paint to your brush to get a nice, thick brush stroke line. Let the bottom part of the line trail off.

The tape on my shirt shows, loosely, where I wanted my brush strokes to begin and end. I put my shirt on, stood in front of a mirror, and added tape to determine where and how far down I wanted the design to go.

4.) Repeat with as many colors as you like, or until you have as many brush stroke lines across the shirt as you’d like. Allow paint to dry at least 24 hours, then heat set with an iron and wash again, according to the instructions on the fabric painting medium.

When I was planning my trip to the Wagner InSPRAYtional event (click here to read more about it!), I knew I needed to pack clothes that I wouldn’t mind getting paint on. Well, as our group joked about during the event, we couldn’t possibly pack our real painting clothes. We can’t be seen in public in those! But I thought this brush stroke art tee would be perfect. If it turned out like I was hoping it would, it’d look cool. And if not, well, I was planning to get paint on it anyway!

I think it turned out pretty cool, plus it was a hit and I managed to only get a small bit of paint on it! I call that a win-win-win!

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