How to Use Paint to Restyle Your Clothes

If you’ve grown tired of wearing your old clothes over and over or you don’t have enough money to replenish your closet, 5-Minute Crafts can help you give your clothes a completely new look so they look like they came right out of a store. Check your closet, choose the clothes you want to decorate, and follow these simple steps.

1. Blouse or shirt with funny buttons

What you’ll need:

• a blouse or shirt in a single color
• markers in different colors

Instructions:

1. Make small drawings around the buttonholes that relate to the color or design of the buttons on your blouse or shirt. For example, our buttons look like blue eyes, so we drew eyelashes.
2. Button up your garment to see the final result.

2. Black pants with lightning bolts

What you’ll need:

• a pair of black denim (or other thick fabric) pants
• white spray paint for canvas
• a fine brush
• white fabric paint

Instructions:

1. Press the pants over a flat surface, like a table, to flatten them. Draw a few zigzag lines on each leg using the spray paint. Wait for it to dry before continuing to the next step.
2. With the fine brush and the white paint, draw thin, irregular lines following the zigzag lines, as if they were lightning bolts. Repeat this step until the zigzag lines along the pants are complete.

3. T-shirt with a map

What you’ll need:

• a stained T-shirt
• a black marker

Instructions:

1. Use the black marker to outline the edges of the stains on your shirt. At this stage, you may need to look at an actual map or add new spots to make sure the stains look like a particular place in the world.
2. Add the name of the place you chose or one that most closely resembles the map you drew.

4. T-shirt with a zigzag-like print

What you’ll need:

• a single color t-shirt
• fabric paint in the color of your choice
• adhesive tape
• a fork

Instructions:

1. Place 2 long pieces of tape diagonally from one end of the shirt to the other. Be sure to leave enough space between the 2 pieces of tape so that you can draw in the space between them.
2. Dip your fork into the paint and press it against the t-shirt in the space between the pieces of tape. Dip the fork into the paint again and repeat this step until you have a unique design along the area marked.
3. Wait for the paint to dry and remove the tape.

5. Jacket with dark borders

What you’ll need:

• a light-colored jacket
• fabric paint (should be darker than the shade of the jacket)
• a brush

Instructions:

1. Paint the edges of the jacket along the spaces between each seam. You can apply some paint in the spaces in front by gently stroking the brush to give an irregular look, as if it was painted with pastels.
2. Trace a few striped lines to imitate the stitching on the front edges of the jacket.
3. Wait for the paint to dry really well and... enjoy your new jacket!

6. Printed skirt

What you’ll need:

• a denim (or other thick fabric) skirt
• acrylic paint
• a brush
• a black and white printed image
• a spray bottle with water
• a sponge

Instructions:

1. Paint a square or rectangle of acrylic paint on the skirt. It should be large enough to fit the image you want to print on the skirt.
2. Immediately place the printed image on the painted rectangle you made before. The front of the image should be in contact with the paint. Gently slide and press your hand over the image so that the image sticks evenly to the paint.
3. Spray some water on the printed image and gently rub a sponge over it to make the paper completely wet.
4. Carefully rub your fingers over the paper to remove it little by little. You can use the sponge to help you. You will see how the image is now printed on your skirt.

7. Colored T-shirt

What you’ll need:

• a single color t-shirt
• spray paint
• a sprayer with light-colored paint

Instructions:

1. Place the shirt on a flat surface and scrunch it up with your hands.
2. Use the spray paint to paint the wrinkled shirt. It is important that you do not straighten it yet.
3. Flatten the t-shirt and spray it completely with the lighter colored paint. You may need to dilute the paint in a little bit of water in case it does not come out fluidly from the spray bottle.
4. Wait until the paint dries... And that’s it, you have your new t-shirt!