Upcycling Tutorial: Clothes Printing

Learn how to revamp your clothes with your own designs and stencils, with Krizia Robustella

Transforming used clothes into something new and original ranks high on online do it yourself wish lists. There are many techniques that allow us to give new life to a t-shirt, a pair of trousers or any other worn out piece of clothing. Few, however, are as fun as using a stencil and spray paint.

Create drawings that will decorate your clothes, transform them into templates, and add different colors and textures through simple exercises that will lead to extremely varied results. Krizia Robustella (@kriziarobustella), a fashion designer with her own brand based in Barcelona, shows us how in the video below:

4 steps to upcycle and print your clothes with stencils and spray paint

1. Draw a pencil outline

It is not necessary to fill in your drawing because you are going to turn it into a stencil–basically, a frame for negative painting: the spray paint will fill all the gaps inside the drawing. You can use a acetate to make the stencil template as it is a sturdy, transparent material that will allow you to see the garment while applying the paint.

2. Prime your garment

If you want to apply the stencil drawing directly over the original color of the garment, it is not necessary to prime it. But, if you want to change the color of the piece, this is the time.

Cover your work table with cardboard or cloth to avoid staining the surfaces, especially if you do not have much experience with spray paint.

Remember to always spray vertical. If you try to do so horizontally, the nozzle may collapse, and the paint will not come out. Or, even worse: uncontrolled jets could end up staining the garment.

For a uniform effect, use a standard spray nozzle. On the other hand, there is a specific nozzle for degradé, which allows you to splash the paint (as in the second photo below).

If there are folds in the clothes, some parts will be left unpainted, which can be a defect or an asset, depending on the result you are looking for.

3. Position the templates

After finishing the base paint, let the garment dry for a few minutes before positioning the templates and starting the printing phase.

Make sure that the stencil is secured to the fabric to achieve the exact look that you had planned when creating it. If not, the paint could seep under the stencil and stain the garment.

4. Use different colors and nozzles for a gradient effect

The distance between the spray and the garment will determine the strength of the color. The same goes for how long you spray. Plan what effect you are looking for and use the normal nozzle for a more homogeneous color. If you only want to create softer hue, move the spray can away from the garment as much as possible.

Did you like this tutorial? Remember that you can learn how to customise and personalise any garment, giving it your own style, on Krizia Robustella's online course Upcycling: Creating a Fashion Collection.

You may also like:

- Embroidery: Clothing Repair, a course by Ofelia & Antelmo
- Fashion Design: Painting and Embroidering Garments, a course by Ana María Restrepo
- Upcycling with Embroidery, a course by Kseniia Guseva