Spotlight Terri Shinn, Textile Artist
Asking "what if" inspires Terri Shinn to experiment with texture and color to achieve her vision of the world, often from a macro perspective. She gets close to her subjects...
Surface Design
Surface design adds layers of interest to your art with painting on fabric, fabric manipulation, textile dyes and more. Acrylic paint is fabric-friendly, so easy to use and widely available. If you prefer, you can use fabric dyes, pens and markers in your designs with resists, stencils and stamps. For more options, try fabric manipulation techniques – they create sculptural effects, bringing depth and dimension to your art.
Browse through our projects and inspiration that feature surface design.
Surface Design Inspiration
Spotlight: Jane Dunnewold, Artist, Author, Educator
Creating is vital to the person who is Jane Dunnewold. When not experimenting with surface design techniques and materials and making textile art, she teaches others to find their creative...
Spotlight: Francesca Penchant, Multidisciplinary Artist
A multidisciplinary artist, Francesca Penchant stretches the boundaries of visual art by embracing and celebrating differences. Whether working in surface design, wearable art, photography or film, she finds joy in...
Eco Printing and Dyeing on Textiles
More Eco Printing and Dyeing Inspiration
Spotlight: Lotta Helleberg, Fiber Artist
Combining the essence of the flora that surrounds her Virginia home with her Scandinavian esthetic, Lotta Helleberg uses botanical contact printing (AKA eco-printing) as a foundation for her fiber art....
Spotlight: Chris McLaughlin, Fiber Artist and Flower Farmer
As a suburban child, Chris McLaughlin knew she was always a farmer at heart. Now she lives her dream raising animals for fiber and flowers for bouquets and botanical dyes. As...
Spotlight: Tatiana Sarasa, Visual Artist
Tatiana Sarasa's art connects her with the earth. That connection gives her so much satisfaction that she promotes the connection through her own work and by providing a collaborative workspace...
More Surface Design
Spotlight: Barbara Matthews, Fiber Artist
Balancing the precision of laser cutting with the serendipity of silk dyeing, fiber artist Barbara Matthews engages both left and right brain when creating her art. By adhering silk to…
Spotlight: Deb Taylor, Eco Artist
Even though she does not have a lot of traditional art supplies nearby, Deb Taylor finds a way to create. Always taking inspiration from her environment, whether a remote Mexican…
Spotlight: Deborah Weir, Fiber Artist
Without formal art training - but with an innate need to create, Deborah Weir's fiber art career was sparked when she saw textiles displayed as fine art in the 1970s.…
Spotlight: Lotta Helleberg, Fiber Artist
Combining the essence of the flora that surrounds her Virginia home with her Scandinavian esthetic, Lotta Helleberg uses botanical contact printing (AKA eco-printing) as a foundation for her fiber art.…
Spotlight: Mary Vaneecke, Fiber Artist
Mary Vaneecke is a fiber artist with a passion for social issues and making a difference with her work. From small art quilts to curating a huge installation of 23,000…
Art Cloth Network: Celebrating 20 Years
ART CLOTH is cloth TRANSFORMED by adding or subtracting color, line, shape, texture, value, or fiber to CREATE a compelling surface. This is the Art Cloth Network's definition. Art Cloth Network…
How to Stamp on Fabric
Make your own fabric designs by using a stamp on fabric with textile paints. You can use any type of stamp -- either purchased or one you make yourself. Here…
Spotlight: Bianca Spizzirri, Fiber Artist
Bianca Spizzirri designs block-printed fabric providing earth-friendly materials that inspire quilters, crafters and sewists to make their own creations. Using repurposed fabric and her original printing blocks, she transforms trash…