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: Libby Williamson, Fiber Artist
Growing up with artists as parents, Libby Williamson explored many ways of creating, and that is reflected in her fiber art today. With complex layers of fabric, paint, dye, print,…
How to Marble Fabric and Projects to Make
Marbled fabric is easier to make than you might think as long as you have the right materials and a patient instructor. You can achieve a variety of effects when…
Spotlight: Hale Ekinci, Artist, Designer and Educator
Combining old textiles with computer technology, Hale Ekinci creates thought-provoking fiber art. Beginning with an old family photograph, Hale manipulates the image and transfers it to a repurposed household textile.…
Spotlight: Carson Converse, Artist and Designer
Beginning with arranging shapes on a felt board in preschool, Carson Converse developed a love of quilts that became her artistic passion. Add an element of risk-taking and the result…
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…
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…
Spotlight: Donna Lee Dowdney, Fabric Artist
Bringing as much meticulous attention to her work as an artist as she brought to her technical career, Donna Lee Dowdney creates nature-inspired visual art with fabric and mixed media.…
Design Challenge Art Quilts
For a number of years, I have had the privilege of gathering with a talented group of fiber artists that studied with Lorraine Torrence. The "Off Grain Stitchers" continue to…