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
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: Kathy Engholm, Glass Artist
Kathy works in fused glass using her own glass-on-glass screenprinting method. Each piece begins with her original photograph to produce each screen.
Spotlight: Anna Swan of Demi + Olive Handmade
Demi + Olive highlights my passion for making kids' rooms extra special. I make personalized collages, hand-crafted décor and crafts.
Spotlight: Paule and Michael of Beyond Her
Everyday objects can and should be beautiful. All my products are high quality and built for easy care. That’s how I found my tag line, Art for Every Day.
How to Stencil on Fabric with Freezer Paper
Let your dog be part of the Fourth of July festivities with a flag-inspired kerchief. Bones were stenciled with paintsticks. Red and white stripes were pieced.
The Art of Covered Buttons
Create covered buttons with wool, silk, cotton, linen. With the right tools, your buttons can showcase beads, textile paints, dyes and decorative thread.
How to Decorate a Notebook
Personalized journals make great gifts for people who love to jot down their thoughts and ideas. These are easy to make with fused fabric and composition books.