Paint a Graphic Silk Scarf with Pebeo

Try your hand at silk painting and create your own unique silk scarf with Pebeo Setasilk!

Pebeo Setasilk Fabric Paints can be used on all types of silk. The very fluid water-based paint does not alter the feel of the fabric. This is particularly useful when wanting to decorate more delicate fabrics like silk. Instead, it absorbs into the fabric fibres rather than sitting on the surface like some other paints can. Pebeo Setasilk Fabric Paints can be intermixed to create an extensive colour palette and are a fun quick way to decorative silk fabrics.

What you will need

A square of virgin silk
A piece of sturdy cardboard the same size as your silk square
Pebeo Setasilk Fabric Paint in colours of your choice (we used Turquoise, Tangerine and Gitane Blue)
Pebeo Setasilk Gutta (optional)
Paint Brushes (choose a few different shapes or sizes depending on your design)

How to do it

Step One:

Sketch out the design for your silk scarf onto the cardboard.

Step Two:

Secure the square of silk on top of the cardboard so your design is visible through the silk.

Step Three:

Start tracing over your design with the Setasilk paint colour of your choice, starting with the larger areas of colour. Tip: For abstract painting effects where colours can blend into one another, you can apply using the pipette (built into the screw top lid).

Step Four:

Switch to a smaller brush to trace over the finer details of your design. Tip: For more controlled areas of colour or creating defined outlines, use in conjunction with Pebeo Setasilk Gutta which creates a barrier between colours where applied.

Step Five:

Once dry, heat set for 3-4 minutes on the reverse side of the fabric with a hot iron on the silk setting. This will “fix” the paint resulting in it being permanent. You can place your decorated silk fabric in between some cotton fabric or baking parchment to protect your fabric. After heat setting leave for 48 hours, your fabric can then be handwashed or dry cleaned.