The Toothpaste Batik Shirt

So if you've read this blog for a while, you've probably seen a post or two or three about the fabulous (and easy and terrific-smelling) technique I call 'toothpaste batik'.  After using the process with students, I discovered I enjoyed the technique so much, I've been using it myself.

I had this white shirt (above) that I bought a few years back, on a sale rack.  I loved the idea of a nice white top, and I liked its shape, but I barely ever wore it.   It was just SO white.  The cuffs got dirty the minute I used a pencil for anything, and I was always leaning against something painty or dirty.  I couldn't keep it clean, so it was not practical at all.  And if I put it on with a pair of black pants, I felt like I looked like a waiter or or  hostess or something, with the black slacks and crisp white blouse with a pin-tuck bib area.  So it hung in my closet almost completely unworn.  Until a couple of weeks ago, when I had an inspiration.  Here's a pic of me in the shirt, maybe 4 years ago. 

I washed it out to remove any fabric softener, and then stuffed the insides with cardboard.  I mixed up a batch of toothpaste resist, which is basically a 50/50 mix of a white toothpaste and an aloe vera lotion, in a squeeze bottle.  Actually, I presume any creamy lotion would work just fine with the toothpaste.  I do not measure for accuracy; hey, when you are using silly materials like toothpaste and hand cream to make art, somehow it doesn't seem to matter exactly what the proportions are!

 Then, I used the resist and drew a bunch of spirals, paisleys, leaves, wavy lines, and all sorts of doodle lines on the front and sleeves of the shirt.  You can see what it looks like with the resist on it, above.  The resist has to dry overnight before painting.  It will feel a little sticky/rubbery when dry. 

 I searched for fabric paints that would be soft, and I found Dye-na-Flow (above) at Jo-Ann Fabrics with a 50% off coupon.  They sold them in a set of basic colors, which are mixable, but I think I'd like to find them sold individually and in bigger bottles.  I ran out of yellow and white and needed to buy another whole set just to have enough yellow to finish the project!  (Good thing I had another coupon!)

These paints are really terrific - they are very fluid, totally mixable, and water-soluble, and vivid.  Above is what my shirt looked like in progress.  It was challenging getting into the gathers and pleats, and all the details of the sleeves. 

When I finished the front, and then the sleeves, I was tired of the whole project, and wanted to use my work table for other things.  So I decided not to do toothpaste on the back, but instead to just jam it full with color.  Here's the finished back.

By the way, when the paints are wet, you can add salt for really cool effects, just like you can with watercolors. I used salt here and there all over the shirt.  Below is a detail of salt effect.

When the back was complete, I let the whole project sit for another day to set.  

Then, I heat-set it with an iron and rinsed out the toothpaste resist.  I finished it with a gentle washing.  And here's what it looks like now.  (You can compare to see how much it faded):

And here's a couple more views of the finished shirt:

 

 If you will be in NOLA for the NAEA convention, perhaps you'll see me wearing it there!

 

By the way, if you want to see what my students have done with the toothpaste batik process, there are several posts on the blog for you to see.  Either use the labels at the bottom of the blog and click on 'toothpaste batik' or use the search bar on the right, and type in 'toothpaste batik'.  There's lots to find both ways.  And if you are reading the blog on a phone and can't figure out how to do this search, you'll need to click where it says 'view in browser' (on an iPhone it will say 'view in Safari').  Then you will see the complete blog, not just the posts!  If I've confused you, and you have no idea what I'm talking about, come to the elementary blogging carousel on Friday at the NAEA convention, and I'll be explaining it to you then!

A couple more quick points - this is the same process you  may have seen elsewhere using Elmer's blue (washable) glue.  I have tried using the glue as a resist, and found it very difficult to wash out.  I definitely prefer the toothpaste mix.  You may test and discover that some hair gels will also perform similarly as a resist, but they don't flow as nicely out of a squeeze bottle.  The magic of the toothpaste/lotion mix is the ease.  I love authentic batik, but really, this is so much simpler and safer than dealing with melting hot wax, fumes, and then having to iron all the wax out when complete.  For now, I'm a toothpaste batik addict, and I'm thinking about maybe finding a silky scarf for my next project.