Painted Butterflies

I've been in a painting mood lately. Years ago, I painted almost every day, so much that when I awoke, I'd just dress in old paint clothes. Because if I didn't, I'd end up getting paint on whatever I was wearing because I'd sneak in some painting that day even if I hadn't planned on doing it.

I kind of like wearing real clothes now, I guess I didn't even realize what a slob I looked like all the time, in my ratty old clothes. Even worse, I had a bad habit of wiping my brush on myself, and the clothes would get such a heavy build up of paint, they were stiff.  

Which is how I discovered that paint is permanent on tee shirts, and I started painting shirts to sell in the 80s. One year, I sold over 1,000 hand painted shirts.

Painting rarely happens around here any more, but when I get in the groove, I go with it.  I've had the big, Downton banner to paint for Kim, and since I was decked out in paint clothes, I kept thinking of other things I'd like to set my brushes to.

There were a couple of new babies I wanted to gift with some painted onesies, but I didn't care for the bright white of the shirts, so I hand dyed them first.  I liked the mottled color that I got from wadding up the shirts before dipping in the dye. I used Rit, wet the shirts, dipped in one color, rinsed, wadded it up and dipped it in another color.  I know this isn't the way you are supposed to dye, but it works for me.

After they dried, I slipped a piece of cardboard inside to stretch them flat to make a good painting surface and to keep the color from soaking through to the back of the shirt.  

The onesies were so much fun, I started looking around for another shirt to add a butterfly to, and found a plain, stained one of Sugarwings', and put the butterfly right over the stain.  

When my boys were little, I used to paint their tee shirts. Here is a photo of them in their matching ET shirts.  I'd have portraits of the kids eating ice cream with Big Bird, or flying with Superman,  or just pictures of thier favorite things.  

  I've painted very few for Sugarwings and Dewdrop, though.   Sugarwings liked it so much, I really should do some more.  

Nowadays, I tend to paint more with photo editing.  Here is a picture I "painted" with Picmonkey, from Easter, the original is in this post.

I've turned the egg Sugarwings found into a magical orb. And I wish my backyard really did look like this fairy land! Of course, the little girl is beautiful in any circumstance.

Little Dewdrop saw the picture of her sis with pink hair and wanted to know where her pink hair was.  So, of course, I had to tint another one just for her.