“I’m so excited to introduce you to Olivia, the author of today’s guest post about painted jeans! Olivia is a high school senior (heading to Northeastern next year – go huskies!!) who is currently assisting me in revitalizing leighaali.com, as well as writing some of her own content! Olivia is creative and DIY savvy, and I think you’ll absolutely LOVE her DIY painted denim concept!” – Leigha
By Olivia Smith
Do you have an old pair of jeans that you don’t wear much anymore? Last summer, I took my old jeans and I revamped them by painting designs on them. Taking inspiration from Emma Chamberlain’s painting on jeans video, I created a pair of jeans that I love and wear all the time! Now, I create and sell painted jeans for my friends and family and want to give you my favorite tips and tricks!
In order to make the painted jeans you’re going to need:
- An old (or new) pair of jeans (the lighter the wash the better!)
- Arteza Permanent Fabric Paint (however many colors you want but must have white)
- Paint brushes
- Paper plates
- Ironing board
- An iron
This design is beginner-friendly, so no matter your skill level it’s easy to do!
Preparation:
To make sure that the jeans are in the best shape for painting, I throw them in the wash with cold water. This ensures that all debris or lint is washed away. This helps the paint to stick better to the jeans and to have a smoother finish. I also recommend laying out all your materials beforehand, as it’s easier to have everything just an arm’s length away. I use a tablecloth (preferably plastic) to make sure no paint gets on the table. Another step of the prep process is to plan out your design. Personally, I use a free App called YouDoodle which allows you to insert a photo background and draw over the top it. I always use this before I start painting my designs so the painting process can be as stress-free as possible. Before I start, I also like to turn on my favorite show! Over the summer while painting I watched Bridgerton, now I like How I Met Your Mother! When all the paint is put on the paper plate and the jeans are laid out on the table, you are ready to start!
Painting:
In my opinion, it’s better to use light to medium wash jeans to paint on. The colors will show up better. However, no matter the wash, I ALWAYS use white Arteza paint as a base. This will really help the colors pop. Some of the colors from Arteza require more than one coat and are thinner, so having a white base for no matter what color you use is something I recommend. After having that white base down, I go in with one coat of paint. After letting it dry for a few minutes (Arteza paints dry very quickly) I go in with a second coat. Repeat however many coats you would like until the color is vibrant. Keep doing those steps for each color you paint.
Heat Sealing:
Although I don’t always do this step since Arteza paints are permanent, it can be an additional step to ensure the paint does not come off the jeans in the wash. Heat sealing is a process of going over the paint using an iron. I place the jeans on the ironing board and iron for about 15 seconds at a time and I do that twice on top of the paint, and also on the inside of the pant leg by turning the jeans inside out. The paint should soften into the jeans and should be a little more flexible.
Spotify Barcode:
Last summer a huge trend was to copy the Spotify barcode of your favorite song, album, or playlist onto a plastic plaque along with a picture so you can scan that barcode and have it take you to that song/album/playlist. I’ve been experimenting with this same idea but only painted jeans. I think that being able to scan your favorite summer playlist on your jeans is such a cool idea and it’s been working great!
In order to do this, go to your favorite song/album/playlist and hit the symbol with three dots. Underneath the picture, you will see a bunch of lines next to a Spotify logo. That is the barcode. I’ve found that printing it out in the size you want it on the jeans and free handing the barcode beneath it in pencil gives a great plan on how you will paint it on the jeans. Before I paint the barcode on the jeans, I use this Sharpie Paint Marker in white to freehand the barcode onto the jeans. After that, I paint over it with the Arteza Paint. No matter what size your barcode is on the jeans, you should still be able to scan it! I love this idea because it adds a personal flair to the jeans and your friends can scan to listen to your favorite song/album/playlist!
And with that whole process, you should have the finished product! I love wearing these jeans out and I get so many compliments from others who see them! If you want to check out more of my designs and painted jeans examples you can follow me @livsmithcloset on Instagram and on Depop @livsmith555.
Love DIY projects? Check out these beaded bracelets. They make the perfect summer stack!
Grab all the supplies you’ll need here:
If you take a stab at painting your own jeans, tag us in your photos @leighagardner & @livsmithcloset. We’d love to see them and share!
Great post! Such a cool idea!