Leather is a natural medium for painted projects. Many types of art can be produced with leather. Whether you're making Vejigante masks, Native American crafts or simply painting flowers, leather is an organic option that can beautify almost any project. When painting leather with oil paint, there are certain steps that must be followed to ensure that the paint adheres properly.
Instructions
Tips for Painting Leather
1. Wipe the leather with alcohol or acetone in the area that will be painted. This will remove any possible protective coatings that may have been applied before the leather was placed on the market. Allow the alcohol or acetone to dry before proceeding. Always make sure to use both alcohol and acetone in a well-ventilated area, and be careful to keep them from getting onto the areas that will not be painted.
2. Rub the cleaned leather with fine-grain sandpaper. This will prepare the leather's surface by creating an uneven foundation. The oil paint adheres to leather best when it is cleaned and sanded.
3. Place a small amount of white oil paint into a small bowl. Add water and mix well with the spatula. The paint should appear slightly runny but consistently white with no areas of water showing.
4. Paint any areas that need to be bright with the white oil paint and water mixture. The white foundation color will make the top colors more brilliant when they are painted. It will also work as a primer and help the topcoat bond to the leather.
5. Allow the white base coat to dry and then paint the other surfaces in the picture. Remember that oil paints can take several days to dry completely.
Art Project: a Flower on Leather
6. Paint the flower's center area onto the leather using white paint mixed with water.
7. Add five petals around the flower's center. Space the petals out around the flower's center. The petals do not need to be centered for a realistic look. Natural flower petals are unevenly spaced.
8. Paint a curved line beneath the flower's petals at the bottom area of the flower with the white paint. Once the white paint has dried, add colors such as orange, red, purple or pink for details.
9. Add one leaf to each side of the stem line. Once the stem has dried, paint the leaves and stem a dark green. Add lighter green paint for detail work.
