Clever Crafting: 3 Types Of Paint To Use On Tote Bags

When it comes to crafting, the material makes the man. Because everyone experiences their own individual way of expressing creativity, the medium in which they work varies from person to person. Some base materials, however, require certain media in order to be effective; for example, expressive sketching calls for paper with a slightly rougher texture so the true emotion can shine through its uneven surface.

If you're decorating heavy duty canvas bags -- either as gift tote bags at a birthday party or wedding tote bags for your Big Day -- you're going to need to make sure the medium you're using will meld with the thick fabric, whether it's a black canvas tote or a red canvas bag. The following paints in particular work well with heavy duty canvas bags.

• Oil: Oil paints and canvas are made for each other. Canvas offers an ideal base for oil to absorb into and rest upon. However, it should be noted that these paints will take much longer to dry; if you're tackling a fast-approaching deadline, go for acrylic instead.

• Acrylic: Acrylic paint is a favorite of most beginners because it is super easy to work with and dries quickly. Even the simplest of projects require little effort; prime your canvas with a basic primer, and you're good to go. However, there are two main types of acrylic paint -- thick (sometimes called heavy body) and thin (known as fluid acrylic). The thinner type will require more to create an opaque layer, but both are perfectly adequate choices.

• Latex: Latex paint, commonly known as house paint, was used by Picasso to create many of his masterpieces. There are a number of factors that decide how long it lasts on canvas, but if you have extra cans of house paint laying around and want to use them up, you certainly can.

Fortunately for the crafter within us all, canvas as a fabric is well-adapted to paint of all kinds. This means that your heavy duty canvas bags will respond positively to their application, resulting in a bold and bright final product. If you don't have a birthday party or wedding coming up, you can turn your canvas tote project into a sustainable one: instead of relying on plastic bags for groceries (one trillion of which are used each year), decorate some heavy duty canvas bags to get the job done.