Fashion Arts - T Shirt Sponge Painting

White T Shirts. They’re boring. There, I said it. Well, the appearance is anyway. The history of the garment is actually quite interesting. While white Ts as we know them were technically invented in the mid 19th century, they’re popularity truly blossomed during the turn of the 20th century. During this time, they were used as “undergarments” for US soldiers fighting in WWI. (Given that their previous undergarments were made of wool, this was a celebrated change). After their explosive popularity as part of the Military Industrial Complex, it wasn’t long before White Ts spread to the USA’s second most powerful institution: Professional Sports. Their popularity and ease of production inspired team owners to brand them with Team Logos and the names of athletes. (Citation: those things are everywhere!) The White T’s current cultural association with disaffected rebels was solidified in the 1950’s, with it’s use as the apparel of Marlon “Hubba Hubba” Brando, in the hit film A Streetcar Named Desire.

*Information presented above comes from an article on sanest.com

History may be important, but the Future is NOW! And NOW is where YOU live! Those White T’s you got in a 6-pack from your last 'impulse buy' might have done it for Marlon “Superman’s Dad” Brando, but you can’t live in shadow of a Hollywood Dreamboat! Those things need some TLC! One method of applying said TLC is via Sponge Painting. How does one Sponge Paint a T Shirt? Watch the video below to find out!

For this Project, you’ll need:

• A White T Shirt Paints
• Paper Plates (or an artist’s palette, if you’ve got one)
• Dehydrated Sponges
• Scissors
• Clothes you don’t mind getting dirty