Painting on neoprene

[MerAnthony]

Yesterday I got my neoprene to make a tail .I was told that I can use my mermagica tail as a pattern (inside out). Ok but here is my problem that I am having. I want to paint it but I do not know what type of paint to use. Yes it will be used in the water. An I don't realy want the paint to fall off or flake. I have a crap load of Acrylic paint but I am not sure that would work. Has anybody painted on neoprene before and swam in it the tail after? If so Please help. I want to finish this tail before the season is over so I can use it.

[Spindrift]

Acrylic paint fades after swimming in it for too long. You can try to seal it after you paint the tail up though. I have acrylic paint on my tail, but am worried that it might leak out, so I'm sealing it up so that it won't pollute anything.

[Winged Mermaid]

People have used acrylic with success! A famous neoprene painted with acrylic tail is Mermaid Malena (aka Sharkey)'s tail (http://www.facebook.com/mermaidmalena). Just remember that painting with acrylic, when it dries, it's basically like melted plastic. So make sure you like that paint! Some more expensive options include screen printing ink (What Hannah Fraser used on her famous blue tail) that essentially dyes the fabric so it won't chip or scrape off. People have also used spray paint (though it fades over time if not sealed). From what I know createx paint is also a good option for neoprene, although if you don't have an airbrush painting it on by hand can get kind of expensive. Lumiere paints are also a popular option, with their vibrant colors and pearlescent halo, and metallic colors.

If all else fails, Textile Medium (http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/textile-medium-31583/) may be your best friend! It " transforms acrylic paint into a washable fabric paint. It is flexible and non-cracking. It penetrates fibers for permanency and will not bleed".

[MerAnthony]

Winged Mermaid just before I read this post from you and Spindrift I did some research an I found out something very interesting. I found out that if I use the textile medium with acrylic paint It will work on neoprene without any problem. With the medium in with the paint it acts like a almost like a stain to the fabric and will not crack and be flexable and stretch a little bit. tomorrow I am going to get more fabric medium and paint my tail. But first I have to figure out what or try to make it look like.

[Fun123joker]

what do you use to seal it?

[Miyu]

Woah necro post :p

Anyways, the paints are generally heat-set, not sealed. Some people put a thin layer of silicone on top top sort of "seal" it it.

[Vela]

What kind of silicone is best to use to seal paint?

[SilentSiren]

I found myself using a clear silicone caulk to seal in my tail. I was impressed with the translucency of the clear silicone over colored fabric (and i added a bit of glitter just to give it that shimmery scale look). ***Make sure it does not made moldicide in the silicone caulk. ***