Bloody Longhorn Shirt

In order to be an undead Longhorn fan, we needed the right costumes and part of that was a cool idea we came up with, a bloody longhorn.  If you are unfamiliar, most Texas Longhorn shirts are white with a burnt orange longhorn symbol on the front.  We decided a red, dripping longhorn would be a fun twist.  You can do this with anything really.  You could use a company logo or a well known image to have a little fun.

Here is how we did it.

I bought a blank white t shirt at Target to start with.  Then, I traced a large longhorn from a different t shirt I already had on to a piece of paper. 

I then cut the picture out of the center.

Put a handful of newspaper or cardboard inside the shirt to keep it flat and to be sure the image does not bleed through onto the back of the shirt.  Place the template you just made over the area on the shirt where you want the image and apply the first layer of paint.  A sponge works best but a brush or paper towel would work as well.  Dip the sponge into the paint and then press it onto the plate or paper where you are keeping the paint so it is not overloaded.  I used 2 different colors for this project, Hot Rod Red from Plaid Paints that is indoor/outdoor gloss and Rust Red from Anita's All Purpose Acrylic.  You can use any colors that work for the situation, in this case a brown color would work for a more dried look or a small amount of light green or yellow would be a gross puss option.  Apply the second layer while the first layer is still wet so they can blend together.

Once you remove the template you will have a perfect outline of your image.  Be sure not to let the template move while you are painting so the layers line up.  If it is large or complicated, weights on the corners could help keep it still.  In this case, leave a little white space makes the image look good so it will be imperfect.  Be sure to dab near the edges so the image is clear.

Once you are happy with the image, mix the colors you are using a little so they are still streaked together and not completely combined and then dab large amounts of paint in several areas along the bottom of the image where you want the paint to drip.  Be sure that this is done while the paint is still wet.  Lift the shirt up and shake it a little back and forth to get the drips started.  If they are not falling the way you want to try adding a little more paint to the spot or use a small paint brush to start a small line and the drip will follow it.

After you are happy with the look of the image and the drips put the shirt back down flat to dry.  You can use the paintbrush to stipple around the drip spots on the image so the colors match.  Keep the paper in the shirt until it is completely dry.  I used acrylic paint so I can fix any spills, stains or areas that I did not like.  Once it is completely dry, you should be able to wash it without most of  the paint coming off.  I would hand wash it alone if needed.  If you want something that can definitely be washed try using fabric paint.

liz