Sartorial Palimpsest Query

November 15, 2016 9:47 AM

I'd like to be able to paint various pictures and messages on the back of my leather jacket throughout the year. Is there a kind of paint that I could keep cleaning off without damaging the jacket (i.e. leave no trace)? Ideally one that also wouldn't come off if I leaned against a wall, laid down on a couch, or got rained on. Like it only comes off with coconut oil or ranch dressing or something.
posted by dgaicun to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (4 answers total)

Leather is generally really difficult to clean stuff off of. All those little textural pores and valleys will easily fill with paint, which will never come clean again.
A few non-guaranteed ideas:

- coat with a leather sealant so that it's less likely to absorb paints and adhesives
- Acrylic paint is generally recognized as a good permanent paint on leather and fabric, but there are instructions for removing it using rubbing alcohol. The jacket will never look the same (unblemished smooth surface) afterwards, though. This could work if you were willing to paint a background layer (solid black/white) underneath the design region to cover up the residue of last month's art, and you never planned to have a fully unpainted jacket again.
- For very temporary, use some of Crayola's washable kids paints. Will not be as waterproof as you imagine, but could be a good start.
- print custom vinyl decals that will peel off (unless you get really sticky ones, in which case they won't)
- cut words out of masking tape or colored painters tape to make your own stickers
posted by aimedwander at 10:26 AM on November 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

You could make a patch of fabric or leather that would fit the back panel of your leather jacket, paint that patch as you like, and then pin or stitch the panel to the leather, and then when you want, swap it out for a new one. This also has the benefit that you can save your designs and wear them again.
posted by The otter lady at 11:36 AM on November 15, 2016 [7 favorites]

It'd be almost cooler if you just painted the new design right on top of the old one.
posted by fiercecupcake at 12:08 PM on November 15, 2016

Back patches are how punks have dealt with this for over 30 years.
posted by rhizome at 12:53 PM on November 15, 2016 [6 favorites]