Percy Jackson inspired Camp Half-Blood T-Shirt Tutorial

Today I’m going to be showing you how to make this *super cute* camp half blood t-shirt inspired by the Percy Jackson books. It’s perfect for cosplay and everyday wear. Way back in the 8^th grade when Blood of Olympus first released, I made a camp half blood t-shirt using an iron-on, and I’ve been dying to make a new t-shirt with the Silhouette Cameo. Recently, I found a t-shirt at Target that was the perfect color, so I decided there’s no better time than now!

First, here’s what you’ll need:

• A Silhouette cameo. If you don’t own one, check out my blog post on ways you can access one for cheap or free.
• Vinyl
• Scissors
• Black fabric paint
• Sponge paintbrush
• An orange t-shirt

First, open the silhouette cameo design. For my design, I used the font Dalek Pinpoint, and I edited Pegasus clipart to make it easily cut with the Silhouette. Here is a link to the Silhouette file, and here is a link to a JPEG version of my design. I also have the design uploaded at the end of the tutorial, though the link will be better quality.

Cut out a piece of vinyl that’s about 12 inches by 6 inches. I like to use the silhouette brand vinyl.

Place the vinyl on your cutting mat. Load the cutting mat into the silhouette, and cut it out using the standard vinyl cut settings.

Once it’s done cutting, carefully peel the vinyl up from the mat. Then, peel away the vinyl from the backing – be extra careful not to tear the vinyl. Take your time, and you may need a helping hand for this part.

Shove a few paper towels and a piece of construction paper under where the design will be on the shirt. This keeps the paint from going to the other side of the shirt.

Center and place the vinyl on the shirt. Since I’m using a scoopneck shirt, I placed it pretty close to the neckline.

Now place the tiny insides of the letters. Once you’re done with that, press down and make sure the vinyl is stuck to the shirt. If needed, adjust to make sure the cardstock and paper towels are directly under your design.

Now, let’s paint! I use Fabric Creations fabric paint for all of my projects. It washes wonderfully and always goes on well. You can buy it at most craft stores.

Carefully paint in a dabbing motion. If you want a more distressed or worn look, don’t focus on painting it perfectly. My shirt was mostly rayon, and it only needed one coat.

Next, wait a little bit – usually an hour or two – until the paint is dried. Now, carefully lift up the stencil – I recommend starting from the end – and remove it from the shirt. Then carefully remove the tiny insides of the letters.

And there you go! Now you have a Camp Half Blood t-shirt fit for any demigod! I’m going to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised with how this worked out, especially since I’ve never put fabric paint on a rayon/polyester shirt before, but it turned out really clean and professional looking.

Please let me know if you made this shirt, and if so, how it turned out! If you have any questions, please let me know – feel free to email me, comment below, or DM me on any social medias.

What tutorials would you like to see more of in the future?