Painting Your Tipi

• We recommend using high quality exterior latex house paint or acrylic paints. If your tipi is made of TuffStar fabric, use the paint at full strength. If your tipi is made of Sunforger fabric use 2 to 3 parts water and 1 part paint.
• Apply paint with sponges, rollers or paint brushes.
• Draw and paint designs or images on your tipi before it is pitched.
• Find a large, open area and spread your tipi out flat. It will look like a half circle. The round part of the half circle will be at the bottom of the tipi when it is pitched. The flat side will come together forming the door and the smoke flaps.
• To draw bands on your tipi, you will need a long string and a pencil. Have someone hold one end of the string at the radius point of the flat side. Tie a pencil to the other end and scribe your bands at the desired widths. Tape the outside edge of the band with masking tape for a clean line and faster painting. Scribing a Tipi 
• Cut geometric shapes out of contact paper and stick them tightly onto the tipi within the bands. Applying heat to the contact paper and the masking tape with a hair dryer, and rolling them down with a wallpaper roller creates a great bond. After painting the bands, peel off the contact paper and masking tape. You will have geometric shapes which can be left the color of your tipi or painted.
• For more intricate objects, take an image to your local copy store and have it enlarged. Then trace the object on your tipi and paint it freehand.

Tipi Design Template

If you would like for our tipi artist to paint your tipi for you, please call 800.288.3190 for pricing information. The price will be determined by your tipi size and the intricacy of your design. Most range from $250 to $1200.