I made a Polyvore set a while back that had this lovely sweater in it…
This was the set I'd made…
Anyhoo… I decided to DIY a zebra sweater myself.
I started off by making a pattern I drew by hand onto some craft paper.
![Hand drawn pattern Hand drawn pattern](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/plugins/lazy-load/images/1x1.trans.gif?ssl=1)
![Hand drawn pattern Hand drawn pattern](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/uploads/imported/images/6a00d83477391153ef017d428e424d970c-500wi.jpg)
![Hand drawn pattern Hand drawn pattern](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/uploads/imported/images/6a00d83477391153ef017d428e424d970c-500wi.jpg)
I inserted some cardboard behind my sweater to make it flatter and also to protect it from paint bleeding through.
![Cardboard in sweater Cardboard in sweater](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/plugins/lazy-load/images/1x1.trans.gif?ssl=1)
![Cardboard in sweater Cardboard in sweater](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/uploads/imported/images/6a00d83477391153ef017eea028864970d-500wi.jpg)
![Cardboard in sweater Cardboard in sweater](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/uploads/imported/images/6a00d83477391153ef017eea028864970d-500wi.jpg)
Then I cut out the pattern and trimmed it to fit on the sweater.
![Cut out pattern Cut out pattern](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/plugins/lazy-load/images/1x1.trans.gif?ssl=1)
![Cut out pattern Cut out pattern](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/uploads/imported/images/6a00d83477391153ef017c385f2b65970b-500wi.jpg)
![Cut out pattern Cut out pattern](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/uploads/imported/images/6a00d83477391153ef017c385f2b65970b-500wi.jpg)
I decided to cut around some of the pencil on the pattern so that I would be able to trace the image onto the sweater better. This can be a bit fussy. I didn't do it everywhere…just enough to trace some of the image details onto the sweater. Then I pinned the cut pattern onto the sweater and traced the image with a paint pen. I just sort of slid my paint pen inbetween the slits I had cut in the pattern.
After I painted in the black with acrylic paint and a brush.
![Painted zebra on sweater DIY Painted zebra on sweater DIY](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/plugins/lazy-load/images/1x1.trans.gif?ssl=1)
![Painted zebra on sweater DIY Painted zebra on sweater DIY](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/uploads/imported/images/6a00d83477391153ef017eea028ad9970d-500wi.jpg)
![Painted zebra on sweater DIY Painted zebra on sweater DIY](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/uploads/imported/images/6a00d83477391153ef017eea028ad9970d-500wi.jpg)
I went back in and filled in some areas and added a bit more detail free hand.
The one thing about painting on a sweater is that because it is a knit it was a bit harder to control the edges of the image. I would recommend just going slowly and using a paint pen for the finer details rather than a brush. I found it easier to work with.
et…voilà!
![DIY zebra blue pencil skirt DIY zebra blue pencil skirt](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/plugins/lazy-load/images/1x1.trans.gif?ssl=1)
![DIY zebra blue pencil skirt DIY zebra blue pencil skirt](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/uploads/imported/images/6a00d83477391153ef017d428e4fa8970c-500wi.jpg)
![DIY zebra blue pencil skirt DIY zebra blue pencil skirt](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/uploads/imported/images/6a00d83477391153ef017d428e4fa8970c-500wi.jpg)
![Zebra pencil skirt side view Zebra pencil skirt side view](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/plugins/lazy-load/images/1x1.trans.gif?ssl=1)
![Zebra pencil skirt side view Zebra pencil skirt side view](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/uploads/imported/images/6a00d83477391153ef017d428e51ee970c-500wi.jpg)
![Zebra pencil skirt side view Zebra pencil skirt side view](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/uploads/imported/images/6a00d83477391153ef017d428e51ee970c-500wi.jpg)
![DIY zebra sweater close DIY zebra sweater close](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/plugins/lazy-load/images/1x1.trans.gif?ssl=1)
![DIY zebra sweater close DIY zebra sweater close](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/uploads/imported/images/6a00d83477391153ef017c385f3afb970b-500wi.jpg)
![DIY zebra sweater close DIY zebra sweater close](https://i0.wp.com/suzannecarillo.com/wp-content/uploads/imported/images/6a00d83477391153ef017c385f3afb970b-500wi.jpg)
skirt – Anthropologie, sweater – TJ Maxx & then altered, shoes – Nine West, bag – TJ Maxx, necklace – by me : )
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