# Painting fabric



## Stitch the Butcher (Jun 16, 2014)

Does anyone know a technique of painting to make fabric look like human skin? I am working on improving my haunt character and I want to give it a Buffalo Bill feel by covering a coat in pieces of fabric that have been painted to look like human skin. Any suggestions or ideas would be super helpful.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

How detailed/accurate do you want them to be, and how much work are you willing to put into it?
You can use a flesh colored latex paint, and if you want to add detail and shading you can tweak the color by adding small amounts of acrylic paint to it.
If you airbrush, then you can really go to town on the shading and effects.
Latex, especially satin or semi–gloss, usually work pretty well for the texture and coating capability.


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## Stitch the Butcher (Jun 16, 2014)

How breathable is the latex paint? I will be wearing this for the duration of haunt season.


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## goneferal (Sep 8, 2010)

Instead of paint, what if you used pieces of fake suede in a skin tone? You could glue them on and have edges hanging off, even with blood on the edges or blackening like it was burned?


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

"How breathable is the latex paint?"
The heavier you paint it, the less breathable it becomes.
How much of your body would you have covered with this material? If it's just your forearms or a small area it might not be that big of an issue for you. If you are talking about massive coverage then be prepared to sweat a lot.
You might look at synthetic chamois for patches of torn skin, or to make sleeves that look like skin. You might also look at fake skin "sleeves" that tattoo shops and dealers sell. I believe they offer non inked ones for those with tattoos to cover their arms when having them, the tattoos, becomes an issue. Those are typically made of Lycra. There are also flesh colored compression stockings and sleeves you can get from most pharmacies, Walmart, etc. They are designed to be worn for long periods of time.


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