Achieving various finishes for clothing

[Boondog]

I've gotten a good handle on painting realistic leather, now I am trying to capture the look of velvet and satin. because of the nature of the materials, I can't figure out the right combo of paint and gloss/finish to make it look real. ANy pointers

[SiMo]

Originally Posted by Boondog

I've gotten a good handle on painting realistic leather, now I am trying to capture the look of velvet and satin. because of the nature of the materials, I can't figure out the right combo of paint and gloss/finish to make it look real. ANy pointers

I agree - difficult in fact. I have captured silk in a few steps:
I tried out and had pretty cool satin effects by mixing corresponding metallic colors with matte colors. Finishing with a silk-finish clear varnish (THIN Layer!!). The result was a quite good satin effect.

But Velvet? I tried out a lot... since now my best result was with a totally matt color by the german company "Pelikan". But it is not really satisfying.

[boondocksaint]

share your leather technique

[Danno]

Hey Boondog,

I usually try to simulate satin by using pearl paints, to add that shimmery sheen. Just apply your base color down and lightly mist the appropriate pearl color over the top.

As for velvet, that is very tough...unless you flock the piece/area. Rick Cantu (RickDTM) did a great article on flocking for velvet texture in an older issue of AFM

[Boondog]

leather is pretty easy, texturing is the first important step, I use a stamp I made from rougher, biker leather. Paint it a flat color (black or brown normally) and after drying apply several very thin layers of Translucent liquid sculpey. It doesn't shine like gloss but it's transclucence causes light to hit it in the same manner it would leather. TLS is also fantastic for making skin looks extra real and oily