How to get human skin color and blood on leather.

[SUP]

I am making that hand from The Addam's family for Halloween for my daughter. She wants it to look relatively newly chopped off, so it needs to have a color like skin and bleeding, maybe a little early putrefaction.

I am making it with veg-tanned leather, so it is naturally skin colored. I plan to apply neatsfoot oil so it will darken a little. Before that I need to decide on how to color it. 

What type of paint should I use for this? Acrylics was suggested but they would be shiny and not look very natural, isn't it? Alcohol based Dyes? Can they be painted on? Or are there other types of paints or dyes that I could use?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Wepster]

Wet blood is somewhat shiny, only dried is dull looking. So if you want it fresh severed looking... I would use shiny, and skip any putrefaction, since you mentioned bleeding. However a little blue at the fingers might be appropriate.

But if you want to dull it a bit   https://angelusdirect.com/search?type=product&q=matt

[chuck123wapati]

have you tested acrylics on a piece of  leather to see if they will do what you want? 

[Dwight]

I don't know if Lowes still does it . . . but they used to sell a half pint of "sample" paint of your color for like a buck apiece.

Bought bunches of them for small church projects like Sunday school, etc . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

[SUP]

@Wepster Thank you for that link.  The matte finish should help get just the right balance of matte and gloss. 

 I was planning on making it look like dried blood.  Some bruising and cuts in blue and purple and yellow maybe. But fresh blood with the rest matte might look better.

@chuck123wapati yes I have used acrylics. For a while I used them on edges and I know they become pretty glossy, more than I want for this project.

 

[SUP]

@Dwight I will check at the local Lowes. Good tip!

My daughter says she will paint the hand once I make it for her, which is a good thing as she is very artistic while I am not so much. However, she has never done leatherwork, so I would like to provide her with everything, along with instructions.

[Gezzer]

No firsthand experience ......... but a quick search brought this up . You ma have already seen it .

 

[chuck123wapati]

1 hour ago, SUP said:

@Wepster Thank you for that link.  The matte finish should help get just the right balance of matte and gloss. 

 I was planning on making it look like dried blood.  Some bruising and cuts in blue and purple and yellow maybe. But fresh blood with the rest matte might look better.

@chuck123wapati yes I have used acrylics. For a while I used them on edges and I know they become pretty glossy, more than I want for this project.

 

I'll be darned I made and painted a skull mask just last year with acrylics and it came out great, no gloss what so ever.

[SUP]

@GezzerI have not seen this, since this is the first time I am attempting something like this. Did not think of searching for 'fake blood'. Been busy trying to stitch that hand - complicated!

 Thank you.

@chuck123wapati if that's so, all the better.   Which brand did you use?

[chuck123wapati]

26 minutes ago, SUP said:

@GezzerI have not seen this, since this is the first time I am attempting something like this. Did not think of searching for 'fake blood'. Been busy trying to stitch that hand - complicated!

 Thank you.

@chuck123wapati if that's so, all the better.   Which brand did you use?

liquitex heavy body acrylics.