Damian Black Report post Posted January 25, 2013 So I am trying to get a few looks for a few projects and was wondering if you guys could give me some ideas. Firstly I need to be able to create a burnt look on leather like the one seen below. I can only assume eco flow water based dyes and alot of practice. Second I need to make a full suit of armor from Kingdom Hearts Birth by sleep, seen below, it needs a metallic look to it and a mirror finish would be ideal OR a battle torn look. Thx for the help in advance guys! Also if I have no idea how to get some of those curves other than boiling it and wet molding it or cutting it and stitching together which wont look good. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cyberthrasher Report post Posted January 25, 2013 I can't comment on the metallic look, but the "burnt" look would be best accomplished with an airbrush. To airbrush, just start with your lighter color dye and then come back over it with the darker dye on those spots, letting it fade as necessary. But, this mask almost looks like it could have been accomplished by first putting on the dark color with a brush or dauber and then almost immediately (within 10 minutes or so) going over the entire project with the lighter color. It's hard for me to explain the differences between those two methods in the outcome, but that is what I'm seeing, especially with the darker brown spots scattered throughout the lighter area. That red and black one does look airbrushed completely though. Honestly, although I'm sure it's possible to use eco-flo, I'd stick to a regular dye such as Fiebings Pro Oil or Spirit. From my experience, and several others here, eco-flow is good to use as a bottle to mix real dye in once you dump the water based stuff out. But, there are lots of people who use it exclusively as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damian Black Report post Posted January 25, 2013 I did think of an airbrush but the guy up at tandy leather showed me a similar mask with a similar design using an airbrush but it didnt quite get it, I tried making it by going with light colors and black on top but it still doesnt turn out quite right. I use eco flow dyes because they are water based and blend really well together when diluted with water. For the airbrush though could I just throw my dyes in there straight up or would you recommend a brand like feibings pro oil? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David8386 Report post Posted January 25, 2013 I would suggest trying airbrush with water based acrylics for airbrushing especially for the metallic look. I have had pretty good luck with the Tandy professional water stain for your browns and blacks like the leaf mask example. I would base coat the brown with a sponge or rag and then airbrush the black and darker browns until I got what I wanted. You can shoot spirit based dyes through your airbrush just remember to cut it with whatever your base is. Good luck David Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damian Black Report post Posted January 25, 2013 Guess im buying an airbrush. Any tips on where to buy the acrylics? Also thx for all the help guys! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David8386 Report post Posted January 25, 2013 I got my airbrush at harbor freight and the acrylics at hobby lobby. Createx is the brand I have used. I am also pretty new at this also but there are several posts on this subject. Use the search at the top of the page search acrylics or airbrush. David Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cyberthrasher Report post Posted January 25, 2013 (edited) Same here. I use a Harbor Freight deluxe airbrush and one of their small 3 gallon compressors. I've gotten that effect quite frequently with my airbrush and oil dyes. The deluxe model is a dual action that lets you fade out the amount of dye you're using. As an example, here's one that was airbrushed with Pro Oil dyes, started out thinned 50/50 with isopropyl alcohol, but you can use it full strength too. It's not exactly like what you're looking at, but it shows the technique using 3 colors - saddle tan, light brown, and dark brown. Edited January 25, 2013 by Cyberthrasher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damian Black Report post Posted January 25, 2013 My god that is gorgeous, exactly what I had in mind, thx guys its greatly appreciated, and I believe I heard someone mention there being metallic acrylics from createx as well so I will check it out. Oh and just out of curiosity did you handpaint the symbols or use a stencil and airbrush? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cyberthrasher Report post Posted January 25, 2013 My god that is gorgeous, exactly what I had in mind, thx guys its greatly appreciated, and I believe I heard someone mention there being metallic acrylics from createx as well so I will check it out. Oh and just out of curiosity did you handpaint the symbols or use a stencil and airbrush? THANKS!!! That's all tooled with swivel knife and bevelers and then filled in with antique paste. There are pictures of the rest of the strap in my gallery as well. If you click "go to comments page" after opening the picture, you'll be able to scroll through them from there. That was actually the first item I had ever airbrushed (minus some practice pieces first), so you can see it's pretty easy to get the hang of. If you're interested in getting into tooling, there are lots of resources here for that too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damian Black Report post Posted January 25, 2013 Toolings pretty easy, I just like getting tips from people to see if there are ever any easier ways. Now the only thing left is to figure out how I can make the shapes in that armor.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spinner Report post Posted January 25, 2013 My god that is gorgeous, exactly what I had in mind, thx guys its greatly appreciated, and I believe I heard someone mention there being metallic acrylics from createx as well so I will check it out. Oh and just out of curiosity did you handpaint the symbols or use a stencil and airbrush? Citadel, GameWorks (GW) and P4 brand acrylic paints all offer a nice array of metallics and they adhere to leather extremely well. I use those three brands exclusively now along with Golden Fluid acrylics to fill in any holes in the color wheel. The main three I mentioned though are made for the board gaming industry (Warhammer 40k, etc.) so you'll find their lines revolve around armor, fantasy creatures and weaponry. They are bit more pricey but after having tested 15 different brands of readily accessible paints, those three have the best color ranges and longevity on leather I have found. Here's a sample of the Citadel color line: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tb5RNCujmA4/T2zt064BGSI/AAAAAAAACRI/vSfwoDVBOz8/s1600/m2320032a_Citadel_Conversion_Chart.jpg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cyberthrasher Report post Posted January 25, 2013 First one I saw there was "Scab Red" and I busted up laughing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
