Sun tanning shadows

[jimmy eng]

I'm trying to leave an imprint of shadows onto leather by putting crocheted wire over it and leaving it in the sun. The marks so far look blotchy (it's been a day and a bit) but if anyone has ideas if it would work or a better suggestion that would be helpful.

I'm guessing a few things that might be going against me: 1/ My heat source (the sun) moves so the shadow I'm projecting isn't getting a defined shape 2/ The shadow I'm projecting isn't thick enough to produce a strong image 3/ I haven't left it out long enough

Is UV light the thing that makes leather darken in the sun? Could I use a UV light bulb?

[TinkerTailor]

You may get a faster and more defined result by spraying dye through it. Look up lace painting, It is a technique used on custom cars and motorcycles.

You are right, the sun is moving and there is too much space between your mesh and the leather allowing the shadows to move blurring the inage.. If you are set on suntanning, I would put a piece of glass over the top to press down the mesh, or possibly print the mesh pattern onto a sheet of clear acetate and use that instead, like they used to do for overhead projectors. They make sheets you can print in home printers.

[jimmy eng]

Cheer Tinker Tailor, appreciate the advise. Yeah I'll try flattening the pieces with glass and see what happens to that and then try the acetate one if that doesn't do the trick.