Faux Fur color varigation effect

[RockerRob]

I am building a puppet with a big mustache and hair. He is getting on in years and I need the pure brown faux fur I bought to have streaks of grey (reverse just for men). I need to add a little salt to his 'stache without it being clumpy, weighing down, or gernerally looking terrible. Does anybody have any solutions as to what medium to use and application techniques? Your help is much appreciated.

 

[stiqman]

I would suggest an Air Brush as your best choice in control and not clumping it on. If done properly it will keep the hairs some what natural and not looking like you added the paint on the fur!

Just my .02 cents........

Daryl

 

[Teenager's]

using just fabric paint and a small brush is good too, I've done it and the effect I got was pretty nice.

 

[Melonpool]

I asked a similar question a few weeks ago, and found a pretty good way to do it elsewhere. I haven't tried it yet, but he recommended making the hair out of white fur and taking (in my case anyway) a red sharpie and dabbing the color near the roots. You then put some rubbing alcohol on your fingers and streak the color up from the roots until it reaches the end of the hair.

It'll take awhile, but you should be able to add as much or as little color this way to the hair. The other nice thing is that it will be permanent unlike water-based alternatives like using grey or white "Tips and Streaks" hairspray on the puppet. This will work as well but will run and rub off if it gets wet.

Steve

 

[RockerRob]

Thanks for all the advice. I used Teenager's' idea of fabric paint drybrush and it worked great! I'll keep the other ideas in mind when they apply to other projects.

 

[spcglider]

I asked a similar question a few weeks ago, and found a pretty good way to do it elsewhere. I haven't tried it yet, but he recommended making the hair out of white fur and taking (in my case anyway) a red sharpie and dabbing the color near the roots. You then put some rubbing alcohol on your fingers and streak the color up from the roots until it reaches the end of the hair.

It'll take awhile, but you should be able to add as much or as little color this way to the hair. The other nice thing is that it will be permanent unlike water-based alternatives like using grey or white "Tips and Streaks" hairspray on the puppet. This will work as well but will run and rub off if it gets wet.

Steve

Actually, Steve, that method is rather ingenious! It certainly all makes sense!

Now I have the desire to give it a shot!

-Gordon