Get Dirty, the Clean Way

[MadL]

I was surf'n round t' see if I could find some Schmutz Crayons as since I started using them my current two colors are begin'n t' shrink.....looks like they are Out Of Business?? their site be still there, but No store, and all places I found what carries them are "Out Of Stock", except a place I found in the UK.

I have been using it on me clothing as well as on me hands 'n face, I found it is really good for making dirt smudges and using black and brown on me hands really gets int' th' knuckles and within minutes looks like I have been climb'n around down in the haul for a month! - But now it be GONE

BUT,

I found this other place what has 'Schmere Crayons': http://www.wardrobesupplies.com/store/m2_distkit.html

and this place what wants a dollar more per color but has a bunch more stuff fer costume aging:

http://www.lawardrobesupplies.com/Aging-Supplies-s/120.htm

Then I ran across this nice little 'interview' with a costume maker for th' movies (see the 'costume aging' section):

http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com/rv_c...phy.html#ageing

...but so far I still find that Stolkhom tar makes th' best tar stains, 'n it smells good too

[Dutchman]

would it not be easier to simply wear clothing out by working on a ship

just bustin yer chops mate. thanks for sharing the links. i'll fill in spots with stage supplies if i'm in a hurry. otherwise i'll just wear my clothes and about while working on projects. my wonderful stand alone slops made it through a season of hauling oysters and tarring the Explorer before I finally relegated them to the slop chest. My canvas coat, with the improperly sewn sleeves just to piss sterling off, cleaned a chimney one spring. That was two years ago and if someone slaps my back soot still puffs off. my socks just keep getting new patches over old holes. they are all stored in a cedar box with parfume de jour ala dutch in the bottom. a lovely fragerance banned in mom and graces house but proven to be varment and rodent free.

For the life of me i cannot keep the dirt on my body. I've tried grease sticks, powders, and good old fashioned real dirt! it just does not hold up. Cheeky has the best results but even that wears off in short order. She uses a talc base and adds colors to it. Problem is the virginia humidity and i sweat like a hog. anything i put on rolls right off. any suggestions?

[Cannibal Chrispy]

waterproof eyeliner and mascara work on sweaty florida pirates, it's available in black and brown, and can often be found at dollar stores.

[Guest]

waterproof eyeliner and mascara work on sweaty florida pirates,

AAAAACK....... now I have this image of "Captain" Jack Sparrow an' his heavy eyeliner runnin' through me brain......

[Cannibal Chrispy]

you dont have to use it on yer eyes. smear it wherever you want "dirty".

and thanks now i have a picture of jack running through your brain. and he looks very scared. lol

Edited April 19, 2009 by Cannibal Chrispy

[Dorian Lasseter]

you dont have to use it on yer eyes. smear it wherever you want "dirty".

and thanks now i have a picture of jack running through your brain. and he looks very scared. lol

I smell a new Patrick Hand comic from that comment....

[LadyBrower]

Oil pastels worked well for me... The kind you get at the craft store. Matte makeup in dark colors also works well for smearing and so do some of the long wear eye colors (so long as they don't have any shimmer).

For aging costumes, I think the clothesline out in the sun and a good couple storms does well for wearing things out a bit. I left my linen skirt out for only a little while and it was already starting to fade in spots.

And spilling coffee on hubby's shirt did well to make it look dirty too... :-/

[Gunpowder Gertie]

Oil pastels worked well for me... The kind you get at the craft store. Matte makeup in dark colors also works well for smearing and so do some of the long wear eye colors (so long as they don't have any shimmer).

For aging costumes, I think the clothesline out in the sun and a good couple storms does well for wearing things out a bit. I left my linen skirt out for only a little while and it was already starting to fade in spots.

And spilling coffee on hubby's shirt did well to make it look dirty too... :-/

I use Fullers earth for agin'- it comes in a tube, packed in a canvas bag, and you just bang it against the cloth to get it to add some age. Now, granted, it's a fine dust, but if you dampen the item to be aged first, it becomes more mudlike and sticks better. In order yto age a dead pirate cosyume ( drowned and washed up onto a beach, I made a special concoction of tea, potting soil, white glue and aloe vera gel,and either a brown craft acylic or a black craft acrylic paint and microwaved it for a few minutes, then applied it with my hands. It worked very well. If you want to apply sand, I used a brush, and brushed white glue onto the material, and then packed the sand on. It stuck very well..(you can also use aloe vera gel, it also holds detritus on to a shirt or something of that nature, though it will sometimes leave a pale green residue. That's what I wanted, and it dried clear in most cases. If you use white glue out of the bottle, the adhesion will be very strong, but keep something between layers, as you don't want to glue a sleeve together say. And it dries hard, so you will have to use it in a place where a natural fold doesn't occur.Depending on the level of stickiness I need, I will dilute the white glue mixture. That's how I set some of the lighter detritus, like the potting soil flakes. Experiment, and you'll find that a little white glue goes a long way. Also - it's not necessary to add a ton of sand..just a bit will indicate dirt.I also use two Ben Nye products- Plains Dust and Charcoal. I use it on both ,my garb and my skin. Since my character, Gunpowder Gertie, a/k/a Dirty Gertie is well..dirty..I apply it amply. I've never had it come off even when I sweat. If you need to "set it" you can use something as simple as "pump" dispensed extra hold hairspray. Just make sure your eyes are closed when you aplly it, and since the pump delivers a fine mist, make sure you are far enough away that it doesn't run- just like with spray paint. I don't use it, I haven't had to., but I would depending on the weather. If I thought it would rain, I would definitely set it.The Plains dust and the charcoal get right into my hands, and face...sometimes I scrunch up my eyes and apply it with a brush or sponge, so that the wrinkle lines are clean when I unscrunch..looks like I've been squinting into the sun for hours. I also try and make it more realistic by wiping my nose or across my cheek with a handfull of the powder. Leaving some areas cleaner than others helps make you look just duirty, but if you want to look tanned or windburned, apply evenly, scrunching your face to leave clean wrinkles, again so it looks you've been working in the sun.

Diluting acrylic paint with water, and then dragging a sleeve or a hem or a pant leg thru it will really look like authentic dirt. Don't paint the garment...let it sit in the diluted paint solution for a bit and then hang to dry. Then repeat the process so you look likeyou've walked thru many a muddy street.

I also use a wire brush to distress hems and sleeve edges. It works really well.

granted I am more the Hollywood pirate type, but these techniques will work quite well wth any fabric.

Edited April 19, 2009 by Gunpowder Gertie

[ThomasBlackthorne]

I found that tea works well on whites. Depending on the fabric...

For making my face dirty and other skin covered areas, I use bits of charred wood, from my fireplace.

The wood bits grind up really easy in the palm of your hand, and then you just apply to your liking, plus, then you get to wipe your now dirty hands on your clothing...two birds.

[Silkie McDonough]

I vote for dirt ...straight from the ground or gun. I did try to use waterproof mascara for facial hair but it wasn't sweat proof. Falling backwards into lake/river water then falling forward into the beach then jumping into a swimming pool seemed to work to both make the garb look worn, dirty and clean all at the same time. lol

[Capt. Sterling]

Best way to age stuff, is by using it, and wearing it as much as possible..as it would have been worn and used. naturally aging something looks so much better especially up close, then the artificial way...

[Duncan McGuyver]

Falling backwards into lake/river water then falling forward into the beach then jumping into a swimming pool seemed to work to both make the garb look worn, dirty and clean all at the same time. lol

Snicker

[Cheeky Actress]

Chlorinated water plays havoc on all nature fibers…look what it does to blondes!

[Capn' Mac]

A good way to keep from sweating off powder, dirt, etc. it an old stage trick I use. A thin base of Vaseline on the skin, wait about 20-30 seconds and then have the powdered substance blown on then a translucent cover. Stands up to sweat pretty well for several hours.

[MadL]

Chlorinated water plays havoc on all nature fibers…look what it does to blondes!

Hey! I resemble that remark!!

...uh, now what were we talk'n about?