In my last post, I talked about adding white stripes to my trophy head. I didn't really want to make them out of white paint though, because I don't like white paint all that much. Whatever I do with it, I can never get it to look organic. So I didn't use white paint. I used washing machine detergent. Washing powder gives an excellent soft, gritty texture and will partially dissolve in PVA glue.
Washing powder also has some very interesting optical properties. Are you ready? Watch this...
Washing powder emits a purpley-blue flourescence under UV light. Manufacturers add flourescent dye to the product because it makes white clothes look whiter. It's an optical illusion. Paper manufacturers do the same thing to make white paper look brighter and whiter.
I'm aware these photos aren't the best, but it is fundamentally quite hard to photograph UV fluorescence with a small UV tube and a camera that isn't sensitive to UV light, so we will just have to live with them.
To use washing powder in this way, I like to apply glue to the surface where I want the powder to go and sprinkle the powder directly onto the glue. Once the glue dries, I use a stiff brush to remove any excess powder. A toothbrush works well, but obviously you'll want to make sure it isn't your toothbrush.
I'm aware these photos aren't the best, but it is fundamentally quite hard to photograph UV fluorescence with a small UV tube and a camera that isn't sensitive to UV light, so we will just have to live with them.
To use washing powder in this way, I like to apply glue to the surface where I want the powder to go and sprinkle the powder directly onto the glue. Once the glue dries, I use a stiff brush to remove any excess powder. A toothbrush works well, but obviously you'll want to make sure it isn't your toothbrush.
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