Help- blood stain clothing

[darkXmoon]

Ok, working on a small project for my friend where i'm going to bloody up his good will costumes and give them some good stitch work. Lord help me I love doing this... OK mainly I do layer effects on my blood using rit dye and semi gloss paint do give me good crusty blood and wet blood looking clothes .

Here is my problem, I TOLD HIM to get natural colored clothes likes loose fit blue jeans, cackie pants, lighter dresses, and a good collection of of printed and non printed shirts but pretty much don't get all black. Well some dumb ass told him that what I was asking for was not scary and he should get nothing but dark colored clothing because thats whats scary... Yea I'm a dumb ass after working in Halloween for over 10 years and have no idea what I'm talking about... Normally I darken my own costumes... its what I'm good at.

GRUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMBLE ....

So now I'm stuck with a bunch if black clothes in need of blood stains but the black just won't do any thing. The semi gloss paint shows but it gives that horrible first year haunt look that litterly looks like I just tossed paint on it. I'm thinking of bleaching some of it to an orange but it looks rather cartoon like with the black sewing. Has any one else been in this kind of problem ? Should I tell him hay look, you messed up, go get new clothes ?

[Allen H]

yes, he messed up, get new clothes. its really hard to distress black. you can mist them with gray spray paint and then see if the blood shows, but I would really send him back for better duds to start with.

[jakprintsHAUNT]

If going for realism...blood would just show up as darker spots on dark clothes...maybe go with some nastier stuff like greens, yellows...textures like puke and rot...add some sprigs of moss here and there...but if you need it to be just bloody you aint going to be able to do much to it without it being cartoony red and showing up...maybe mist it gray or white like Allen suggested, or put through a light bleach wash then you can get a little more pop out of it. Are you just distressing or going for a specific look?

[darkXmoon]

I'll try to do some of the greens and ass on like a moss suite, thats not a bad idea. I might make a few dresses and make some nice freaky sheets and curtains... This is a lot of black clothing though. I need to take a pic .. Its like he went in every good will and just bought any thing black.

I'm also going to show him this post if he gives me lip. So you two are now my evidence in this situation. Why can't people just do as I tell them ..

[rip-saw]

Lighter clothes for blod stains as Allen has rcommended...I never have done that with darker clothes with greens and yellows sounds cool as hell and we might try this....rip

[darkXmoon]

Lighter clothes for blod stains as Allen has rcommended..

I'm the same, I have never started with black clothing an never would !! He just trusted some random noob instead of me and went against what I said any way. Who does that !?! I'm actually starting to think its because I'm a female really. A lot of the guys think that there is no way this little girl knows more about Halloween then them but frick.... Its happening more and more to me. I used to think well maybe its because I'm annoying or some thing and I'm always in Halloween mode. Now I'm starting to think some of the guys in this industry feel a bit threatened by me an I think thats totally stupid.

I'm ranting... I think I'm going to start a girl thread an see if other girls have problems too.


I'll post pics later if I make any thing cool with all these black clothes. Like I said I will probably just make some creepy put together dresses and drapes. I like to put like colors together but with different textures. When the light shines on it even in a dark lit room it just looks creepy.

[Killer Katie]

Get new clothes.... argh! I had the same problem with people bloody our African American actors, in the dark, they just look like themselves!
You could try to bleach the crap outta them so they get super light, it would help.

[Killer Katie]

Another thing...

Dark - you are so on the mark with the "girl thing."
There are still those that think cuz you're a girl that the only thing you can do is be a half dressed actor.
My friend and I are looking to start a group to discuss that exact thing!
Hang in there Sista! LOL
Not to sound all "Rosie the Riveter" here, but demand respect and then back it up with talent.

[darkXmoon]

I could bleach the hell out them but I'm just over working the hell out of myself and the black seems never get any lighter.


I feel revealed that you know what i'm talking about thought when it comes to girls in the industry today. Is it just me or is it getting a little worse every year for us the actual haunt creators and designers to be taken series ? Its like there are two sides, us the actual useful females and the "I'm a sex object at Halloween" females.

[BruiseMuse]

I use a spray bottle with straight bleach and spray it randomly on black clothes (this leads to a fun cornicopia of colors, browns, oranges, yellows, and off-whites). I like doing this method instead of drenching the whole garment in bleach because it gives it a nasty abused, aged look. You can also add the blood on the areas that have been bleached.

PSark, I'm also sick of the Haunt bimbo movement with costuming.

[darkXmoon]

That is actually giving me an idea... thanks girl. Normally I will cut holes in costuming and then do a black patch behind it so the clothing gets a nice tattered look but the actor is still clothed. I might try bleaching to make it look more like a skin tone so that I actually have to cut holes in fabric.

Thanks BruiseMuse.

[BruiseMuse]

No problem. I do a similar trick, but with flesh colored fabric (the dance fabric section at Jo-Anns has numerous shades of flesh tones) and I place that behind rips and tears. It helps prevent "nip slips" and other random acts of nudity.

[Allen H]

I really like that idea-consider it pilfered!

[BruiseMuse]

Feel free! I started doing it when some overzealous actors went a little too shred happy; and things started popping out while acting. It gives the illusion of flesh without any of the adult content issues.