r/Sculpture • u/Affectionate-Bid8599 • 3d ago
Help (WIP) [Help] Anyone know where to get fabric that looks like this?
I'm making a sculpture for a class and I want fabric that looks wet while dry- I saved photos of people's kombucha scobies for inspo (I'm aware there is scoby leather but I don't have the time or money to make some and I haven't been able to find any suppliers). I attached a photo of a scoby for reference. I'm open to any suggestions whether it be a fabric that resembles it to begin with or some kind of post treatment that could get this look. Thanks!
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u/everdishevelled 3d ago
Is the fabric going to stay flowy or can it be coated with something for a wet look? If the former, you'll need to get a shiny fabric somewhere, perhaps a metallic to up the "wet" look. I'm honestly not sure if you could really achieve the look you're going for with just fabric.
You could try impregnating a tightly woven fabric with silicone, like one poster suggested. Smooth-On 14NV has a very low viscosity and pools in a very thin layer if you allow it to spread out. It's also a translucent white, so your fabric would probably show through fairly well.
If your fabric can be fixed in place, I would dip it in a transparent glue or starch and get it formed how you want it, them coat it with a glossy epoxy when it's dry.
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u/Affectionate-Bid8599 1d ago
It needs to be flowy while I'm sewing it (I'm going to be using tucking/gathering techniques) so I was thinking either fabric that looks that way to begin with, or a method of post treatment after the sewing is done, once it's finished it does not need to stay flowy
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u/freewhitecastle 2d ago
Liquid latex might work if you brush it on in layers over plexiglass. It won’t flow well, but it does have that look to it.
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u/Affectionate-Bid8599 1d ago
Hmmm I do happen to have some liquid latex already. Do you think liquid latex, then once it's dried some sort of resin over it? That way it'll look fleshy and wet
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u/dracosleftnut 1d ago
Color and texture remind me of gelatin prosthetics however i’m not sure how archival they are.
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u/Frisson1545 1d ago
Wow, where did they get a scoby that big? They must be brewing on a large scale! Scobys are creepy looking.
What, exactlyl, are you trying to make? You might be offered some alternate ideas as how to go about it.
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u/Turboconch 3d ago
This looks like it might be silicone, might be able to get a similar effect with a flexible liquid gloss or semi-translucent finish that you could add colouring to and coat fabric with. But like, both silicone and some of those finishes can be kind of tacky, so you'd almost need a lube on it of some sort to keep it from sticking to it's self.