Accidental Discovery: Subtle Body Hair effect

A conversation with Ovy got me to try out a pair of sixth-scale Adidas-like track pants from an eBay seller in China (from the TYM031 sports clothing set). You may have seen them among the "goofing" photos in the Silver Linings photo story thread. I used the same body to answer a question about head and body skin tone matching by ReverendSpooky, and stumbled across a minor discovery. While I had tested the pants on a hard-plastic open-jointed body and determined they will not stain, as I suspected the stretchy fabric caused plenty of fiber transfer. But before automatically going to wash it off (or reaching for the lint brush), it occurred to me that the tiny fibers were a way to achieve a relatively subtle body hair effect. So I massaged the offending garment onto the silicone surface in sensible places for a quick test, and I think the result confirmed my theory. I didn't even think to remove the protective powder before I applied the effect, which might have enhanced it. We have looked at other ways of adding an extra touch of realism through either attaching body hair, or spreading it on with a paint brush, or painting it with the finest pens that would cure on the surface, but in most instances the result is not subtle enough. This seems to overcome that problem, although it might be a tad too subtle. At any rate, here are some photos.









The result is semi-permanent in this sense: you cannot easily remove the effect by handling or even wiping the surface. But you can use a lint brush to lift the fibers or you can wash the surface with soap and water. Either way, remember to re-apply protective powder.

What do you think?

#tbleague #phicen #m33 #silicone #body #hair #modification #custom #kitbash

Had a similar experience with the rough, slightly flaking side of the leather on wet silicone (the forest guy on the raft), I think it works really well and is removable after all. Sticks well if all powder is washed off the area.

I think you have especially done very well in the areas where the hair is more dense. There are probably multiple materials that can achieve intresting effects, maybe slightly longer hairpieces in addition to the 'dots'.

Wow, that works incredibly well! It seriously looks more realistic than any other effect I've seen. And it really brings an extra level of realism to the bodies. So cool!

I've been wondering how to add the body hair for quite a while. I was even considering painting it... Now this result is pretty awesome, probably way better than what my paint would end up.
Best of all? I have this Adidas set. I might try it tomorrow and post the result here.

Thanks so much for posting this experiment. Quick question: how did you paint the nipples? what kind of paint did you use?

Ovy wrote:Had a similar experience with the rough, slightly flaking side of the leather on wet silicone (the forest guy on the raft), I think it works really well and is removable after all. Sticks well if all powder is washed off the area.

I think you have especially done very well in the areas where the hair is more dense. There are probably multiple materials that can achieve intresting effects, maybe slightly longer hairpieces in addition to the 'dots'.

Thanks. I agree, there are probably multiple materials that would work, and I have experienced fiber (if you can call it that) transfer from the rougher underside of leather goods -- but it didn't strike me as a viable option for body hair -- more like a dirty clumpy effect. Longer fibers would theoretically suit body hair better, but then there is the issue of what directions and configurations they would take -- body hair can actually grow in various ways, but there would be some internal consistency. Which makes me think that something like this is easier.

I forgot to mention that while I applied this on a powdered-up body, it would probably stick even better if the protective powder has been removed first. Looking at the result, that might not be necessary -- and you want the body protected, so maybe no need to remove the powder in the first place.

ReverendSpooky wrote:Wow, that works incredibly well!  It seriously looks more realistic than any other effect I've seen.  And it really brings an extra level of realism to the bodies.  So cool!

Glad you liked it too. You were part of this, asking for the head sculpt color match and me happening to have the body in this outfit before taking it off. It does look more nuanced and realistic, doesn't it!

FreakinLobster wrote:I've been wondering how to add the body hair for quite a while. I was even considering painting it... Now this result is pretty awesome, probably way better than what my paint would end up.
Best of all? I have this Adidas set. I might try it tomorrow and post the result here.

Thanks so much for posting this experiment. Quick question: how did you paint the nipples? what kind of paint did you use?

Well, for painting body hair or tattoos or entire body surfaces, we have a whole thread:
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t260-painting-seamless-bodies-updated-june-2020

But at least for subtle body hair detail, this here might be the easiest way to go. I would be interested to see what you end up with. Like I said above, I forgot to remove the protective powder before applying the effect -- since I discovered what had happened by accident and went with it on the spot. Might be even better without the powder -- but then you would want to add it afterward, and I don't know what that will do to the effect.

As for the nipples, I use a couple of "stencils" made with different sizes leather hole puncher into transparent hard plastic, and a couple of different colors of non-water-soluble Staedtler oil pastel. Rub it in well with a q-tip while still holding the "stencil" tightly over the area, so that the color doesn't "spill" during application or smear afterwards. I use a larger darker-colored circle under a smaller lighter-colored one, but you could also get away with just one color. Of course, you should remove the protective powder from the area first, and then re-apply it after you are done.

This is really good. Thanks for sharing

That looks really good. I like that it’s a bit more subtle, it helps with the realism. I’m curious if it has held up with more handling.

Ephiane wrote:This is really good. Thanks for sharing

Glad you liked it. And welcome.

Stryker2011 wrote:That looks really good. I like that it’s a bit more subtle, it helps with the realism. I’m curious if it has held up with more handling.

Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. I wonder if there is a middle ground to be had with a different material, but I agree. I've tried additional handling, but it confirms my earlier conclusions about fiber transfer -- without a lint brush or a soap and water wash, it would be impossible to remove the fibers. It is possible to spread them on the surface just a little bit, and some of the fibers might transfer over if your treated figure touched another one.

It seems to work especially well on the chest and abs area, probably because it accentuates the indentations. Very neat discovery! And even if it’s not permanent, at least might offer a temporary solution for photoshoots.