20
votes
Accepted
What do you call "negative" paint?
I think what you are looking for is called a masking fluid. It is sometimes also called liquid frisket.
Masking fluid can be treated like paint which wherever it is applied will protect what is ...
- 2,956
12
votes
How to get velvety soft finish on hard toys?
Flocking
In short, flocking is the application of thousands of miniature fibers onto a surface. I'm fairly certain this is the general approach for what you are seeing on those dolls pictures.
...
- 11k
12
votes
What is the proper name for the material that these cheap displays stands are made from?
I'm pretty confident that's laser cut plywood. The dark edges give away the laser cutting and ply is strong enough and stiff enough even down to a few mm thick. It's also cheap.
Laser cutting is a ...
- 6,594
11
votes
What is this liquid called in my India ink?
India ink has only three ingredients: lampblack, water and gelatin or shellac as a binder(in fact, traditional India ink doesn't even contain this), with shellac being much more common. As you've ...
- 2,325
9
votes
7
votes
What is Santa's beard made from?
It's difficult to know for sure, but it looks to me like plaster of Paris, also known sometimes as craft plaster when sold in craft stores, which is basically just gypsum plaster. Since it is real ...
- 793
7
votes
Accepted
What is the name for this type of chain?
I am in no way a jewelry maker, or jewelry specialist. Mostly good at looking up information. Since art is in my field(of enjoyment), spent some time researching the types of chain that was described ...
- 1,771
7
votes
How do I identify if a material is acrylic or polystyrene?
If your primer tells you what solvent it's based on, you can test a sample of material with the same solvent. One reason for not using a particular solvent with a particular plastic is that it ...
- 6,594
6
votes
Accepted
Materials for pictures that change with the direction of sunlight
I think what you are looking for are called “chameleon paints”, but I cannot recommend you use cardboard. It is better to suited to non-flexible surfaces.
Check out chameleon car paint or search on ...
- 2,812
6
votes
Accepted
In what technique medieval book miniatures were executed and are there materials today for doing this?
The drawing of pictures in manuscripts is known as Illumination*
The Wikipedia article on the subject (as mentioned in a previous answer) contains a wealth of information on the subject, including ...
- 2,325
6
votes
What components are involved in this kind of scroll?
These types of scrolls do exist.
One example is called an "Esther" scroll case.
Here are some examples.
http://www.museumsinisrael.gov.il/en/items/Pages/ItemCard.aspx?IdItem=ICMS_IMJ_366069
http://...
- 2,956
6
votes
Accepted
What is a non-photo blue pencil?
It has to be a particular shade of blue.
From Wikipedia, it is apparent that non-photo blue refers to a particular colour rather than a particular kind of pencil:
Non-photo blue is a particular ...
- 1,996
6
votes
Neoprene rubber finishes
There are lots of variations on neoprene. It can have different additives that affect characteristics like softness and surface appearance. Sometimes it is bonded to a fabric. There are variants ...
- 11.5k
6
votes
Accepted
Definition of mixed media in painting
It is all fine - choose whatever you think is important to communicate to your audience - that is, what you think will get your concept across.
Mixed media as a medium in the visual arts is not ...
- 10.6k
6
votes
Accepted
Captain America suit's raised surface pattern?
There are a number of ways to do this and still keep the material flexible. Here are a couple that lend themselves to low-quantity, low-cost applications:
Start with a sandwich of foam rubber, like ...
- 11.5k
5
votes
Accepted
Is there a name for sand-clay mixture?
The clay-sand mixture used in casting is known as green sand, foundry sand, or molding sand.
Green sand is an aggregate of sand, bentonite clay, pulverized coal and water. Its principal use is in ...
- 4,356
5
votes
Accepted
Suggestions to Make PVC-Like Suit
I believe the closest analog you'll find for human sized PVC pipe that wouldn't be PVC pipe is called concrete form tubes, sometimes under the brand name Sonotube. The Home Depot version is called ...
- 7,231
5
votes
Accepted
What is this liquid called in my India ink?
According to Mayer, that is water, shellac and borax.
Although @walrus answered your question perfectly, I would like to address the other issue: where to find a painting medium that isn’t a varnish.
...
- 2,812
5
votes
How to know if brush contains hog/pig hair or not?
USE
Hog hair or hog bristle brushes are stiff, strong, and durable. Having frayed ends, the bristles are usually not appropriate for watercolouring, as they aren't able to soak up a lot of water, but ...
- 10.6k
5
votes
I need help identifying the core of this elastic cord
The product shown in the image is often called elastic shock cord. It is usually but not exclusively a rubber center with a wrapped fabric outer covering. The "not exclusively" aspect is ...
- 7,231
5
votes
Accepted
What sort of paper is "The Dark Pool" album cover made of?
Most of the images used for this collage look like torn from several coloured prints of astrophotographic images to me, printed on a heavy, presumably hand-made paper.
The image below seems to feature ...
- 10.6k
5
votes
What is the proper name for the material that these cheap displays stands are made from?
That looks laser cut, the burnt edges are the giveaway.
It's clearly an engineered sheet material rather than natural wood. I suspect it's most likely plywood but it's also possible it's MDF (cheaper ...
- 151
5
votes
Accepted
What is ceramic tin made of?
Simply put, the tin you have purchased is not ceramic at all. The listing specifies the material used:
METALLIC BOX 350G
"Ceramic" in the title and description refers not to the material ...
- 3,902
5
votes
How can I tell what a silver band on a gold ring is made of?
If there is a jeweler or dealer around you that specializes in buying old gold, they should have a touchstone. That is a black, smooth stone on which gold objects leave a line if you rub them on it ...
Elmy♦
- 12.6k
5
votes
What kind of T-shirt is this?
I think what you have there is a microfibre eyelet Dri-Fit garment.
This weave is often referred to as "eyelet" (or an eyelet fabric), as well as (mock) eyelet. I have not been able to find ...
- 10.6k
4
votes
Accepted
Knitted material that doesn't develop little furry balls (pilling)
Pilling occurs when shorter fibers work their way out of a yarn and gather on the surface of the fabric. Generally, pilling occurs due to a given fiber's length/strength, the spin/ply rate of the yarn,...
- 168
4
votes
What material is used for inflatables?
PVC and vinyl are both abreviations for PolyVinylChloride. Inflatable float toys and furniture were normally made of plasticised PVC film. In the past the plasticiser tended to leach out giving an ...
- 41
4
votes
What is the "elasticized leather" lacing shown in this photo?
The manufacturer description can be interpreted quite simply. "Elasticized leather" is not some special sort of leather - that phrase is just saying that the straps are made of leather which has had ...
- 2,385
4
votes
Accepted
Dissolvable Piñata?
Your question brings to mind a concept of water soluble paper. The Google tells me there is such a product, at least one or two, perhaps more.
The web sites indicate that it's often used to make ...
- 7,231
4
votes
Is what I am looking for a scrapbook?
How about a hardbound sketchbook:
*this or any other brand
**this is a sticker, the cover is black
***they come in variety of sizes and thicknesses
- 41
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible