Opinions Wanted-My First Time Distressing

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 11:31 pm

Okay, tonight I began distressing my authentic lamb. I'm halfway done. I'd love to hear opinions.

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 1:57 am

Yeah, I tried that but I can't figure out how to do that. I can't get the color to move around...it just comes off. Maybe I rubbed too hard? I dunno.

Indiana Jerry · Post by **Indiana Jerry** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 2:32 am

I think it looks pretty good, ITG...at least on screen here I like the way it looks. A good, rough, beat up look.

Thanks for posting the half/half shot - that's even better than before/afters, since we KNOW it was all shot in the same light.

J

P.S. Love your new avatar!

EDIT: You just started that tonight? How long did that take?

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 2:39 am

Thanks, Jerry. I started at around 7pm and went til 9pm when it started getting dark. So with a break or two in there, I maybe spent 1.5 hours on it.

Hemingway Jones · Post by **Hemingway Jones** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 8:18 am

So Holly, you have gone over to the Dark Side!

I think your technique looks really good; you are getting a very nice effect. I think the one thing you might want to be careful of is, judging by these pictures, it looks as if it is developing a pattern. I think you might want to avoid this. I'm speaking of the almost "X" pattern on the back.

Not that I have ever done this, but looking at the hero props and some other folks' jackets, I think the best distressing jobs look as if they were accidental; the wear follows areas where one would distress a jacket if you were squeezing between rocks and other sharp objects; it ends up looking accidentally beat up. When one can discern an intent behind the distressing, it may look artificial. I am not saying that is the case here, but you might want to consider this.

I respect your courage in taking this on. I think it looks great and I am sure it will look wonderful when you are done. Good luck and please update the post with your progress.

Post by **Michaelson** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 10:18 am

Holly, Holly, Holly.....

High regards! Michaelson

Feraud · Post by **Feraud** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 10:43 am

ITG, nice job on the jacket. Keep us posted with pictures.
My wife would kill me if I started distressing a new, $300 dollar jacket!

My only suggestion is a general comment to avoid a uniform distressing pattern. What you do to one pocket does not have to be repeated on the other. Not every seam and corner needs to be distressed.

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 11:59 am

Thanks guys, I appreciate y'all honesty. Keep the comments coming. Not sure if I'll get to work on it this evening as I REALLY need to mow my grass (It's too hot in the daytime here in Texas to be outside distressing a jacket or even mowing). I'll see if I can go back and unpattern some of the marks. I put some Pecards on it last night, so I may have to let that soak in for a few days.

Michaelson, Michaelson, Michaelson...we can only hope one day you too will turn over to the dark side.

Post by **Michaelson** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 12:21 pm

NEVER!!!!

Natural distressing for me!!! Works well with my face!

Regards! Michaelson

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 12:29 pm

Let me ask this general question, if a jacket looks more beat up than the face, does it make the face look younger? Because if so, then I'm all about beating my jacket up.

Post by **Michaelson** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 12:35 pm

I'd have to flail the, uh, 'heck' out of one....so I'll not get involved here.

Regards! Michaelson

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 12:56 pm

Oh I meant to add, when working with acetone, wear something over your eyes to protect them. At one point I was setting the can down and some acetone splashed up and out of the can and hit me around my eyes. I thought some may have gotten into it, so I immediately took my contacts out (I had a vision of my contacts melting onto my eyeballs), and then splashed my eye area out with water just in case. There was no burning so I think I was okay but I immediately put some glasses on and went back to work.

rick5150 · Post by **rick5150** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 1:25 pm

Indiana Texas-girl wrote:Let me ask this general question, if a jacket looks more beat up than the face, does it make the face look younger? Because if so, then I'm all about beating my jacket up.

If that were true, then my jacket would have to be beat up so badly that I couldn't wear it

Flattery · Post by **Flattery** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 3:35 pm

I like the distressing you've done. It looks totally different from other distressed jackets I've seen -- like a jacket that has an interesting story.

I'd say follow Hemingway's advice and try not to make it look uniform (it looks good as it is). Otherwise, keep it up!

DanielJones · Post by **DanielJones** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 4:19 pm

Looks good so far. I'd have to agree with others, watch out for patterns. Probably the best way to invision the wear patterns on the jacket, is to picture yourself being drug behind a two ton truck and figurer while you're being drug what points on the jacket would be touching the ground the most.

Great job so far. Please post the results when you're done.

Cheers!

Dan

Wrightknife · Post by **Wrightknife** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 8:50 pm

ITG,

Your face looks plenty young to me.

Of course I'm much older than most of you gearheads. I would have to rip my Wested to shreds..... But I can't bring myself to it. So I guess I will continue looking.....old.

Keep up the great work on your jacket!

Kris · Post by **Kris** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 12:22 pm

Indiana Texas-girl wrote:Let me ask this general question, if a jacket looks more beat up than the face, does it make the face look younger? Because if so, then I'm all about beating my jacket up.

Even jounger ? You look like your 21

Rabittooth · Post by **Rabittooth** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 2:56 pm

Muuuuhuaaahaahaahaahaa!!!!!!
Another convert!!

-R

Indiana Jerry · Post by **Indiana Jerry** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 12:20 am

Do Sith say 'muahahaha'?

Oh, that reminds me...saw a great t-shirt online that said,

Come to the Dark Side...we have cookies.

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:45 pm

Indiana_Tone wrote:So um.........ITG? How's the jacket coming along?

Haven't had time to touch it yet. Been way too busy with school getting ready to start back up.

Kris wrote:
Indiana Texas-girl wrote:Let me ask this general question, if a jacket looks more beat up than the face, does it make the face look younger? Because if so, then I'm all about beating my jacket up.
Even jounger ? You look like your 21

Oh Kris, you're my new best friend!!!!!

Post by **Jens** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:47 pm

Kris wrote: Even jounger ? You look like your 21

But I thought she WAS 21!

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:56 pm

whoops, I think Jens is trying to nudge into first place. Can I have 2 best friends?

Canyon · Post by **Canyon** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 3:42 pm

Holly, that has to be one of the best distressing jobs on an Indy jacket that I have ever seen.

I genuinely thought that you had been dragged behind a truck.

Newspaper crew: "So Holly, have you ever done anything like this before?"
Holly: "Dragging behind a truck...." (voice trails off) "dragging behind a truck...." (pauses) "no". (laughs) "I'm sure it's not dangerous though. I mean, if it were dangerous, they would have gotten more of the movie made first!"

Feraud · Post by **Feraud** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 3:48 pm

ITG did you finish your jacket?

Just to clarify this for myself. Did you use acetone? This process only removes the color as opposed to sanding(essentially scraping) the leather...

Thanks.

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 9:30 pm

Thanks, Canyon! I'm glad ya like it.

Feraud, yeah, acetone only. It's gonna take a lot for me to put sandpaper to it, but if I do, it'll only be lightly done. I haven't finished yet. I was on the go all weekend, dog tired Monday, went to Six Flags Tuesday, worn out Wednesday from Six Flags and spent the day recovering (plus it rained), and worked in my classroom today and it's still raining. So I'm not sure when I'll finish it. Maybe this weekend. I'll post finished pics though when I'm done, I'm gonna go back and see if I can even out the back and make not so patterned looking.

IndianaGuybrush · Post by **IndianaGuybrush** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:24 am

ITG, you know the respect I have for you (at least I hope you do) and that's why I'm going to be honest. I think it just looks too "patchy". The best distressing jobs I have seen make it look like actual patterns of wear whereas your jacket is looking like someone took to those little patches with sandpaper. I'll try and be a little more specific. Imagine those areas you've got completely color removed being the exception rather than the rule. Imagine a broad section across the shoulders with most of the color removed, then areas throughout the back, each one maybe the size of a baseball or a little larger, where about half of the color is removed, but with edges that are ill defined, so it looks not so much distressed as slightly lighter in color. For me, for distressing to look good it has to look like it's natural, and the uniformity of the size, shape, and distribution of those colorless patches just doesn't look natural to me. I'm sorry, but I felt compelled to tell you, I'd want you to do th same for me if I ever posted a picture of myself wearing a hat that make me look silly

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 10:30 am

Thanks, guybrush, I appreciate your honesty. Hoping to go back sometime this weekend to finish up and "fix" what I've done. Stay tuned.