Painted buckskins

[WhoMe]

Do you have a buckskin that has paint on it?

Are they painted designs or fill in?

What colors did you use?

What kind of paint works best on buckskin?

[SuzzeQ4]

I've seen one painted buckskin that I liked. They used natural dyes they made themselves (I asked wondering why it looked better then others I had seen).

Suzze

[mutnik]

Nope, no paint on any of our buckskins. Just lotsa beads. I haven't really noticed a whole lot of paint used. But we don't travel around very much. In certain areas on southern buckskins sometimes, I gather they have their reasons for that. And northern buckskins, I've seen a few skirts recently with a fair amount of painted designs. Maybe just part of that trend toward more eye-catching outfits. But I never have asked about them, so maybe I just don't know!

[Tibiki Kinew]

I have seen a few painted buckskins, pitty is that the paint cracks and falls off! So many times it looks good for a dance or two, then take it off and lay it down , creases and folds come and then it starts cracking. Dyes in the hide wor better but even that will never be equal to a good beaded outfit. Say yeaaaaaaaaaa to beads!!!

[WhoMe]

I have seen a few painted buckskins, pitty is that the paint cracks and falls off! So many times it looks good for a dance or two, then take it off and lay it down , creases and folds come and then it starts cracking. Dyes in the hide wor better but even that will never be equal to a good beaded outfit. Say yeaaaaaaaaaa to beads!!!

Tibiki,

I have seen buckskins with paint but have never seen the cracking you speak of. I think this is because the paint or dye that is used is absorbed into the buckskin rather than staying on top.

Many museum pieces include buckskin dresses with paint designs that are not cracked. The colors seem to be limited probably to what was tribally appropriate and available.

Many southern buckskins used fill colors of red, green and yellow. I think it looks good on today's buckskins!

[Tibiki Kinew]

That might be! If it is absorbed it should last a lot longer,must of been the paint that it clumped on the surface! Good, thanks for clearing that up WhoMe!!

[Czechy]

Yes, the hems on some of the Southern buckskins often had some earth pigments rubbed in. Several years ago I made a classic style Cheyenne dress and had rubbed in some yellow oche powder into the neckline and red iron oxide along the hem. Gotta rub it in real good and then get all the excess off. Looked very nice and old-timey. As far as modern paints, I have not seen too much of that.

[superndngyrl]

where you do get red iron oxide?

[Czechy]

Crazy Crow has earth paint including red. Its not a bright red but a rusty red, like you would get from iron oxide. Link is here...

Native American Indian Face Paint- American Indian Face Paint: Crazy Crow Trading Post

An alternative is to use artist chalk or soft colored pencils.