I'm looking for a fabric to cover the mouth of my mau5 head that you can see out of fairly clearly but can't see into. Any ideas?
I was thinking about that but I don't think it would work too well since it is the same transparency on both sides plus it is really thin so it may show the mesh underneath.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......
You can basically see through any medium to lightweight woven or knit fabric in good lighting, and it can't really be seen into because there isn't any light on inside to shine through the fabric. I don't know anything about mau5 or what the costume looks like , but you only need a narrow slit to see through which will minimize any light getting inside and bouncing back out.
I would suggest you go to the fabric store and try "peering" though some fabrics that would suit your need otherwise in kind and color and pick the one you can see through the best that also meets the other requirements.
Shylaah
No fabric that I know of has a different transparency on either side.
When you're looking to have something you can see out of but can't be seen back through, you're looking to take advantage of what is sometimes called "the scrim effect." When you view scrim in even lighting it is highly transparent, but when you exaggerate the lighting differential on each side, the fabric from the brighter side appears opaque, and when viewed from the darker side it appears transparent.
Try it out. It's the same reason why your windows become mirrors at night but are completely clear during the day.
-Nick
I agree with LEDproject's suggestion. Metal mesh probably painted to your preference. As far as the light idea goes... one idea would be that you'll need some sort of strategically placed directional lighting so it does not illuminate/show everything on the inside (yea practically trial and error, lol).