There is something a little creepy about having your son staring at you…
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| From 2011 buildup |
Now, the normal process for making a mask at this point is to use clay to sculpt said mask on top of your lifecast here. Then you make another mold of THAT, and cast it in latex.
Well, I’ve never been one for normal. I actually have all the tools to DO that, even. But, 2 reasons we’re not:
1: I only need a very basic form for ‘stage 1’ of this mask.
2: I really enjoy playing with latex.
One of the first things that really got me hooked on the holiday was my ability to create my own monsters. From about 9 years old, I’ve been playing with liquid latex, making my own latex appliances.
This mask, really, is just an extension of that. And the life cast is nothing but the perfect subject. Holding perfectly still, not moving…oh, and there’s that whole synergy where plaster dries latex super fast to speed things up.
So, a couple layers latex, both drying almost instantly, and we attached the back cloth for the mask with just more latex.
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| From 2011 buildup |
In what is probably a superfluous step, I even added a layer of cheese cloth across the whole thing. This will make sure that any tears that occur, or trimming cuts I have to make do not turn into a major tear in the mask as a whole.
Drawing on those years of playing with latex makeup, we began the construction in the traditional cotton ball method. (sorry, apparently the camera doesn’t want to focus whilst held by one slimy latex covered hand)
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| From 2011 buildup |
Not bad for a day. We have some touchup work to do yet, and I need to decide whether we’re sculpting on the lower half or not, then we can begin stage 2…