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SEARCH MENU Front Door What's New? F.A.Q. Site Map Customer Gallery Featured Artists THE MONSTER SHOP About Us Mailbag SPECIALS INSTRUCTION Copyright 2004 by |
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| STAGE ONE: C R E A T I N G T H E S C U L P T U R E |
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first step in creating a latex rubber mask is to sculpt a pattern in
oil-based clay. The clay is applied to a lifecast
armature and roughed-out to establish the general shape.
Gradually, as the clay is worked by hand, the sculpture begins to
resemble your design idea. As the sculpture nears completion,
fine sculpting tools are used to sculpt realistic details.
The entire sculpting process can take several hours, or days, to
complete. Once the clay sculpture is finished, it is ready to be
molded. |
| STAGE TWO: M A K I N G T H E M O L D |
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| In
order to transfer the clay form into rubber, it is first necessary
to make a two piece mold out of industrial plaster.
The mold is a perfect 3 dimensional copy of the sculpture, except in
reverse. Plaster is used because of its porous nature which allows
water from the liquid latex rubber to soak into it. To make the
mold, a dividing wall is put in place to divide the front and
back halves of the sculpture. Plaster is applied evenly to both
halves until a sufficient thickness is achieved. Once the mold is
complete, the two halves are separated and the clay is cleaned from
the mold. The mold is then placed back together, bound, and made
ready for the next stage... |
| STAGE THREE: C A S T I N G T H E M A S K |
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| All
that remains of our original sculpture is captured in the mold
imprint. Our goal now is to recreate the sculpture in rubber. For
this we use a special liquid latex casting compound called
slush latex or mask latex. Mask latex does not require
heat to turn into a solid because it is a Room Temperature
Vulcanized Rubber (RTV Elastomer), which means it sets and
cures at normal room temperature. Pour the liquid latex into
your mold, allow it to dwell in the mold for a while, then
pour the excess material back into the latex drum. The latex which
remains in the plaster mold forms a skin that evenly coats the
interior of the mold. When this latex skin is dry, peel it gently
from the mold. |
| STAGE FOUR: P A I N T I N G T H E M A S K |
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| To
complete the mask, a rubber-based paint is applied with an
airbrush. Once a color scheme is chosen, an overall color
called the base coat is applied first. Next, a shading
color is sprayed into all of the lowpoints of the mask to
simulate shadows. Highlight paint is used in a similar manner
except that it is sprayed onto the highpoints of the mask to
simulate light hitting the surface. To finish the mask, eyes and
teeth are painted along with any other fine details. Lastly, a
protective, clear flexible varnish is applied to give a
natural (or unnatural, depending on your monster!) shine.
This also acts to preserve your mask for years to come.
WANT MORE INFO? For more detailed information, get the Mask Makers Handbook, which features complete step-by-step instructions in a lavishly-illustrated, easy-to-read format. |