This was my first sculpting+molding+casting adventure, starting in 2010. Lynette had done a great Clockwork Droid costume for Halloween, but wanted to upgrade to a more durable mask. We started by taking a mold of her face in plaster. We then made a positive cast in plaster so I would have something upon which to sculpt that was the right size and shape. My first version was done in super-sculpy. It was a good start, but I made a few mistakes with the overall shape. Notably, the chin and the brows were too small. That didn’t stop me from molding and casting it, though. While imperfect it was still a pretty good mask, and I learned a lot.
Soon after, we both decided I need to fix it to be more accurate, so I started a new sculpt – this time in plastalina. I was much more meticulous, and I think I got much closer to the screen-used mask. I used Smooth-on silicone to mold it, and added a plaster mother-mold to keep it from distorting during casting. I used a white two-part resin to slush-cast the masks. After casting, I used a dremel to clean up the flash and cut out the eyes.
I painted them with acrylics. After testing EVERY crackle-finish we could find, I was finally able to get the right look by using the China Crackle system from Modern Masters. To use it, you need to cover the surface in the basecoat, let it dry, then cover it again in the topcoat. BOTH OF WHICH ARE CLEAR. If you miss a spot the first time around with the topcoat, it will be very obvious if you try to correct it, and even more obvious if you leave it. You pretty much need to nail it on the first try. Once the crackle was done, I sealed the whole thing with an acrylic varnish. I finished by cementing some elastic straps to either side of the mask, and covering the eye holes with a double layer of sheer black fabric. If you only use a single layer, the wearer’s eyes are visible in photographs, and it kills the effect.
