Starkiller mask help

[SGT Tasty Wheat]

Hey guys.

ive beeen getting into mask sculpting and have prior (but minor) sculpting exprince. I find it fun to do in my free time and i thought, mine as well do a mask i like and if it comes out good ill make a mold. Only problem is Ive never done a mask. I have sculpted heads, but only around small bust size. I was wondering if you guys had some suggestions on materials. Money is short, but not a huge issue.

 

Im intrested in:

 

-Where to find a good armature for my masks. (id rather not make a life cast.)

-What clay do you guys use. I like the harder stuff personaly and im more exprinced in air dry clays but still have exprince in modeling clay.

-What mold materials do you use and can i get them localy or do i have to order online?

-What type of latex/ or resin would you use for a mask and which would be better, both on price and quality.

 

And anyone who has tips, no matter how minor, I'd love to read them. I'll add a picture of what I'll be attempting to sculpt.

[fett 4 real]

mywickedarmor....i think is what you seek, and theres a whole forum dedicated to the EU characters flagship eclipse I believe...

[dashrazor]

yes starkiller is covered by the flagship eclipse detachment http://www.theflagshipeclipse.com/

[SGT Tasty Wheat]

thanks for the link guys, but im more intrested in materials then the actual character. i will checkout the website though thaqnks you, and from what ive seen of the Mywickedarmor.com guy, is that he dosn't talk much about his actual builds or tools he uses.

[fett 4 real]

Theres a guy there besides MWA, that made his own mask u could probably check it out and how he went about it

[kevster[TK]]

Sorry I can't add too much, you might want to check out a more local art store rather than one of the big chains such as hobby lobby or michaels. Like next to me there's a place called jerry's artarama that is very much more of an art store than an arts and crafts type place.

[SGT Tasty Wheat]

Thank you, i am aware of what types of clays and materials i need, just wondering if anyone had some personal favorites they'd like to offer up. I've been looking at the flagshipeclipse and it seems they have a goldmine of information. thanks guys

 

Bob

[fett 4 real]

Not sure if your aware of the cost of making molds and such but its VERY pricey...as is casting stuff once u have the mold. Thats the reason helmets arent cheap until LOTS of them have been made to make up the cost of making them orginal mold and such. You may be better off buying the helmet than trying to produce one

[Mynock]

Building from scratch can be expensive, since a lot of material is wasted in trial and error. However, once you get the hang of it, and you realize what works and what doesn't, it becomes quite manageable. So, don't get discouraged!

 

I use simple plasticine to make a general shape of whatever I want to make; afterwards, I spray some silicone mold release (although this is not all that necessary, but helps in the next step), and bondo a shell over it. Once bondo cures - which usually takes minutes, I remove the plasticine (to reuse later), and am left with a nice hard, rough mask shape to work with. I then cut, sand, and use more bondo until everything is smooth and the exact shape I want it to be.

 

Sometimes, I sand the hard bondo shell directly, and other times I use this as a female mold to pour plaster in to create a positive mold, identical to the initial plasticine shape. For me, it depends on the project.

 

I have a few threads on how I make my masks, which might contain some useful information for you.

 

Sith Acolyte SWTOR and Darth Nihilus:

 

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=20586&st=20

 

And TK lid sculpt:

 

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=20889&hl=&fromsearch=1

 

If you have any questions, let me know.