Halloween Mask Concept

Halloween is less than thirty days away and I've completed my first full head silicone mask. That one was a trial run in order to identify mistakes in my molding/casting process. I encountered a few problems and have learned from those. However, I need to create another mask in order to execute the changes to my process. Below are pictures: one of me wearing the freshly cast, unpainted first mask. (If you zoom in, you might see the flawed seam. My back mold broke during the demolding process and I had to superglue the cracks :(); the rest of the pictures show my second sculpture using oil-based clay, which is still a work in progress. I have to smooth out the details and get the symmetry right, but this gives you an idea of what the finished product should look like.

As you can see, I'm going for an evil clown look. Who doesn't love an evil clown? I've taken pictures of the first sculpture and Photoshopped various makeup patterns that I am considering using. I tested my new airbrush setup on the first mask I made and wasn't very happy with the results. Maybe it's my naivete with the airbrush and silicone paint, but the white I sprayed on came out glossy. I don't want glossy. I'm glad I tested it on a rough mask first. I went out and bought some grease paint from Party City and plan to test that on the same test mask. Hopefully, it will come out the way I intend. As for the airbrush and silicone paint, well, I guess I need to research that method of painting more to improve my technique and avoid the glossy shine.

In addition, I am considering punching the hair, but that might not work since time is running out and hand-punching hair takes forever. Also, I've yet to do it myself. Keep in mind, I've only learned to do this my watching tutorial videos on YouTube. I've seen other guys make mistakes and learned from them. Not only that, I've made my own and am learning from them, changing the way I work to avoid making those mistakes again.

If you're reading this and wondering, Hey, what about your novel? Well, I'm working on it too. I'm dividing my time between the two tasks. I'm happy to report that I'm halfway through the sixth revision, which is going much faster and easier than the previous (It should since I've cleaned up much of the manuscript on previous iterations). I hope to pass it off to one or two beta readers sometime this week.

Now, the pictures:

Me wearing the first mask I cast. This is obviously unpainted. A rough draft, if you will.

This is the second sculpture I am currently working on. Keep in mind, it's still a work in progress.