THE BASICS OF MASK MAKING

Most of the equipment/materials required for latex mask making can be acquired from the following company:-

A free information leaflet on latex mould making is also available from Trylon. It is advisable to send for their free catalogue for full information.

Technology.

Latex is a thin milky liquid which is water and ammonia based. It can be thinned if necessary with water, this can tend to reduce its strength slightly. The ammonia content aids its drying capacity. The higher the ammonia content, the faster the drying process. When dry, latex tends to be a translucent brown, but can appear clear in thin layers.

Cleaning.

Latex when it is dry and cured WILL NOT be dissolved by water. In fact it is affected by very few chemicals. To remove latex from brushes etc, they must either be washed out in water whilst the latex is still wet, or if it has dried, they may be soaked in white spirit or paraffin for a few hours. This has the affect of dislodging and degrading the dried latex allowing it to be wire brushed out of the bristles. This is best achieved in a solution of soapy water (preferably hot water and washing up liquid) to remove the white spirit residue. Once clear of latex, the brushes should be rinsed in cold fresh water, thus returning them to their former glory.

Colour.

Any water based paint may be added to latex, never use a copper based pigment, as this will rapidly age it, causing it to go sticky and rot! Most gold, copper and bronze type paints have a copper base. For Mask making, the paint should be added to the latex before pouring/painting. Only a small amount is needed (approx' 1 teaspoon per cup of latex!). The latex will not appear to be the correct colour in its liquid form, but when it dries at the required thickness, the colour will be apparent. This process allows you to know when the latex is cured!

Mixing.

To create a mask, first ensure that the plaster mould is dry, clean and free from dust, old latex etc. Mix the required colour of pigment with your latex. This should be done with a brush in an open bowl.

WARNING, LATEX CAN GIVE OFF FUMES, WORK IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA!

The reason for the brush and open bowl is to allow a thorough mixing of pigment into the latex. Poster paints and the like (most suited to pigmenting latex given their cost effectiveness) tend to be quite thick, and can remain as a sediment in the bottom of mixing vessels if one does not take care. Never mix pigment into a bottle of latex by shaking! This causes too many air bubbles which can be transferred onto your mould surface.

When the pigment is mixed, pour the latex into your mould SLOWLY to reduce air pockets. Tap the mould with your hand to vibrate air bubbles/pockets from within the liquid. Leave the latex to stand in the mould for 2 - 6 hours depending upon the thickness of the mask required. The plaster mould draws moisture from the latex allowing a thickness to build up on the inside of the mould, in proportion to the time the liquid latex is left in it.

Sometimes your masks will appear to have an air bubble pitted skin texture, this occurs when the air in the plaster mould is being replaced by liquid in the casting process. To eliminate this effect, when the latex is first poured into the mould, leave for a few minutes and pour it out. Stipple the bubbles seen in the latex layer remaining out with a brush, and before the latex starts to dry fill the mould up and leave for the requisite amount of time.

Afterwards, carefully pour off the latex into a bowl and leave the mould to drain for 10 minutes upside down on a plastic sheet. Pour the spare latex into a screw top container to preserve it for future use. Turn the mould onto its base to allow air to contact with the inside of the mould. Leave to cure for 12 hours or so. The latex will be cured when the colour of the mask becomes apparent, when the surface is dry, and when the latex no longer feels soft under the dry surface. If in doubt, try peeling a portion of the mask to check the state of the latex.

Removing the mask.

Using a dry brush, dust some talcum powder inside the mould. This will prevent the latex sticking to itself on removal. Gently peel the mask from within, being careful not to break away any fine detail from the mould. When the mask is withdraw, areas such as eyes and mouths can be trimmed out with scissors ready for painting etc.

Mould preparation.

There are three types of moulds that you are likely to be making masks with. The first is a half face, the second is a two part mould, the third is a one piece jointed, and finally a joint-less mould.

HALF FACE moulds will require the neck end blocking out for pouring purposes, as will two part moulds. Two part moulds are the same as making two half face masks, a back and a front latex mask is made and joined together afterwards. The necks of the moulds can be blocked with clay, plasticine or more permanently with plaster of paris. A small tray of a suitable shape being filled about an inch in depth with plaster and the mould being gently placed into it. A tray can be made with tin foil, clay or plasticine if one of the correct size is not available. 

Plaster of paris, dental plaster, herculite or similar material are all suitable for this purpose. The powder is simply mixed with water into a creamy paste and cures in approx' 10 minutes by generating its own heat. Rough plaster edges may be trimmed up with a joiners rasp or course file.

Use of thickener.

If one does not wish to try and block the neck of a mould, there are two other ways to build up latex in plaster moulds. Once pigment has been added to the latex, latex thickener may also be added (only a small amount is required) to turn the latex to a thick creamy consistency.

The correct viscosity must be attained to allow the latex to be painted in the mould with a brush, without it running into the recesses. The appropriate thickness of latex must then be painted into the mould in one application, to generate the desired thickness of mask. This is then left to dry in the same way as pouring.

Alternatively, the mask can be built up layer by layer. As every layer is painted on, it is allowed to dry. This method is best employed with a lamination of material. Three fairly thin even layers of slightly thickened latex are painted into the mould and left to dry in between each layer. After the third layer is dry, a fourth is painted in, and small 30mm square patches of thin cotton  material are painted in with it, overlapping each one. The material must be fully stippled in with latex and no air spaces allowed to remain. If the material is dry in the middle, a lamination has failed to be made, and the material serves no purpose. Straps can be laminated in at this stage if required. This fourth layer is left to dry, and two further layers is added and the mask is removed as above. This results in a very strong robust mask. The process can be speeded up by drying the latex layers with a hair dryer, or over a heater etc. Gentle warmth is preferred, don't get the latex too hot!

Joining masks - From two part moulds.

When the back and front moulds do not join, the mask must be joined afterwards. On removal of the back and front parts of the mask, the joining edges should be carefully trimmed up with scissors, and the outside of the two halves joined together with carpet/gaffa tape. The inside of the joint is then painted with latex, and material laminated into it as above.  Once dry, two further coats are then added. When they are dry and talc dusted, the carpet tape is carefully removed, and the joint on the outside is carefully blended in with thickened latex.

ONE PIECE JOINTED MOULDS require carefully locating together, and holding together with webbing straps employing one way rucksack clips. This allows you to pull the straps very tight and hold the mould firmly together. At least two per mould is advisable. Good thick string or rope using slip knots is acceptable if straps are un - available. The joints are very rarely perfect, it is therefore advisable to seal the joint with clay or plasticine before pouring in the latex as described on page 2.

When the mask is removed, it will need the joint carefully trimming off with sharp scissors. If one has access to a small modellers drill, a dentists silicone bull nose grinding tool will remove the remaining flash perfectly.

JOINTLESS MOULDS are the simplest moulds to deal with. They are best suited to the pour casting method. One must be careful not to leave air spaces in areas such as long noses and chins when filling up with latex. In order to avoid large air pockets of this kind, the mould should be tipped on one side carefully, whilst the latex is being poured to encourage it into these areas.

Painting.

There are really no paints that will adhere to latex permanently and take any continual abrasion. There are specialist Neoprene based paints available, but they are very expensive, must be bought in bulk and can tend to be dangerous to work with. Acrylic paints tend to be the best compromise. If a small amount of specialist carpet adhesive such as Carpetwise (a water based strong rubber carpet adhesive) is added to the paint, it will add flexibility and additional adhesive qualities to the acrylic. The mask can then be treated in the same way as a model. Various tones of colour can be dry brushed onto the surface, and for the more adventurous, the recesses and undertones can be Airbrushed to add realism etc. Thin washes may also be employed to pick out fine detail. 

Experimentation is the name of the game. The rest is up to you. Have fun, and, if you have any questions that you think we may be able to help you with, please don't hesitate to give us a call.

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