STAGE THREE:  CASTING   THE   MASK

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 RD-407, 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 mask 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 gypsum mold forms a skin that evenly coats the interior of the mold. When this mask latex skin is dry, peel it gently from the mold.

STAGE FOUR:  PAINTING  THE   MASK

To complete the mask, a rubber-based latex mask 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 called Perma-Wet 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.