Fake dead bunny and foetus? (at least I'm to the point) :)

A few things. First of all, I'm wondering how I can have a reasonable looking fake dead bunny. And a small foetus, which doesn't have to look too real. Also, if I could get some tips on how to make a mask out of a face cast (with alterations made to the end product with it still fitting comfortably on the person) it'd be appreciated.

Thanks.
Muncher.

not positive what you mean on the last question, do you want to make a mask of the actor who will be wearing the mask, or a mask of a persons face for another person...a la mission implausible?

later
TOm

------------------
What everyone seems to forget is that once we look past race, religion, gender, and all that, everyone on this planet is first and foremost...

...a PERSON

new and improved links(added to 02/11/01)

As for the mask question, the latter. I want to make a new face for someone else. It's not supposed to look like someone else, rather something else - but it's a rather simple look I'm trying for, so it shouldn't be too much trouble making the negative.. I'm just rather puzzled as how I could sculpt a new 'face' onto a lifecast face of completely different proportions, and still have it fit the actor's face.. Following me still?

Muncher.

As for the mask question, the latter. I want to make a new face for someone else. It's not supposed to look like someone else, rather something else - but it's a rather simple look I'm trying for, so it shouldn't be too much trouble making the negative.. I'm just rather puzzled as how I could sculpt a new 'face' onto a lifecast face of completely different proportions, and still have it fit the actor's face.. Following me still?

Muncher.

You can add, but you are limited in the illusions of taking away. Generally, you can make a face fatter, give stronger or larger features, move hairlines back, add age (or some degree of youth), warts, growths, discolorations, and add or alter facial hair, but what you can do does have practical limits.

Some effects or transformations would require such a degree of thickness for the pieces that realism is compromised or impossible.

You can often give a likeness of a celebrity or a type of person by caricaturing a face and suggesting different bone structure without making a copycat duplication. Check Corson's Stage Make Up for an example of Hal Holbrook made up as mark Twain for an example of using subtlties to suggest a look that can't be directly created on an actor.

Thanks, Jeff - the info was useful, but I still have an unanswered question.

Now, I'm actually trying to make someone with a oval face appear to have a circular face. Now - my question is, when you sculpt onto the lifecast, how exactly would you go about making a mask out of the lifecast sculpture, and have it still fit on the actor's face?

D'ya get me?

Muncher.

what do you plan on making this mask out of, have you done any molding for foam latex appliances?

later
Tom

------------------
What everyone seems to forget is that once we look past race, religion, gender, and all that, everyone on this planet is first and foremost...

...a PERSON

Slush cast latex pieces are much easier to make than solid appliances, but they lack the flexibility that larger pieces on flexible parts of the face require, especially in close ups.

Alright - I must admit for a while there you had me rather confused, but I think I've got it thanks to Jeff's pep talking. Are what you are saying is that the appliance that comes out of casting over the lifecast (after the planned changes have been moulded onto the lifecast) is sculpted against the actor's face, so it will fit comfortably?

Sorry for this mess, I really appreciate the help.

Thanks,
Muncher.

------------------

These are sad times indeed. Dale had his right, and he exercised it. I will miss the community center.

Anyway, I'm just giving this post a shove forward because it seems to have been forgotten about.

*bump*

Allan.

You can't peel clay off a life cast and use it as a make up, so you have to make a mold of the clay sculpture. This is done with plaster, Hydrocal, Ultracal 30, dental stone, or in some cases epoxy resin/fiberglass. The choice of molding material is determined by the material you'll be using for your fake skin. When you remove this mold, anything poured into the negative cavity of the mold will end up as a duplicate of the original clay sculpture. If you just fill the mold up solid with fake skin, you're using it as if it were a one piece mold. You'll end up with a very thick hunk of fake skin with a flat back - useless as a make up appliance (but useful as an archival copy or a stunt dummy head if you were to use durable materials.)

For a useful make up appliance, you need to use a two piece mold - one piece is the new mold that you just made, the second piece of the mold to make the inside surface of the appliance. The lifecast acts as this second mold piece.

You could theoretically set the lifecast into the mold after filling it with your fake skin material. The lifecast must be completely cleaned of any clay before doing this. People usually use a duplicate of the lifecast or a copy of a large enough section of it instead of using the large, heavy original lifecasting itself as the second piece of their two piece mold. You make this full or partial duplicate of the lifecast before you start your sculpture.

The finished piece will have one surface (the visible side) made from the mold of the sculpted clay, and one side (the inside) made from the lifecast itself. The positive surface of the casting looks just like the Doughboy (or old person, or monster, or whatever you make) and the negative surface fits precisely against the actor's face, since it was made with a copy of the actor's face.

Thanks a lot Jeff, you're always really helpful.