Need tips on mask

[Tusk]

Hi everyone!

First of all, I'm sorry to write my message in english but I'm from Quebec in Canada and I'm not very familiar with your language 

So, I've been wandering around some web site and forums of german orks for more than a years and I've got to say that yous guys simply have the most amazing costumes, masks, weapons and props I've ever seen in any other country. It's simply ridiculous!

So, I was a little bit jealous of your masks and tried to make one for myself last summer, here is how it turned out :
http://img710.imageshack.us/i/cimg1259.jpg/

As you can see, I got some problems and I'm not very happy about this mask. So I deceided to finally ask my question to the pros in hope to make a better mask for next summer.

- First of all, how do you guys paint the mask? What I have done is painting a mix of latex and acrylic paint over the latex mask and as you can see, it's not very beautiful...

- Secondly, how do you guys do the ears? What I have done is molding them separatly from the head, and then glue them to the mask. Isn't there a better way to do itt?

- Third, what do you use for the hairs? I used some cheap halloween wig and it's pretty disapointing.

- Finally, I just want to know what you guys think about my first attemp at mask making!

Thanks a lot, I really hope to be able to make a mask like you do!!

[Nadschaf]

For all english-speaking Orcs i recommend this site:

http://www.studiocreations.com/howto/evilash/main.html

Thats just about the way we build our masks. Only without translations as a source of errors.

[Smaak]

The way the masks are built in the link from Nadschaf is really close to the way most of the selfbuild masks here are created. And if you still need tips on maskbuilding you could ask some of the maskbuilders named in this thread: http://www.orklager.org/olforum/index.p ... 204.0.html
If you send a personal Message via this forum and are nice I bet they are willing to help

By the Way: Recently there are so many English guys here, we should reconsider an English-Corner. Or something alike

[Tusk]

Well thanks a lot for these links they are very helpful! I might try to build an other mask during the holydays.

And Smaak, don't wonder why there are so many english guys (Btw i'm a french guy, english is my second language ), it's simply because your costumes is beyond everything that is made in North America. European Larper simply have the most fantastics costumes!

[Thulgor]

Hi, nice to see another foreigner ^^

To answer ur questions:

-lot of ppl use acrylic paint and latex, about the mixture ... everyone uses something else. U can basically use everything that ...well. gives the latex a color... i reccomend to try around with some different paints tbh. I personally used some color specially made for coloring latex from this site http://www.jalatex.de/ (it's in german but may help you a bit)

- about the ears... there are also different ways to do it. I know that most ppl make em seperatly from the rest of the head like u did, some also use leather or foam (like in weapon constructing) to give em some stability. But there are also ppl that make em directly on the plaster cast of their head.
I made the ears of my self made mask seperatly and used leather for the stability, I'd make em seperatly again in the next try, but i would use foam now. Leather tends to bow if the ears are big and then u look like a silly rabbit 

both ways work, I'd say just try whatever works for you.

- hairs. best to use is imho Horse Hair, u can buy it in different online shops, ebay or directly from the butcher (if they offer horse meat) ... u can also use synthetic hair like u did and their are also cheap and crappy products and more expensive/better looking ones. i prefer horse, it's natural and looks the best.

And last but not least, ur first try is pretty well done for the first time. I have seen way worse first trys, so keep it up 

[Tusk]

Thanks a lot for you answers Thulgor, it's really appreciated. But I still have a question about the ears...

First : You mold them with clay

Secondly : That's where i'm stuck

How do you make a mold of the ears? With plaster or...?

I hope you can enlight me about this! Thanks

[Thulgor]

well. i moldet em with clay and then i used a latex/flour mixture (flour to get the latex "thicker"). That mixture is applyed on the clay in several layers. After that mixture dried u simply remove it from the clay. Now u got a negativ model of ur ear. U can use colored latex now in thin layers to get a thin positiv again and at some point u gotta add leather or foam into the model to get some stability in it. Then u continue with colored latex till the leather/foam is covered totally ... well till ur ear is finished actually.
Then u can glue it to the head with colored latex as well. Something that might also work would be to make the ear totally out of foam and simply latex it, well just the same as u'd build a dagger or something ... it just looks like an ear  But i haven't tried that so far... just an idea that came to my mind when i noticed that the leather ears in my troll mask tend to loose their shape (the ugly troll ears are to long ...  )

[Nadschaf]

what i did: i orderer some ears from our dealer and glued them to the mask. cheap and quick. Just put some stuff inside to make them less "wobbly". 

[Tusk]

Alright thanks a lot! Very helpful once again

I will probably start scuplting my new mask soon, so if I have any other question i'll siimply come here and ask them 

Thanks again!

[Tusk]

Hi guys, I got an other question for you.

I was looking around some websites for horse hair, and I wonder how many pound of horse hair do you need to make a mask?
Let's say, how many pound to as many hair as I have on my old mask? (See first post for photo)

Thanks!