Dick Smiths Basic 3D Makeup Course Part - 3

You can click on each photo to see

better detail...if you like :-)

I use Ultracal 30 and had really good success making my first life cast of John! YEA!

I used Roma clay to sculpt my guy.

Next time I think I’ll use less clay and not sculpt out so close to the edges. I thought I got the edges really this but they could have been even thinner. Otherwise for my first attempt  like what he turned out like. I watched a video by Jordu Schell since this sculpt and  see not that I could have added a lot more detail. wow Jordu is quite the guy!

I used Ultracal 30 for the life mask and I can’t recall if I use that  or the White Hydrocal for the mold. None the less my mold ended up breaking in half while I was trying to release it from the gelatin I poured. Bummer...

For the release agent I used 2 coats of car wax on the life mask and I used 1 coat of shellac on the negative side of the mold before I poured in the melted gelatin product. Both were suggested in the Dick Smiths  booklet. I thought I’d try each one to see the difference.

The gelatin came right off of the life cast that I used the wax on . But the shellacked side was awful. It took lots of powder and about 2 hours to get it out of the mold!  After having to finally jut rip his nose off I realize that I didn't get the shellac applied well enough into the deep crevices... I guess.

I used all the gelatin that I had  but it wasn't enough for my project. So next time I’ll order extra. Also after looking over my progress photo here I see now that the original clay sculpt was still stuck in the exact place's I had a trouble getting the gelatin out of resulting in having to rip his nose off!  Maybe this is what  is meant buy “undercuts”? 

Even though I didn't get good results this time I still learned a great deal - I’m happy :-) 

Dick Smiths Basic 3D Makeup Course Part 2 - Making the Life Mask

The next step is to get a cup of coffee and

begin sculpting my character onto the

life mask I made of Johns face.

To see Part 1 click here

John and I made a character a few years ago that
I'm using for my inspiration for this project.
I have a picture of him on my computer in the background.

I'm going to touch him up a little more then
the next step will be to make a mold of this sculpt.

Dick Smiths Basic 3D Makeup Course Part 1 - Making the Life Mask

First I made a mold with alginate (the stuff the dentist uses to make molds of your teeth) of Johns face and then I cast it in plaster to make my first life mask. The net step is to clean up the plaster face a it around the nose and mouth then I'll begin sculpting the character with clay onto the life mask, then this will be cast with a gelatin and made in to a gel prosthetic that will be applied to Johns real face. Since I made the mold of his face the prosthetic will fit him perfectly - that's the idea anyway!

John's kind of funny putting his glasses on the life mask!

Oh BoY!