With the eyepieces done I move on to sculpting the mask in clay.
I place the two eyepieces onto the face form and start adding plasticene, which I've warmed in the microwave oven to soften it. 
I build the beak up to where I think it should be. I'm not concerned about getting it smooth at this stage. I just want to get the proper proportions.
I use my clay tool to remove a layer of plasticene at the bottom of the beak, where the leather will lie over the resin.
And I cut off what will become the resin beak, and prepare to make an RTV silicone rubber mold of it.
Once the mold is cured I cast it in urethane resin and proceed to refine it. Sanding down the resin is easier to do then smoothing out the clay, and achieve a nice clean surface.
Looking good, just maybe a bit too long of a resin part (in my opinion)
ReplyDeleteYou know, if you were to make a non-steampunk, all-leather mask from the clay mold, you could actually make a mask that resembles the more commonly seen version of an authentic plague doctor mask (think Assassin's Creed, and Season of the Witch)