Here is my progress so far. The white mask on the left is a resin cast of the original wolf head base, the tan one on the right is the resculpt in progress. I learned a lot from making four different masks from this original head, and I want to apply what I learned to the new sculpt.
Tangentially, I must say, using the stacked yogurt containers to support the masks on the armatures was a stroke of genius. I have a zillion of them that I've been saving to mix resin in, and by adding just one more yogurt container to the stack I can adjust the support by just fractions of inches. I can make the support pretty much exactly the height I need.
Anyway. I have several objectives for this new sculpt. One is to lengthen the area under the lower jaw. It's already easy to see how much longer this area is on the new sculpt. I found I had to build this out with foam on the original so it would rest properly under a wearer's chin. The jaw of the mask won't open and close properly if it doesn't, plus it's just more comfortable and secure that way. I can save time (and potentially, earn more money per hour!) if I eliminate the extra step of having to build this out on each individual mask.
Another objective is to build back the crown of the mask so it balances on the top of the wearer's head better. I had to build up this area on the original with foam to make it do this. If I didn't, the balance of the mask would shift forward, making it more likely to slide down the wearer's face. Another extra step to get rid of! If you look at the pics above, you can see the top (the area between the eyebrows and the back of the mask) of the resculpt is longer, although the two masks appear to rest on the same place on the armature. That's because the clay is built up an inch or two thick inside the resculpt to keep it from squishing, and the face on the armature doesn't entirely fit into it.
A third objective is to build up a flat area on either side of the mask onto which to attach the hinges. My original sculpt didn't have this, and the hinges would pop out at all kinds of crazy angles unless I built up said flat area out of epoxy to prevent it. I bet you can guess what I'm thinking: Get rid of that extra step! Again, the flat area I'm developing is pretty easy to see in the photos.
Tangentially, I must say, using the stacked yogurt containers to support the masks on the armatures was a stroke of genius. I have a zillion of them that I've been saving to mix resin in, and by adding just one more yogurt container to the stack I can adjust the support by just fractions of inches. I can make the support pretty much exactly the height I need.
Anyway. I have several objectives for this new sculpt. One is to lengthen the area under the lower jaw. It's already easy to see how much longer this area is on the new sculpt. I found I had to build this out with foam on the original so it would rest properly under a wearer's chin. The jaw of the mask won't open and close properly if it doesn't, plus it's just more comfortable and secure that way. I can save time (and potentially, earn more money per hour!) if I eliminate the extra step of having to build this out on each individual mask.
Another objective is to build back the crown of the mask so it balances on the top of the wearer's head better. I had to build up this area on the original with foam to make it do this. If I didn't, the balance of the mask would shift forward, making it more likely to slide down the wearer's face. Another extra step to get rid of! If you look at the pics above, you can see the top (the area between the eyebrows and the back of the mask) of the resculpt is longer, although the two masks appear to rest on the same place on the armature. That's because the clay is built up an inch or two thick inside the resculpt to keep it from squishing, and the face on the armature doesn't entirely fit into it.
A third objective is to build up a flat area on either side of the mask onto which to attach the hinges. My original sculpt didn't have this, and the hinges would pop out at all kinds of crazy angles unless I built up said flat area out of epoxy to prevent it. I bet you can guess what I'm thinking: Get rid of that extra step! Again, the flat area I'm developing is pretty easy to see in the photos.
One last thing! I also acquired this nifty new half face armature! Doesn't it bear a passing resemblance to Han Solo at the end of The Empire Strikes Back? It should be a lot easier to use in mold making. It also helps keep the back edge of the mask flat and even, and serves as a reliable reference for judging angles and measuring distance. As in, is the schnozz at ninety degrees to the armature, or does it cant off at an angle? Are the corners of the eye sockets at the same distance from the armature? And so on and so forth. It's harder to see what the mask would look like being worn on this armature, but it's easy enough to pop the sculpture off and put it on the original full bust to see. Especially if you have lots of yogurt containers lying around with which to prop it up!
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