Recently, I received a letter in my mail with a question: how to make a silicone face mold with your own hands at home. And in order not to put off the answer for a long time, I decided to describe in detail the process of taking a cast from a person’s life, and more specifically from the face. In a similar way, you can take a cast from any part of the human body: arms, legs, butt, chest, back, etc.

Naturally you need to buy necessary materials for work:

- two-component silicone, which will be safe for human skin. For example, silicone mass for impressions of Body Double “Standard Set” and Body Double “Fast Set” is good in this quality. These are fairly durable platinum-based silicones that are applied to areas of the skin to create shapes on the face, hands or other parts of the body. Molds made from these materials are designed for repeated pouring of plaster, wax, fusible metals, polyurethane plastics, epoxy or polyester resins, etc. These silicones are not fluid, so they are easy to apply with a regular brush, and harden very quickly. Using this silicone, you can make an impression of your face, and then cast a plaster or plastic impression of it.

— separating cream-lubricant for the face. It is necessary so that the finished rubber impression can be easily separated from the skin.

- a bandage and a 2 kg pack of plaster - to create a durable base for the silicone impression.

- brushes thick and thin.

First, you need to lubricate your face with a release cream so that the silicone mass can then easily separate from the facial skin and any accidentally caught hair will not remain in the mask.

Then two-component silicone is diluted according to the instructions and applied to the skin with a brush. Surprisingly, when it hardens, the silicone mass exactly repeats all the nuances of the face: the smallest pores, scars, hair growing on the face, etc. Near the nostrils, it is advisable to apply the silicone mass for taking impressions with a thin brush so that the holes in the nostrils are even.

When the silicone has adhered, you need to spread the bandage cut into pieces evenly over the entire mask and apply plaster diluted to the thickness of sour cream. It is advisable to apply several layers of plaster to ensure a strong base for the impression.

When the plaster has completely hardened, and this will happen in about 20 minutes, the backing is carefully removed, and then the finished cast of the face is removed.

Then, using the resulting silicone face and the manufactured gypsum backing, you can cast the resulting face from plaster, plastic, resin and other materials. To do this, first the substrate is placed on the table, the finished silicone impression is placed in it, and plaster, plastic, wax, and other materials are poured into the resulting mold. And only then the resulting sample of the finished face can be painted with any acrylic paints.

What does it give:

• significant savings on expensive material - silicone
• you coat all hidden recesses, which avoids defects in the form due to air bubbles
• no mold shrinkage due to layer-by-layer application
• increasing the strength of the form, again due to layer-by-layer application

Stages of work:

1. Modeling a product from sculptural plasticine. We use a model of the head, and apply sculptural plasticine on top.
2. The model is coated with silicone for application with a brush. Copy-paste -
   (it contains a special additive that allows silicone not to drain from vertical surfaces, and it also hardens very quickly).
3. A rigid frame is then made to support this thin silicone mold and prevent it from expanding. A rigid frame is most often made from 1) plaster with bandages or 2) construction foam from a spray can. A stretch film is placed between the silicone and the frame to facilitate removal!
4. The mixture measured according to the ratio is poured, circular movements are made to distribute it along the walls, and solidification occurs within two minutes. Leave for another 30 minutes in the mold until it cools completely and hardens, if necessary, sand, prime, paint, make a soft backing for the face.

Important points!

Silicone for spreading Copypaste is very thick. To liquefy it (which, by the way, was not done in the video!) you need to vigorously stir Part A silicone for 10 minutes before mixing with the hardener and then let it sit for air to escape. Then the silicone becomes fluid! then add hardener. Mix a little at a time, evenly per layer, as it hardens quickly!

Liquid plastic in this series can be mixed by volume 1:1. It is very comfortable. Hardening time 2 minutes. It must be kept in the mold until it hardens completely so that the mask does not deform. While warm, it bends easily and can change shape!

Making a mask from EasyFlo model plastic

Everyone at this festival tries to show with the help of a costume what they are capable of. But the look won't be complete without a mask. You can buy latex faces at your local prank store or make your own at home.

What will you need?

To create a latex mask, you will need special materials, which can be purchased at a themed store or ordered online with delivery to your home or post office. Unfortunately, it is not easy to find some devices for working with such unusual material in all cities. So, to make masks, latex pads and other attributes for the image, you will need:

• High quality liquid latex.
• Special forms for masks.
• Mannequin head.
• Brushes of different sizes.
• Foam sponges.
• Clean gauze or bandage.
• Scissors.
• Acrylic paints.
• PVA glue.

And, of course, some skill will come in handy. You may not get a realistic latex mask the first time, so we recommend practicing on small animal or fruit shapes.

Separately, I would like to focus on time costs. The fact is that latex takes quite a long time to dry, and it will have to be applied in several layers. Therefore, plan ahead to make your mask. Latex ones look much more realistic and are more comfortable to use than plastic ones. But making them is also more difficult.

How to do it?

• Prepare from plaster or polymer clay form. If you have a ready-made mask dummy, place it on a flat surface and secure it to avoid damage.
• Cut a bandage or gauze and glue it with PVA glue to the areas that need support. Usually this is the so-called T-zone of the face and the area of ​​the cheekbones and cheeks. This is necessary so that the finished mask holds its shape and does not unravel.
• After the glue has dried, carefully apply the first layer of liquid latex to the mold using a sponge. Don't make it too thick. Firstly, it will take longer to harden, and secondly, it can leak and ruin all the work.
• After the latex has dried, use a brush to carefully apply a second layer and also wait until it hardens completely. In total, you need to create 10 such layers, alternately adding a bandage to the right places.
• When the mask is completely ready, sprinkle it generously with talcum powder or baby powder to prevent it from sticking.
• Gently pry ready product and remove from the mold.
• Now you can start coloring the resulting mask. Latex work requires thorough cleaning of the surface before applying paints.
• Add a small amount of acrylic paints and use brushes to paint the mask.
• Allow the material to dry well.

Your mask is ready. All that remains is to try it on and come up with a fastening, unless, of course, you made it solid.

The following simple tips will help you preserve for a long time appearance masks. Latex products are finicky in storage and processing.

• Don't skimp on the talc. It is needed so that the latex product does not stick to the mold and work surfaces.
• To speed up the hardening process, you can dry the layers with a hairdryer.
• If possible, instead of acrylic paints, purchase castor makeup.
• To make the mask last a long time, store it stuffed with cloth or paper.
• Be sure to wash the item thoroughly with soap and dry it before storing it.

Mask ideas

The most popular masks today are all kinds of monsters, vampires, superheroes and warriors. For example, the Joker is the favorite character of all comic book fans.

There are also women's latex masks. Girls can be transformed by super-girls or various fantasy characters. Let's say Catwoman never loses popularity. However, the choice depends on your taste and imagination!

I was given the task of making Baba Yaga from Tolya. What about Christmas tree the children left gray-haired and with nocturnal enuresis... The deadlines were very short, they left no time for breakdowns, there were 200 km between me and the model. I love such orders, especially if five minutes ago I had no idea about stage, carnival, theatrical and other makeup. The maximum is how to pluck your own eyebrows, and here you go - from a handsome man to a toothless old woman and back. Well, if it’s necessary, then it’s necessary...

So: “We won’t take Baba Yaga from outside, we will raise her in our team” (c)

What was needed for this:

1) Construction alabaster

2) Vaseline

3) Cocktail tubes (or shrink tubes, as in our case)

4) Construction silicone.

5) Acrylic paints

6) Plumbing flax.

7) Stacks, toothpicks, tassels, etc..

8) Tolya. Or any other person without fear of confined spaces and runny nose.
9) Starch paste.

Well, here we go.

Here, the test subject’s face is already smeared with Vaseline, there are heat-shrinkable tubes in the nose, and each of them is additionally wrapped with fumlenta, so that the tube in the nostril does not dangle, does not try to fall out or let Tole into the alabaster lungs. At this moment, we discovered that fum film does not stick to oiled eyebrows at all, and when the model sits and turns her head, it is extremely inconvenient to work magic on her, so we went to the basement, where Tolya could take a horizontal position, and I could dirty and dirty with almost impunity. continued to do what they started, no matter the cost.

To prevent the alabaster from flowing into the ears and penetrating into the hair, a swimming cap was pulled over the head, and a piece of sheet was tied around the face, in the manner of a tooth sufferer or a catavern client, so that the jaw would not sag..

Here I am, carefully gluing fum tape onto the freshly made paste. There was an idea to trust the oracles of make-up art, and just smear Tolin’s hair with Vaseline thicker, maybe he wouldn’t have stuck completely to death, but thank God that we went our own way... and overcame it. It’s scary to think how loudly and multi-layered the intelligent Anatoly would express himself if he got his eyebrows into a plaster trap...

When the model is already lying down, snoring through tubes, we start the alabaster porridge. Everyone remembers the common postulates of this action, right? The ratio is approximately one to two (one part water, two gypsum) alabaster to water and not vice versa. Why this is so, I have no idea. I just take his word for it.

And when the gruel satisfies with its consistency of liquid sour cream - quickly, carefully and, most importantly, without listening to advice (and literally everyone present is eager to advise, right down to the model herself, until a piece of alabaster closes her mouth in mid-sentence) we apply plaster to the face, thoroughly slapping, smearing and pressing into all the bulges, applying to the bulges and fighting the passionate desire to pull out the tubes, because they sway and get in the way.

Error number one. The free space in the nostril near the tube had to be plugged with cotton wool. Then it wouldn’t sway so much, and the inevitable vegetation wouldn’t migrate into the plaster.

But what is not done is not done.

The plaster is applied, the model lies there, thinking about the eternal, I wash the containers, the table, my hands, and I’m wildly worried about three things at once: 1) how did I apply the alabaster poorly and will the cast have shells? 2) well, when the cast is taken, the plaster will fall apart 3) isn’t Tolya dead, something is lying quietly... From time to time I jumped up to the subject, listened to the quiet whistle from the tubes, tapped the plaster cast with my claws and wondered: it’s time / not time and how will I understand that it’s time when I’ve never taken casts before the village?

Finally he got tired of lying, we were tired of worrying. I was about to grab the edge of the plaster with my hands, but then Tolya let out a certain rumbling, meaning: “Don’t climb, I’ll do it myself,” he hugged the plaster with his palms and froze. two centimeters of alabaster, but they saw only a motionless figure whose breathing at times quickened and her toes clenched into fists. It turns out that half of the hair from the nostrils remained in the cast. And she didn’t stay of her own free will. They didn't plan to leave the nose so early....

The impression was not taken very well; the edges were a bit thin and broke near the forehead. Which gave me the idea to take a second cast, in reserve. How will the first one die in an unequal battle? And, encouraged by the first experience with a not entirely negative result, I became brave and rolled Tolya into a cast for the second time almost to the navel. Again, I didn’t bother with the nostrils....

And this cast, in the end, was also successfully removed, but the remains of hair from the nose, part of the hair from the chest and some part from the sideburns were transferred into it...

Having carefully packed the fragile (because not dried out), sometimes hairy, plaster shells of Tolina’s face into paper, rags, a box, twine crosswise and into the trunk, we went home.

PART TWO.

“I love watching him do magic. Either he’ll kill himself or get maimed” (c)

So. Upon arrival home, both casts were transferred to the oven, where they dried under hot air until they sounded sonorous. Then I thickly coated all the convexities of the casts with dishwashing liquid, and after praying to all the Gods, my husband and I began pouring plaster into the cast. Do you know how scary it is? Very scary... Thousands of “What if the negative doesn’t peel off from the positivity, what then?!” literally drove me crazy. But everything turned out almost successfully again. A chisel, a mallet, a crunch and something small rolled across the floor. It was the nose that fell off.

Actually, it was like magic. When the casts were taken from Tolya’s face, to be honest, they didn’t make any impression, and looked more like clumsy bowls with holes than a noble human profile. But when the shells were peeled off the castings, both gasped. Tolya is lying on the table in duplicate, one even smiles serenely. This is the first one. Then the man did not yet suspect what it would be like and, not sensing a catch, quietly rejoiced in life. But the second Tol is concentrated... Here he already knows for certain how much a pound is worth and where Hund be grabbed. Here he has no time for sly smiles in his cast.

Well, taking the most smiling (and lightest in weight) muzzle-face, we begin to cover up the unevenness with molten plasticine, and having poured plasticine onto the face itself, armed with stacks, dental pickers, a hairdryer, again, we scratch the plasticine here and there, giving birth to a woman I gu.

At least approximately according to the prototype.

And this is what we got out of it. Since the prototype is thin and angry, and the original is full-cheeked and smiling, the result is a symbiosis of evil and plump.

AND! Mistake number two. A little history.

I made a cutie out of what I had. And now we need to get negative. It all happened as in the first stage, only without tubes and nerves. Just to pull the negative out of the positive, both heavy pigs with plasticine in the middle had to be pushed into the oven for half an hour. Then, with a cry: “KiiiiiiA!” jerk one out of the other, watching with disgust as the nose rolls under the sink.

Well, I caught my nose (God knows, not for the first and absolutely not the last time. They pulled him, poor thing, out of a dog’s mouth, and tried to sweep him into the trash with a broom, and under the slogan: “Whoever finds Uncle Tolin’s damage will not have the dishes today washes”, they searched throughout the house, while what they were looking for was buried in the folds of the sofa deck...) and in the negative I went to apply silicone, making mistake number two.

Of course, it’s all about a lack of practice (or rather, the absence of it) and an excess of theory. On the website of make-up artists, guru, master, sensei, teacher and simply talented make-up artist Denis, told the public in detail and in pictures how to create a latex mask. And there it was that the latex was poured into the negative, in several layers, reinforced with pieces of gauze, dried with a hairdryer, and so on. But I don’t have latex! Where can I get such a miracle... I have silicone. Building. Also absolutely wonderful, but it has a number of its own characteristics that must be taken into account. And there was absolutely no time to take into account and wander through the rake, piling up bumps of experience! Since there is a Christmas tree scheduled for the 19th, where Yaga should be in character. And period.

So, silicone. Silicone, it's... it's tricky. And all of it specifications written on the packaging, you can safely forget after reading it if you are not going to use it for the intended purpose regulated by the manufacturer. It’s unlikely that the manufacturer took into account that I would mix it with silicone acrylic paint, Foundation, ink from gel pens, bronze powder, silver powder, filled with plumbing flax and, in principle, I will begin to mock like never before. For this objective reason, I had no idea how much silicone + paint + calcium chloride from the ampoule would vulcanize into Baba Yaga, so I applied the above mixture in a thin layer, well, I just pushed it more generously into my nose, so that if the silicone refused to harden, the putty could not be scraped off dying of greed. And if you did it wisely, then you had to pour colored silicone into the mask from the heart, make channels on the sides to remove the excess, and press down all this beauty with positive roofing felt scraped off from the plasticine. But! But... now I’m so smart and I’ve learned a lot, for example, that silicone and plaster have a layer of dishwashing liquid and not a layer at all. They didn't notice her. And they became friends almost forever. Now I know what to use as a separator silicone cream for hands (this is for the poor, for the rich - a special silicone separator at a steep price), and then I had fun in wild time pressure, in the most severe conditions of renovation, where walls are being demolished on the left, walls are being built on the right, and it’s a wonderful miracle that Baba Yaga was not born a complete freak.

Without makeup

Plumbing linen was used on eyebrows and hair. Never before has a salesman in a building materials store observed such sincere joy in a customer at the sight of a skein of flax; besides, I haven’t seen such noble gray hair on living grandmothers for a long time.

Hello, zhezhists and accomplices :)!

As a newcomer to the community, I bring to your attention a post about how masks were made in the “Exactly the Same” project on Channel One. The essence of the show is to sing a song by a famous artist in the most similar voice and in the most similar image. And if the first depends entirely on the performing artist, then the second is the fruit of the labor of dozens of people, including plastic make-up artists.

In general, I have a process for preparing images in LiveJournal, but here I would like to delve into the technology of making a mask that corrects the shape of the face, which is then covered with regular makeup, a wig and, finally, a costume.

You will find out how many steps it takes to fill a silicone mask, why you need to wrap the artist in black polyethylene, what horror-horror-horror looks like, and who needs all this

First of all, we get to know the guys from the workshop, which is located at Mosfilm. It all looks like a museum of a mad puppeteer, and the first exhibits greet us at the entrance.

In principle, you can look at the exhibits at the entrance for a long time, but I will show a couple of photographs, and we will move to the workshop, because they are already waiting for us there.

And they are waiting for us at the ready with black bags, plaster and silicone. Because the first thing you need to do is take a cast of your face and make a mold for pouring masks. Fourteen programs are filmed per season, so during this time the specialists need to make 14 masks. Fortunately, the impression is taken only once. The cast was filmed in February, and I did not yet know that Renas, the man who puts the rubber cap on me, will not only mold me into Sting at the end of the season, but will also star in my summer video, the presentation of which will take place this Thursday;)

So the topic of black bags has been revealed. And now a special VERY COLD silicone-based composition is poured onto the face so that the cast accurately follows the shape of the face. The thing is so cold that it takes effort not to start chattering your teeth.

Plaster is then applied to the mold so as not to damage the silicone layer. For half an hour, while this entire structure is drying, you can neither move nor talk and “breathe carefully too,” as the wizards of plastic makeup advised me. I tried to do everything very carefully, so as not to repeat the procedure a second time.

As a result, a special polymer is poured into the resulting blank, which after hardening and removal (and this happens a couple of days after taking the impression) looks like this. Similar?

In the background is a working board with photographs of all the project participants and someone’s mask left over from the filming of the last program.
Well, half the work is done, but the most interesting is yet to come. Here is another exhibit, this time the hobby of one of the studio employees on the left).

By the way, here is that same employee.
The most exciting process begins - preparing the mask. First of all, a plasticine mask is molded onto the cast, “complementing” the artist’s face with the face of the one he will portray. Today they are making Sting out of me, for example:)

And from Lena Maksimova - Mikhail "A Thousand Devils!" Boyarsky.

Sometimes the master gets carried away and ends up with something like this, completely different from Alexander Gradsky, for example:

The day is long, there is little energy, and therefore the guys periodically support each other with music :)

But you can’t do without help and advice, of course. Especially when it comes to Sting. Responsibility g)

Face sculpting is the most labor-intensive process, taking the entire working day, or even more. When the face shape is ready, a relief is applied to the “skin” so that the face then looks more natural, and not like a plastic mask (as it actually is).

And a mustache, of course. No way without a mustache.

When the plasticine runs out, it’s time to fill the workpiece. But first, we line up the masks and admire the result.

What we got is called “positive”.

This blank exactly repeats the shape of the face of the hero who will be portrayed in the show "Exactly". But the real mask is still like walking to the moon. We have to make a negative, and only then pour in the composition, which, when frozen, will become a mask applied to the face of the hero of the program. Let's continue.

The positive is coated with a layer of silicone, which will be the top, soft, layer of the negative. Tadyshch.

Another layer, thicker, is applied on top.

And one more.

And again, and again. Until the workpiece becomes like this.

We apply a layer of lubricant to facilitate the subsequent removal of the workpiece from the mold, and you can proceed to the mold itself. The plastic paste, which is a component of the outer part of the negative, although similar to ice cream, is not recommended for ingestion due to its tendency to harden and be toxic. Let's just say that the nutritionist will not approve)

The mixture is two-component. Pour in and mix.

And mix.

Until we get a homogeneous, slightly foamy mass.

And while this is happening, pay attention to the abundance of tools and words to designate them :)

Apply plastic mass to the workpiece.

A thick, thick layer. Here, as you can see, no material is spared :)

In this state, the workpiece will stand for at least 12 hours so that the soft layers of silicone harden and are ready to form the mask. For some reason the word “silence” comes up.

Even though 14 masks need to be prepared for each program (and since two programs are filmed for two days in a row, 28 need to be made in a week and a half, when the images have already been approved), the guys still have a little free time. And they know what to spend it on :)

In fact, if you see a freak with something like this face in a club in Moscow on Halloween, then this is 85% the work of these guys. :)

Well, the time has come, and you need to separate the positive and negative in order to make a mask with their help. An iron spacer is pre-inserted into the positive, with the help of which undocking can be carried out smoothly and without sudden actions (and also with the help of knowledge of the lever rule, a simple device with a belt and such and such) so as not to tear the silicone.

Plasticine is no longer needed, so its remains must be removed from both parts.

Now a layer of vinyl is applied to the positive. This film will keep the mask on the artist's face.

Lubricant is applied to the inside of the negative so that the mask does not stick to it (the negative) and can be easily removed.

Now the actual making of the mask begins. It is mixed based on several components, but the base, of course, is silicone (silicone is our everything!). It is very important to maintain proportions.

Without dyes, the mask would be transparent, and it would have to be dyed to match the color of the skin directly on the face, creating a layer of “plaster.” In order not to complicate the work of make-up artists, the mask is painted in a near-flesh color at the manufacturing stage. A little cream, a little red to taste and eye.

Now a very important point: from the silicone mass, before it hardens, you need to remove air bubbles so that the mass is homogeneous. How to do it? Yes, very simple. Vacuum.

The solution is placed under a cap, from which air is pumped out by an electric pump.

Oleg closely monitors the process. Not that anything could go wrong, he just likes looking at the bubbles :)

Never work with a vacuum without gloves. Do you hear? Never!

Finally, a liquid mask without bubbles (this is important) is poured into the negative.

The positive is inserted on top. Thus, the resulting mask will repeat the shape of my face from the inside, and the face of the artist I will play from the outside.

All that remains is to press it well and wait until it hardens again.

While we are waiting for the finished mask, let me introduce you to the director of the Illusion Industries Moscow studio, Irina. She is great:)

Finally, the mask is ready, and it must be carefully separated from the negative and positive. Almost zen :)

The instructions provided by American technologists recommend storing the mask in a positive manner, but our guys have slightly improved the approach so that the mask does not deform under its own weight.

The makeup process looks something like this, and this is just the beginning.

It evokes approximately the following associations for me.

By the way, although this is no longer the subject of this post, Sting ended up looking like this:

Hope you liked it :)

Post prepared specifically for the community