Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Step 2The Hair and Face
I bought a long brownish wig from eBay for about $20 (includes shipping).
The wig was actually too long, but I planned that on purpose because I had planned on cutting off some of the length to make the facial hair with.
After trimming the wig to the appropriate length. I used liquid latex (you can find it at most costume supply shops or online) to attach the hair to the latex appliance. I used liquid latex to prevent any damage to the mask from regular glues.
I started on the chin piece first and then worked my way to the cheek areas. The wig I purchased did not come low enough on my forehead to match the screen shot of Teen Wolf I was using as my reference, so I attached more hair to the brow area of the mask.
I also decided to paint the mask a more realistic flesh color that matched my own, so I would not have to use so much grease makeup when I put it on. (Side Note: If you do buy make up for a latex mask, make sure it is made for latex. Oil based makeups and paints will deteriorate the mask much like petroleum will mess up a condom. Look for Rubber Mask Grease.)
I used PAX paint to paint the mask. PAX is a 50/50 mixture of acrylic based paint (Usually Liquitex brand) and Pros-Aide Adhesive (Found online or in a costume shop).
One word of caution. When painting an entire latex mask with PAX, avoid painting around the edges. Leave yourself at least about a quarter to half inch. the latex will soak up the PAX paint a little and will cause it to shink a bit and then you won't have the nice thin latex edges for better blending to your face. I forgot this when I painted and had to work around it when I attached it to my face.
I painted the mask after glueing the hair on so that I could try and hide the hair lines a little with the paint. It didn't work as well as I had hoped, so I took some light and dark brown crepe wool hair (eBay) and glued it along the hair lines with sprit gum to further camoflauge the previous hair work.
In the picture below from left to right is the various stages of prepping the crepe hair. It starts out as a briad when you first buy it. I then unraveled it and put it under an iron set to a steam setting to straighten it out. Tehn I cut it to length and pulled it apart to look more like hair. I did this with both the light and dark brown hair and then mixed them together to match the hair on the wig.
The last thing I did was paint the latex ear pieces.
It turned out pretty good.
The wig was actually too long, but I planned that on purpose because I had planned on cutting off some of the length to make the facial hair with.
After trimming the wig to the appropriate length. I used liquid latex (you can find it at most costume supply shops or online) to attach the hair to the latex appliance. I used liquid latex to prevent any damage to the mask from regular glues.
I started on the chin piece first and then worked my way to the cheek areas. The wig I purchased did not come low enough on my forehead to match the screen shot of Teen Wolf I was using as my reference, so I attached more hair to the brow area of the mask.
I also decided to paint the mask a more realistic flesh color that matched my own, so I would not have to use so much grease makeup when I put it on. (Side Note: If you do buy make up for a latex mask, make sure it is made for latex. Oil based makeups and paints will deteriorate the mask much like petroleum will mess up a condom. Look for Rubber Mask Grease.)
I used PAX paint to paint the mask. PAX is a 50/50 mixture of acrylic based paint (Usually Liquitex brand) and Pros-Aide Adhesive (Found online or in a costume shop).
One word of caution. When painting an entire latex mask with PAX, avoid painting around the edges. Leave yourself at least about a quarter to half inch. the latex will soak up the PAX paint a little and will cause it to shink a bit and then you won't have the nice thin latex edges for better blending to your face. I forgot this when I painted and had to work around it when I attached it to my face.
I painted the mask after glueing the hair on so that I could try and hide the hair lines a little with the paint. It didn't work as well as I had hoped, so I took some light and dark brown crepe wool hair (eBay) and glued it along the hair lines with sprit gum to further camoflauge the previous hair work.
In the picture below from left to right is the various stages of prepping the crepe hair. It starts out as a briad when you first buy it. I then unraveled it and put it under an iron set to a steam setting to straighten it out. Tehn I cut it to length and pulled it apart to look more like hair. I did this with both the light and dark brown hair and then mixed them together to match the hair on the wig.
The last thing I did was paint the latex ear pieces.
It turned out pretty good.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
If I remember correctly, it only took me a night or two to glue the hair, since I waited for each layer to dry before I added the next.