Halloween is around the corner! What better way to fight crime (and get candies!) than to make a custom fit Batman mask! This was a huge endeavour as my daughter had never done this before. But watch a Youtube video or two and you become an expert.

My daughter is a huge Batman fan and this is the mask she made for her Halloween costume.

Step 1: Materials

Latex
Clay
Plastic Wrap
vaseline
Plaster
Plaster Strips
Spackling
Black Acrylic Paint
Baby Powder
Clear Lacquer
Styrofoam Head
Bald Cap/ Swim Cap
Scissors
Exacto Knife
Blow Drier
News Paper

Step 2: Getting Ready

First you will need to put on your bald cap/ swim cap. Make sure that you get all of your hair into the cap and make sure there are little to no lumps. Next you will need to cover your whole face with Vaseline, making sure that you cover all exposed hair really well (eye brows, eye lashes, ect.).

Step 3: Face Mold

Dip plaster strips into water and place over front half of your head leaving holes for your nose and if your are doing by your self leave one eye uncovered. Use blow drier to help it dry faster. Once it is dry enough to keep its shape you can take it off. Repeat the same proses on the back of your head. You want to make sure that the front and back half of the molds will over lap just a bit. Once they are both dry put both halves on and mark the overlap with a marker and cut it off using scissors.

Step 4: Cut Styrofoam Head

Cut the styrofoam head into several pieces and using duck tape tape it back together. This will make it easer to pull out of the mold later.

Step 5: Clay Time!

Take both sides of your head mold and lay plastic wrap on the inside. Now take the clay pieces and press firmly into mold. Once you have this done on both sides take the the syrofoam head and firmly place it into the front half of the mold filling in all the empty spaces. Now place the back half of the mold to the styrofoam head. Press both sides firmly together. Gently remove both side of the head mold and the plastic wrap. Add some clay at the sieme to join the front and the back hald of the head. Now you will have an exact clay form of your face.

Step 6: Sculpting

Now it is time to sculpt your mask! I used pottery clay, however an oil based clay will be easier to sculpt with. When you are done sculpting spry your sculpt with clear finish lacquer.

Step 7: Casting

Make a very thin layer of plaster by mixing it with water and cover the whole sculpt making sure that you get all the details. Now mix some thicker plaster and cover the whole sculpt about half an inch thick. Gently tap the head to get all the air bubbles out. Still using the thicker plaster mix continue layering the sculpt alternating between plaster and plaster strips to make it strong. You want it to be about 1 inch thick. Now let dry completely.

Step 8: Cleaning Out the Cast

Remove the styrofoam head. Once the styrofoam is removed remove all the clay. Be gentle you don't want to scratch the cast. You can rinse it out using water and wiping gently with a towel. Once all the clay is removed use some spackling to fill the holes and sand paper to remove any unwanted raised areas. When you are done fixing the inside, spray the inside with clear lacquer and let it dry completely.

Step 9: Latex

Pour some latex into a container and mix in some black acrylic paint. Thin down the latex using water about 1 cup of latex and 1-2 TBS of water. This will ensure a nice even coat. Pour some of the latex into the cast and swish it around to cover the entire inside. Drain the access back into the container. place it with the hole facing down and let the access latex drain. Rotate the cast every couple of minutes to ensure an even layer. Once all the access is drained place the cast with hole facing up to and let it dry. For faster drying position a blow drier on the lowest setting over the hole of the cast. It should take about 1-1:30 hours to dry. Repeat this process 3-4 times. It is important that you let each layer dry completely before you pour in more latex.

Step 10: Removing the Mask

Sprinkle some baby powder into the mask, this will prevent the latex from sticking to itself. Gently peel the latex away from the cast sprinkling more baby powder on the outside of the latex as you go. Once the mask is removed wash it off as it will be very dirty. You can use a dremle tool to remove any big lumps and bumps. If there are any spots you wish to paint the easiest way to do this is to mix a little bit of latex and acrylic paint together. Using scissors or an exacto knife cut out the eyes and the mouth. Now you have a mask that fits perfectly to your face.