K'Lara's Page

Thanks! I've tinted my latex pieces using a colored powder from the German makeup supplier Kryolan. I think it's specially made for tinting latex. It's very good -doesn't affect the feel or composition of the latex at all (liquid tinting media might do that).

When I paint untinted latex masks, I use a bit of acrylic tube paint mixed with latex on a paper plate. I use a mixture of about one third acrylic paint to two thirds latex. I doesn't have to be that exact. Just use more latex than paint! Then I use a sponge, either a small makeup sponge or just a piece of foam from an old foam matress or foam cushion, and mix the paint and latex together. Use the sponge to paint the latex piece, by simply sponging the latex/paint mix over the mask. Now here's the trick: Build up the paint in layers. Paint a part of the mask with your soaked sponge. Then take a dry sponge and dab that over the painted area, then keep painting with this new sponge. This will create a thin layer of paint, and actually add some nice texture to the mask. If you only use the sponge with which you soak up the paint, the paint layer will be too thick. Keep doing this until you have a uniform look to your painted mask. Use a hairdryer to speed up the drying process. You can then add shading to the mask by darkening your paint/latex mix, preferably with a reddish brown (if it's human skin color). Use a smaller sponge to add shading to deep areas of your mask (wrinkles and such).

Here's another important thing: When you've finished painting your mask, dip a brush in corn starch and dab that over the mask. The dried latex paint can be a bit sticky, like sticky tape, if the surface is left shiny. Dabbing corn starch takes this effect away and also creates a more natural, matte skin surface. Then you just wipe the corn starch off with a moist cloth.

I highly recommend that you get rubber mask grease paints (google those words exactly) for the makeup job. These makeup paints are opaque and will look the same on both skin and latex, so they usually cover up nicely.

Do you use a plaster mould for your mask pieces, or du you build them up in layers over a sculpture (or something similar)?

I just did a post on my blog about sculpting mask parts in clay and creating plaster molds for them:

http://loneanimator.blogspot.com/

We have at least one Trek club in Sweden, but we also have a section of the Klingon Language Institute. As would be expected, the number of Trekkies over here increased after the new movie. Many friends of mine, who wouldn't be caught dead watching Trek before, are now buying DVD box sets of the various series, and really enjoying it!

Well, good for her if she can afford following her favourite actor around the world! I wouldn't do that, exactly, but it would be fun to attend a really big con some day and see some of the stars. We're just getting started with that stuff in Sweden.