Help Someone with Another Loki Build? :D

I'm only going to be making the helmet (if I get that far) because my friend is in love it (and I with Loki admittedly) and I've been wanting to try my hand at molding/clay sculpture for experience relating to the special effects makeup I want to get into.
I don't have an armature nor can I find one, so I attempted to make the basic shape of the helmet with "Activ-Wire Mesh" that was an on-the-whim buy.


(This is my first build ever and this the beginning of step 1, so you're not allowed to laugh YET. :P)

The problem I've encountered is that when not resting on the paint can, it folds into itself like so

The layering is still very thin, but I was just wondering if this was a bad idea and if I should quit while I'm still ahead? What would you recommend?
Thank you!

I've seen some genius' on this forum make on-the-fly armature head pieces using aluminium foil and duct tape. Basically you wrap your/someones head with alfoil to get the shape of the head/face, and then you wrap THAT with duct tape to solidify the shape a bit more. Then you get it cut off and I guess fill it with something to make it solid so it doesn't fall in on itself when you push against it. That gives you a base on which to mould things and, if it's for a specific person, will allow for the proportions to be correct for them.

I haven't tried to make one myself yet, but I've been thinking about it, so if you do give it a shot let me know how you do it and how you go .

As for the sculpting, sorry I can't give any tips as I haven't done any of that myself either.

That looks pretty troublesome. I'm also very new at sculpting, and am also starting with my sculpt of Loki's helm from avengers. It's going pretty well so far. I got a foam head from a beauty supply store (Sally's or whatever is nearest you, they usually will sell foam heads) and am sculpting over that. The main problem I have had is the weight of the clay on top of the foam makes it tippy, but I am going to screw it into a piece of wood to make it more stable. That is what I have seen other helmet sculptors do, so that would be my suggestion. But, that is in preparation for molding with silicon and casting in resin after that. If you are not looking to mold from it, then i'm not sure what to recommend. Good luck!

I tried the foil method but everything I attempted to stuff it with collapsed in on itself, so I'm still looking for a material to stuff it with.

Sally's didn't even occur to me, haha. There's one right by where I live, so I'll definitely have to check it out. I am planning to cast it if I like how it turns out.

Now I have to attempt to scrape the clay off of this mesh...

Okay, reboot number 2. I completely scrapped the other one (thank god, amirite?) in favor of sculpting on an armature. The only one I could find was a 10" one, so I resigned myself to making a replica helmet- just so I could say I did it, I suppose.
And so far, I have this.


Stage one still, but making progress.
Bigbigbig question, though. Does anyone know the best way to add the taper to the back? Do I just layer clay to do it? I thought that'd make it incredibly heavy, but I'm not going to be wearing and it might be a good counterbalance to the horns.
But I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing, so suggestions? : D

This should be a really cool project!
I know you don't have much experience sculpting, but with enough picture reference and the right tool you should do fine.

Make sure to have your measurements for the persons head you plan to make the helmet for in mind when you sculpt the helmet. You don't want it turning out too small.

What kind of clay are you sculpting with? Water or oil based? Oil gives you a much longer working time.

Are you using loop tools? Loop tools work really well to carve away at the clay.

Are you planning on molding and casting the helmet sculpt? If so make sure the horns are sculpted separately from the helmet.

Thank you!
I'm sculpting with Amaco air-dry clay. I think I saw somewhere around here that it would be the best for the sculpt, but I could be wrong.
I have a starter set of tools that I'm using which have been very helpful, but I'll have to look into a loop tool.
I do want to mold and cast it if I get that far; I'm notorious for having unfinished projects, haha.

I've run into another problem with the air-dry clay though. I wasn't able to return to the project within a day, so when I unwrapped the usually damp towels I have around it (living in Florida I'm sure doesn't help either), it cracked in several places. I redampened the towels in hopes I could sculpt over the fissures later to salvage it. How I do prevent this problem? Or, even better, what is the best way to cover the armature? I've been taking hunks of clay from the block and smoothing it onto pieces already placed, but this has led to the huge cracks.

in all honesty if you have large gaps between sculpting sessions you may be better off with an oil based clay that wont dry out and can still be molded