A Noob Looking For Reassurance With Pred Suit Making

[PredatorPrincess]

1st: I apologize if I put this in the wrong thread section & apologize in advance for the noob questions o.0
2nd: I've never worked with latex, ultra cal 30 or have even taken a art class. (unless you count high-school)
-but i did sculpt a bio last year! -the cheap way (waterbased clay was not my friend...)

So now that you know my secrets! After reading multiple threads, watching numerous youtube tutorials-I just have some questions. ( i just like to have all my ducks in a row before I dive into something I guess because this stuff def isn't cheap being a college student and all)

Q1: Pros-Aide is a must have when it comes to latex mask making? There's no other options? (recommendations)-stuffs like $10 for 2oz

Q2: I do not have any local retailers that sell clay (chavant), latex, or ultra cal30 -
I was planning on purchasing 10lbs Chavant, 2 Gals latex and 50lbs of ultra cal30 assuming that would be enough for two masks (male and female) and a latex'd Mr. I suit and if pros-aides like a must have any reccomendations on how much to purchase as well?

P.s - I was lucky and found some liquitex inks on clearance in pred colors and I've heard that a dual action airbrush is the best way to go.

--Thanks in advance. I really appreciate everyone whose tried to help

 

[Double H]

1st off, welcome to the lair. You have done the right thing with researching etc before posting. In regards to prosaide, you do not need it to make the mask. Prosaide is the adhesive used to cover the mask prior to painting and fx inks are best way to go so spot on there

 

[PredatorPrincess]

1st off, welcome to the lair. You have done the right thing with researching etc before posting. In regards to prosaide, you do not need it to make the mask. Prosaide is the adhesive used to cover the mask prior to painting and fx inks are best way to go so spot on there

Thanks! Ill have to guesstamate on how much

 

[wonko]

Like Double H said, the pros-aide is what you apply to the raw latex prior to painting. As far as quantity, I used a little over 2 oz. to do my head and upper torso. I would say 4 oz. should be enough to do a complete suit (head to toe) but it can't hurt to have a little extra on hand. I would hate to run out in the middle of a paint up and have to wait for more to come in the mail. I personally use the FW inks because they're readily available to me, but the liquitex should be fine, as I've heard of others using them as well. You'll definitely want to go with a double action AB, and I suggest not wasting your time or money on the super cheapo ones you see around. You don't need a pro quality, but stay away from the $20.00 sets you see around...I made that mistake twice. I also recommend not wasting your money on the small hobby air compressors. For close to the same price as a good hobby compressor, you can pick up a small one from your local home improvement store that is way more versatile and won't run continuously (after an hour of it running you'll want to start breaking stuff ).

I haven't really done much sculpting, but It seems to me that most people are using around 25 lbs (give or take) for a head sculpt. I'm sure someone with more experience can correct me if I'm wrong. I have used the monster makers clay, and absolutely love it. It seems like it's allot lighter for the same mass as the Chavant, and has a great "feel" to it.

Brian

 

[ptgreek]

Go with much more NSP clay ( if you have leftover...you can start another project ) ...dont forget burlap to thicken your mold . WED clay to form your mold divider walls, Crystal clear to cover your sculpture before you mold it. ( it works as a barrier between your clay and stone ...trust me ..a healthy couple layers of crystal clear makes the difference of a few minutes of mold cleaning ..or excruciating hours of mold cleaning.) as for the necessity of Prosaid. ...well there are other methods..one is making rubber cement paints....thinning rubber cement and mixing it with acrylic. It can be done with everyday hardware store products ...AND is considered a much better methodology for its "staying power" ..HOWEVER ..rubber cement is quite toxic ..it is recommended that you use a full respirator while mixing the paint.

 

[Usurper]

most of my pred heads take between 34-36 lbs of clay.

 

[Double H]

most of my pred heads take between 34-36 lbs of clay.

Yep I'll second that one. The amount you use varies on the style of predator you are doing and the size you sculpt it

 

[Philby]

you can always take up " dead space " with a foam head or styrofoam ball ,........using less clay the better ( in my opinion ) because if you use water based ( WED) clay it will crack or stink faster if the whole head is clay ,......not one really more right than the other,.....just something i noticed while working with wed clay ,.....
as long as you cover it with plastic and a wet shop towel ( paper towels dissintigrate after a use or 2 ) ,......then it shouldn't give you much problems,....

 

[PredatorPrincess]

I appreciate everyones advice. We actually already have a large air compressor . As for "dead space" I have a styrofoam head and I was going to bulk up (make) the crown part with prob cardboard/ducttape-as you would a clay wall for plaster- if that makes sense?. I didnt know it was going to take 34-46 lbs of clay though even with a head to sculpt on. Unless thats just sculpting a head from nothing like the entire thing is straight up clay? I'm not sure. I also heard it was best to use Matte crystal clear spray instead of gloss. (bc if you use gloss the plaster doesnt like to adhere as well) and I'll admit i was lookin at a cheapo airbrush. I'm assumin WED clay is better for the walls bc its cheaper? Not really sure. Would I need to cover the NSP sculpt in plastic anyway?

Thanks again!

 

[wonko]

When molding your head, you don't want the plaster to adhere to the clay at all, so your best bet IS the gloss. I don't know how you would sculpt a head without some type of armature (the "dead space" your talking about). Most I've seen use either a life cast (best option) or a mannequin torso/head. One of the members here (made007 I believe) fiber glassed over a foam head for his armature and it came out pretty good. Until I actually got a full size pred head in my hands I had no idea how big they really were.

Brian

 

[Kithunter]

Welcome to the lair ,

Great first post and yours getting some great feedback from some of the veterans

AM