Casting Hands for Tomura (My Hero Academia)

[Vexsus]

Hello all, figured this might be the best place to ask for advice in what material and process would be ideal for casting the hands for a character from this anime( Tomura Shigaraki from My Hero Academia) I intend to cosplay. The most unique and striking feature of the costume is of course the hands that cover his form, I'd like them to both be detailed but lightweight enough that the ones attached to my face and neck would not give me neck strain. I am curious what advice you all might have for tackling this part of the cosplay as I'm not quite sure where to start. I have some experience in casting plaster from a clay model, but beyond that non with resins or other materials. Ideally I'd like to use my own hands for the base instead of having to sculpt them entirely, as I think I can be fairly expressive with them and am fairly long fingered.

 

[ChickenHaunt]

Look into lifecasting hands with Smooth On Body Double Silk in the poses you'll need. I'm pretty sure the company has put out a how to video on this. You can cast them in soft urethane foam with an aluminum wire armature inside to help them hold their shape and grip. Tint the foam when you mix it and you'll save yourself some trouble in the painting. You can also stipple in a few layers of latex before pouring the foam for a more paintable, more repairable surface.

 

[Vexsus]

That company looks like a great resource! Watching through a few of their videos gave me the idea of instead of having to make a different cast for each pose do you think it would be possible to just make a single cast of my hand in a neutral position and have a flexible armature inside that I can pose each hand as needed? I would think a silicone rubber might be light enough as opposed to a rigid material like the foam?