Halloween II Myers Mask write up and General Mask Making Tips

Mr Mold Maker

Master Member
Hey folks! With the new movie coming out, I’ve been in a bit of a Halloween mood. I decided to try my hand at sculpting a Halloween 2 Myers! This will be a long one, skip to the bottom if you just want to see finished pics! However, I have included some general mask making tips along the way that don’t just apply to Myers, but any latex mask.


The original mask, for those that don’t know, was made by taking a 1975 Captain Kirk mask by Don Post Studios, removing the sideburns and eyebrows, cutting the eyes larger, spraying it “fish belly” white, and misting the hair with Streak-n-Tips. The hero mask was used in Halloween, and then the same mask was used again in Halloween 2. The masks paint had tarnished quite severely, the black had come out of the hair, leaving it more of a dirty brown.

To start my sculpture, I did exactly what Don Post Studios did to make their Captain Kirk. I used a lifecast of William Shatner! Bill Malone is the artist who made the original Kirk mask. Taking the very lifecast this one is cast from and opening the eyes, adding ears and the rest of the head. He also made some strange choices regarding the likeness. Heavily altering the cheeks, and resculpting the lips mainly.
D6D3DD3B-49CF-4C66-B8D6-D8E52E4EF613.jpeg

So you think, great, job done! Clay press it, open the eyes, make a Kirk, and call it done..... well, not quite in this case. I didn’t want to replicate a mint 75 Kirk. That has already been done to perfection. I wanted to approach this as more of a portrait sculpture of the hero Myers mask. Adding each and every little surface imperfection and flaw in the pull I could see in reference.
800E3F22-B8F2-4C9B-9233-ED9A39444489.png ABBDAD1D-BFE0-4740-BE1F-002BF1EA6950.jpeg
When I look at the reference, I also see a mask that is heavily distorted from use. The nose and chin in particular are sagging under their weight. This is an effect that mint Kirk replicas never capture, as today’s latex just doesn’t stretch and stay there like 70’s “claytex.” If we compare it to a mint Kirk replica I think what I’m saying becomes super clear. I set out to replicate THAT mask. To me? THE mask. I had my goal set, all that was left was to claypress the Shatner lifecast and start sculpting! Countless hours over the next seven days and I ended up with a sculpture I was happy with. I worked on it all the way up until it was under stone so I don’t have “finished” sculpture pics but here are some in progress ones!
790FED37-E32F-43EA-8254-3FAD703B7F35.jpeg7F0EC222-9B6A-44B0-A524-BAD1E68526C2.jpeg15E98191-901C-4D4A-8FE0-3485FA4F066C.jpeg

I molded the sculpture with a favorite of mine, Ultracal 30. I did the back half free standing by making my clay wall, wrapping the front half of the sculpture with cling film, and then supporting the wall with fast set plaster bandages. The medical type, not the weak stuff from Michael’s. This allows you to really refine your wall and get it nice, smooth, and 90 degrees from the sculpture.

A tip for mask makers.. You can get a much stronger stone mold by adding more heat during the cure. How do you add more heat? You spray the mold down with water and tightly wrap it with a plastic garbage bag. When my stone starts to seam, I soak it down and get a bag on it as quickly as I can. I’ll go back and spray it every 5 minutes or so, about three or four times, to keep the temperature up. You’ll notice the color will have shifted from a light grey to a very dark grey green. Adding Die Keen into your splash coat and finishing with this technique will make an incredibly strong and long lasting mold.

Another tip, don’t crack your molds hot. Especially if you’re molding an oil based sculpture. Myself? I am not a huge fan of scrubbing molds. Let the mold go through it’s cycle, hot, cold, and then back to room temp, that’s when you can crack it open. No sealer. Frekote Lifft for release. The Monster Clay fell right out of the mold. If I had gotten impatient and opened it ten minutes earlier I would have had fourty-five more minutes work. Things to keep in mind. :)
 
Last edited:
Re: Halloween II Myers Mask

So, on to the pull. Straight forward, didn’t have enough to dwell so I slushcast. Giving the mold surface a light spritz with water before pouring your latex will help the latex flow into the details. Three layers, pouring some in, coating the surface, dumping out.. wait five-ten minutes, do another layer. Myers masks are usually on the thin side so three was perfect. The seam gets trimmed but left on. (Bonus tip, if you have a seam you want to get rid of, I absolutely love using a pointed tip cotton dremel bit. Trim as close to the mask as you can, and then gently run it on a high setting, going with the rotation of the bit, along the seam. Naptha or lacquer thinned will clean up the dust and “boogers” left over. If you have any small warts or bumps from bubbles, you can also scrub them right off with the solvent!)

Onto the fun stuff, paint! I used Rubber Cement Paint to finish the mask. It’s made by mixing about 5 parts Rubber Cement (I used Best-Test Paper Cement) with 1 part oil paint to tint. Thin with Naptha. It’s a real pain to airbrush, if you have a dual action, forget about it. You’ll want an external feed like a Paasche H. Easier to spray, and much easier to clean. You can also brush paint a base but keep in mind, the rubber cement and solvents flash off incredibly quickly. It’s hard to get an even coat by brushing, but not impossible. Weathering was done with Tim Gore’s Bloodline and FW acrylics over top. The acrylics stick super well to rubber cement, but it’s always safer to add a sealer. Sealed with some Matte Medium by Liquitex, though V-Matte would work just fine too.

Hair is hand laid, hand dyed Crepe. I used E6000 clear. I used to use rubber cement for hairing but E6000 is amazing. Goes on easy, dries quick, and doesn’t smell absolutely horrible. Still might want to wear a respirator when working with it if you aren’t in a well ventilated area.


Here is the first copy in a few different lighting settings, and stuffed to match the famous “Warlock Stretch.” There is some stuff I want to change on the next copy, I messed the eyecuts up a little, want to weather it a little differently, etc. It’s impossible to catch lightning in a bottle, but I did my best! This is exactly how I see the Hero in Halloween II, and a side from some small changes I’d like to make to the sculpt at some point, I’m very, very happy!

5880B79D-5161-455C-AA59-69B0A7344D0E.jpeg878BB9F4-A197-4186-9954-630512C5A6B6.jpeg8508370B-A325-453E-AAC5-A768AAA9B10E.jpegABCF9543-6C77-4E8B-8178-50C03EA3E433.jpegBB4F683C-D9C5-4E6F-A11B-AF6439362DE6.jpeg736DA500-37A4-4398-A22A-7CDC1AB42FFA.jpeg1054DF5C-F5D9-424C-9804-A6238D4EF8EC.jpeg3F9709C2-FFCB-4D35-9C1C-1951B9F1CAF4.jpeg9A4F91BB-6E4C-4B63-B9B8-CF80E8C598E4.jpeg77446C23-C08F-43C1-B4AB-3941853F7CD5.jpeg


Hope you like it. I hope there is some useful information in here for you to make your own mask this Halloween, and as always, if there are any questions I am happy to help!

Jack
 
Last edited:
This is such a fantastic thread, thanks so much for taking the time to write it! There is some really useful information here. I never thought to support my walls with plaster bandages. these go on top of the cling film protective layer, correct?
 
This is such a fantastic thread, thanks so much for taking the time to write it! There is some really useful information here. I never thought to support my walls with plaster bandages. these go on top of the cling film protective layer, correct?

Yep, that is correct. I cling film the sculpture and the back side of the wall, and place them over the cling film. I’d say maybe a little less than a quarter inch of coverage on the sculpture, most of it is against the wall. :)
 
This is so cool. Love the insight and all the pointers you post Mr Mold Maker .
I am a huge Halloween fan. This hits home.

Thanks again
 
This is so cool. Love the insight and all the pointers you post Mr Mold Maker .
I am a huge Halloween fan. This hits home.

Thanks again


Thanks man! Glad to see you around, been a little while!

Next time I do a mask I’ll grab even more photos of the process and hopefully do a more detailed write up. If I’m lucky I’ll fit another one in before Halloween.. or else I’ll be the fattest Myers on the block. :lol
 
The cheek area really sells this mask for me. Great job!

All the tips and suggestions you mention are very helpful! I look forward to an even more detailed process description on your next project!
 
This thread is more than 5 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top