Question about Small Scale Brush on Molds

So, I should probably explain what my project is before asking my question. I'm making a model of King Kong, I'm still working on the skull, but I eventually want to sculpt on top of it with clay and then make a silicon mold of that head. The below photo gives you an idea of size.



I want to keep the costs down as much as possible, so I was wondering about the logistics of making a brush on mold for something this size, using a jacket of plaster of paris or similar material. I'm going to make separate molds for the teeth, and once I finish sculpting the head, I'll block out the mouth with clay--so the head will be a relatively simple shape. I'm thinking a one part mold where I just pull out the head with a two part jacket, and then making a slush casting that I can later reinforce. But since I don't have a lot of experience with mold making, I'd like to know what others think. Thanks!

Please tell me more about the final product. Yes, I read King Kong, and I see the photo, but what is the final product going to be? Will it be a resin casting? Will it be a flexible casting? Are you hoping to have a skull and a rubber skin over it, as in an animatronic? Will this be a puppet, a statue? a doll?


The answer to your question depends on the final product, so please provide more information.

clonesix said:

Please tell me more about the final product.

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I want the head to be static, so a rigid resin casting. I want the model to pretty much last forever, so I want to avoid techniques used for the original stop motion puppet (in that case latex rubber) so I thought I could make a resin castings of key parts of his body which will not be covered in fur--head, chest, hands, feet. Since there's less at stake with the hands and feet, I might just make them out of epoxy. But with the head, I'd rather sculpt over the skull in clay. I also was thinking the eyes and teeth castings would be separate pieces, but if the head is a solid piece of resin, there's no way to easily add those parts. Hopefully that answers some of your questions

Edit: Basically, if you've ever seen Steven Richter on YT, I want to do what he's doing with busts but small scale https://youtu.be/w0woKlj5Zd0

OK, got it: a resin casting.


Feel free to sculpt clay right over your armature. Yes, you can do a brush up mold (like the video)

You will need to mold the teeth separately, either before or after you sculpt and mold the head. The question then becomes: "How do you put the molded teeth back into the molded casting?" Unless the mouth can open, you can't put the teeth in there.

A) If you mold the lower jaw as a separate piece, the teeth can be added to the mouth and then cover the model in fur to hide the joint,

B) If you do a hollow, slush-cast, as in the video, then the teeth would be glued in from the inside. This is not impossible, but may require some effort to get them into the right spot.

Best luck on your project

clonesix said:

A) If you mold the lower jaw as a separate piece, the teeth can be added to the mouth and then cover the model in fur to hide the joint

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I never considered this, so now I definitely have options. Thanks for the response, I feel more confident now in progressing with the sculpting, molding, etc.