How to make a Silent
Cross-posted to dw-cosplay
So this is the final result - as seen at the Entertainment Media event
(1st & 2nd October 2011 @ Earls Court 1)
I blew up a party balloon; one that I knew would go quite big without bursting (helium quality are good for this)
I papier mache'd over the whole thing once (Kitchen Roll with 3 or 4 parts PVA to 1 part water ... ish) then moulded the face onto the front, putting a layer on over the top to keep it on.
I made another layer in magazine paper to strengthen it then put another layer of Kitchen Roll on to give a good surface to paint onto, making sure each layer had dried before starting the next.
I used the scissors to cut through and pop the balloon then to cut out holes for my head to go through and for the eyes.
I painted the entire head in Acrylic Paint (mixture of red, black and 'flesh' coloured,) using extra black in the paint for the shading. Then, once dry, I watered down some white Acrylic paint and did a wash over the entire head to give it a translucent look, with a thicker coat where i wanted the highlights.
I then cut up some tights and taped the material over the eyes so they looked black but i could still see out (sort of!) I then papier mache'd (love this stuff - lol) the material into place so it didn't come away from the rest of the mask.
I put highlights on the front of the material to give the eyes some life.
The head originally had some material stapled to it to form the neck which i then papier mached to hide the join but this proved quite difficult as the material went under the shirt and tie and was difficult to put on and take off. I therefore scrapped the material and folded the mache under so the opening was less rough.
The neck was then created using some stretchy material with the ends sewn together to make a tube and slits up the side so the material could go down under the shirt at the front and back. This hid my hair nicely and gave the neck a wrinkled look more suited to the costume.
The jacket was done by pinching the material in lines all the way down the jacket then pinning and doing a straight stitch by hand down them. Not too complecated but a little time consuming.
* Also note that the jacket was slightly on the large side as pinching the material will make it a smaller fit *
The hands were done by stuffing some latex gloves with kitchen roll, taking the fingers from another glove and extending the ones on the whole glove to make them like the longer silent fingers. Then I papier mached them by winding strips of it around the gloves and off the ends to make a bit of the arms so you could not see any of my skin.
Once dried these were painted in the same way as the head but painting the tips darker.
And there you have it.
If you have any further questions feel free to ask.
So this is the final result - as seen at the Entertainment Media event
(1st & 2nd October 2011 @ Earls Court 1)
I blew up a party balloon; one that I knew would go quite big without bursting (helium quality are good for this)
I papier mache'd over the whole thing once (Kitchen Roll with 3 or 4 parts PVA to 1 part water ... ish) then moulded the face onto the front, putting a layer on over the top to keep it on.
I made another layer in magazine paper to strengthen it then put another layer of Kitchen Roll on to give a good surface to paint onto, making sure each layer had dried before starting the next.
I used the scissors to cut through and pop the balloon then to cut out holes for my head to go through and for the eyes.
I painted the entire head in Acrylic Paint (mixture of red, black and 'flesh' coloured,) using extra black in the paint for the shading. Then, once dry, I watered down some white Acrylic paint and did a wash over the entire head to give it a translucent look, with a thicker coat where i wanted the highlights.
I then cut up some tights and taped the material over the eyes so they looked black but i could still see out (sort of!) I then papier mache'd (love this stuff - lol) the material into place so it didn't come away from the rest of the mask.
I put highlights on the front of the material to give the eyes some life.
The head originally had some material stapled to it to form the neck which i then papier mached to hide the join but this proved quite difficult as the material went under the shirt and tie and was difficult to put on and take off. I therefore scrapped the material and folded the mache under so the opening was less rough.
The neck was then created using some stretchy material with the ends sewn together to make a tube and slits up the side so the material could go down under the shirt at the front and back. This hid my hair nicely and gave the neck a wrinkled look more suited to the costume.
The jacket was done by pinching the material in lines all the way down the jacket then pinning and doing a straight stitch by hand down them. Not too complecated but a little time consuming.
* Also note that the jacket was slightly on the large side as pinching the material will make it a smaller fit *
The hands were done by stuffing some latex gloves with kitchen roll, taking the fingers from another glove and extending the ones on the whole glove to make them like the longer silent fingers. Then I papier mached them by winding strips of it around the gloves and off the ends to make a bit of the arms so you could not see any of my skin.
Once dried these were painted in the same way as the head but painting the tips darker.
And there you have it.
If you have any further questions feel free to ask.