Making a Headcast

Hello all!

My latest cosplay was a mashup of Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat and Elsa from Frozen.  For this costume I made a face mask similar to what Sub-Zero wears.  Since sculpting the mask on my own face seemed pretty unreasonable, I figured it would make more sense to sculpt in on a cast of my own face...so I went all out and did an entire headcast.  It may have been overkill for this particular use, but I could see myself finding a headcast useful in the future so I went ahead and did it.

This is the method I used:
Please note that my head cast was made for accurate size ratios when sculpting a mask.  The end product was pretty rough.  It would not be a good cast for sculpting things like facial prosthetics.  However tweaking this process just a bit by using different materials will surely yield much more detailed and smooth results.  Alginate, for example would be a good material to use for a mold.  I'll post some links at the bottom to some tutorials using some other materials!


Things it will help to have:

• Plaster strips (I used just over 1 roll)
• Plaster of Paris
• Something to cover your hair (ideally a swimcap or  bald cap, but I just used a plastic bag)
• Vaseline
• Dish soap
• Scissors
• A friend to help you
• Trash bags for mess making
• Two big buckets
• A friend or someone you trust not to mummify you

You should be able to find everything you need at Walmart.  I got the plaster strips at Jo-Ann Fabrics because their coupons rock.  But it's easy to find just about anywhere really.
The mold making process took about an hour and I was able to pour the plaster in the next afternoon and remove the cast that evening. 



Step One: Prepare your head and face

You will want to make sure your hair is covered  for this.  Ideally you would like to use a swimcap or bald cap that will contain and protect your hair and make a smooth mold.  But I just put my hair up under a wig cap, covered it in a plastic bag, and but a headband around it to keep it in place.  Then you will want to basically just smear Vaseline all over your face, making sure to get a heavy coating around the hairline and eyebrows, and facial hair if you have it.....Plaster will be drying on your face.  The Vaseline is so your hair doesn't dry up in it and rip off when you remove the mold.



Selfie optional

 

 

 

Step Two: Prepare To Mold

 

(This step could technically be alternated with step one depending on how you'd prefer to allocate your time.  They are both preparation steps so yeah.....Do what you do, this is not an oppressive tutorial-guide-majiggy)

 

 It's best to prepare your strips in advance.  So start cutting strips from your plaster strips.  These are like gauze with plaster imbedded in it.  Cut a whole bunch that are about 2 inches thick.  Then cut some that are about an inch thick and then cut those in half (these will be good for the smaller areas like around the nose)
Get a big bowl of water.  I'd suggest lukewarm to warm just because they are going to drip down your neck and back and cold water just wouldn't be a lot of fun when that happens.  Unless you're into that.  I don't judge.

Pro Tip:  Wear grungy clothes or something you really don't like...because this will be messy and clothes may get ruined


Round Three:  MOLD!

Here is where a friend or trustworthy ally will come in very useful.  After you have prepared your strips and protected your hair and face, it's time to start the mold process.  The plaster strips actually dry pretty fast so you will want to work fairly quickly.
To use these strips you simply dip them in water and apply to whatever you're casting.
Start by making a seam.  The seam should just be a small gap (about 1/4" thick or less) between the two mold halves that runs down the middle from one shoulder to the other.  So visualize where that line would be and lay a plaster strip border on one side of where that gap would be.  Then do the same on the other side of the seam.  Now layer strips around the back of your head to build that half of the mold.  Do several layers, because you will definitely want the mold to be sturdy.  You'll want to  do the back half first to minimize the amount of time your face needs to be covered in plaster (which is pretty uncomfortable)



Try not to worry,  you picked your ally because you trust them....right?

Once you're done with the back, move along to the front.  Take care to leave the seam open because you will soon be separating these halves. 
When doing the face, it's best to start at the forehead and work down.  Again, this is to minimize the time you'll need to spend with your mouth covered.  Leave holes around the eyes and below the nose, you'll fill these in later on.

Make sure the strips are placed around your eyes in a way that makes you look worried, so when you post this on instagram, people can be concerned about your safety and/or sanity

 

 

 Step Four:  Remove Mold

This step is pretty self explanatory.  Once your mold has dried...you can knock on it, and it will be hard, carefully remove it one half at a time. 

Then set it out to dry!

 

 

 

While you wait:

 



Clean up, cause you're a mess

 

 

 

Step Five: Fill in the Eyes and Nose

After a few hours, your mold should be dry enough to add some layers to fill in the eyes and nose.  Just place a few layers of the smaller plaster strips over these areas to close them up.  This is also a good time to reinforce any spots that may be weak.  You can hold it up to the light and see if it shines through in any thin spots and add a few more layers there.  Once you're done with that, put the two halves together and put some strips around the seam to make it all one piece

Step Six: Reinforce and Pour Your Cast

Before you pour you plaster of paris into your mold, wrap some duct tape around it to reinforce it.  Then take a paint brush or sponge brush and brush in a coat of dish soap all around the inside.  Just  a layer will do.  Don't soak it or you'll weaken the mold.  This will act as a release agent.  Now, place a towel in a bucket and arrange it in kind of a donut shape.  This gives the mold a place to rest and adds some padding.  The plaster of paris will be very heavy so you don't want it to crush your mold.  The bucket will help stabilize the mold while the plaster sets and will contain any possible accidents.  It's not a bad idea to put the mold in a plastic bag also for mess prevention.

Have all of this done BEFORE mixing your plaster.  You will need a decent amount of plaster and you will need to get it mixed and poured quickly before it sets.  I used about a gallon and a half for my headcast.  Plaster of Paris is really inexpensive.  I bought 2 gallons for about $8.
Follow the instructions for mixing your plaster of paris.  You'll want to just mix one large batch so I'd recommend overestimating how much you'll need.  It's better to have too much than not enough.
Mix and pour quickly because this stuff sets fast.


Now wait...

Once it's poured, let it sit.  Go to work, see a movie or two, play some games, visit friends.  Whatever you do.  It would probably be best to let it sit for 24 hours, but I think I took mine out about 10 hours later.


Step Seven:  Finally

Make sure the plaster is set....it should be hard and cooled off.  (Plaster of paris gets really hot while it's setting, so if it's still warm, best to wait a little longer)
If you feel in your heart it is time to hatch, then grab your scissors and start cutting the mold away.  Cut where the seam is and then rip away the mold.  Your mold will probably not be reusable after this.
Once the mold is removed your are done.  You may choose to sand down and smooth out rough areas.  Or leave them, it adds character.

 

This method was an inexpensive and easy way to produce a very simple headcast.  My headcast came out a little rough, but it can be sanded and smoothed pretty easily.  Right now it works great for what I'm using it for.

There are other methods for making life casts.  If you're needing something more detailed, you might look into something like alginate for your mold.  If you need something more durable you might try casting in something like permastone or ultracal

Check out these links:

This is a tutorial on using alginate for a mold of your face

This site sells all kinds of kits for casting and provides useful video tutorials as well

This site has a variety of casting and special effects tutorials and also sells materials you'd need for them