Hey everyone! As Halloween is soon approaching I am trying to get an overhauled Elrod. However, the whole process has always interested me and I was thinking of doing it on my own. The only problem is I do not have an airbrush which makes me a little nervous for a good outcome. Am I better off sending it to an independent artist? If so, does anyone have any recommendations for quick, reliable, and reasonable artists who can have one done by Halloween? Thanks.
You dont need an airbrush. I dont own one all the masks Ive painted with brushes and sponges.
Theres all kinds of videos on youtube on how to paint with brushes. You mix 50/50 half acryllic paint half liquid latex.
Both of these masks I painted with brushes from the dollar store
This is an Elrod. No airbrush used:
Oh okay. Last time I attempted 50/50 latex and acrylic I completely ruined my ToTs H2. I will try to look up some more videos tho. Thanks
Wow that looks great! Would you mind telling me what exactly you did to achieve that look. I’ve tried watching a few videos but would appreciate as much advice you could give. The more the better
How did you ruin it? I mix my paint more like 70-30 more latex than acryllic for a stronger bond either work.
heres a video from Don edmunds who created the mask company Distortion unlimited he shows how to paint a
mask with only brushes/sponges
make sure you dont put it on too thick in layers. I alwats have a piece of cereal box cardboard next to me, before
I put any paint on the mask I brush it on there to test it, To see if you have too much or too little paint on your brush
I started by breaking the smoothness of the original surface down with a light rub of isopropyl alcohol and some of that white magic eraser sponge.
I sponge painted it flesh in 2-3 thin thoroughly sponged thin layers, then built up the white with sponges in translucent layers by mixing it with matte medium and gently dabbing and blending it with makeup pads (which tend to disintegrate quickly unfortunately). First few layers are about 50/50 liquid latex/acrylic. The latex was the makeup applicable kind so it’s pretty thin. I imagine the thick mask-making stuff would be harder to work with. The matte medium is somewhat plastic itself so it flexes. However this isn’t the greatest mix for flexibility, especially with lots of layers, so I have experienced some cracking around the eyes and when stretching the chin.
I sealed it with a brushed on matte varnish, and a light dusting of gloss spray varnish to give it a slight reflective finish. I then sprayed isopropyl into the hair colour spray and rubbed a fine layer of that over it to add weathering.
This is the fourth time I’ve haired this mask as I kept trying different fibres. So it’s even more battered looking that when it started.
I trimmed the eyes out a bit, but they aren’t the most screen accurate really.