I plan to rehaul my Tots H6 Curse Mask.
Is it at all doable by hand instead of an airbrush?
My issue is,I don’t want to pay lots of money for an airbrish set up that will never get used much, as this is will be the only mask I ever plan to rehaul myself.
I was tempted to buy one of those all in one budget airbrush and compressor units from amazon,but have heard mixed reviews on them,although if one of those is enough to get the base coat down,then I wouldn’t worry if it died on me afterwards.
Any thoughts?
Regards
Sam
I’ve seen a lot of great tutorials on YouTube for hand painting masks
I’ve rehauled a few TOTs H6 masks with no airbrush. I always did my base coat by hand using a folded damp viva paper towel. You’ll want to fold a sheet tight into a little square and then dampen it with water. Dip it into your acrylic paint and latex mix and then carefully dab it all over your mask evenly. You will need to have 3-4 paper towel squares damp and ready to go because you can only use one square so long to paint before it starts to wear out and you don’t want small paper towel pieces in your base coat. It does work and does look smooth as long as you go about it carefully. I highly recommend using Viva brand paper towels or the blue shop paper towels as they are thicker and more similar to a light cloth.
Thanks for replying!
I like the idea of the towels,do you recommend sponges and /or sponge brushes too,to avoid brush strokes?
Would my acrylic and latex mix need to be as thin as if I was airbrushing (Milky consistency) or a bit thicker?
I kinda figured out I would probably have to do a few thin base coats before moving on to dry brushing.
Also- did you rub your masks down with any kind of laquer thinner before painting?
I’m trying to figure out if mine does actually have any kind of top coat on it,as it seems very rough and matte compared to Tots H1/H2 masks,where it is so obvious by the shine that they have a hell of lot of varnish on them
All the best
Sam.
You can paint with a brush I have done this on a RZ clean mask as my air brush was playing up and it came out just as smooth. For this I used night shades paints, picking up a small bottle of that would work out cheaper then an airbrush, I don’t know if you would get the same results from mixing your own latex based paint. Use a soft flat head brush and do light coats until you get good coverage. Night shades is quite durable for the weathering stages, I would suggest wiping the mask down first with some 99% ipa to remove oil’s to help the paint bond, be sure to shake/mix the paint well before you start. Good luck and have fun!
I really wanted to try the nighshades and cut out the mixing of liquid latex with paint,but unfortunately I’m in the UK and the only stockist is Mad About Horror,who seem to be constantly out of stock of the stuff.
Cheers for the help!
I was in two minds whether to send it off to be rehauled like my othet tots mask or try it myself.
I have a H4 Poster Mask too, rehauled here in the UK,but just fancied doing this one myself as a learning curve and a bit of fun.
I plan long term to purchase a few indy masks in the future hence my reluctance to splash the cash on an expensive airbrush that will never get used.
I painted this H6 by hand a few years ago. I wouldn’t do it again, but it can be done. If Nightshades are not accessible to you, I would advise thinning your paint mixture with ammonia to the consistency of heavy cream - not as thin as you would with an airbrush. You’ll want to be extremely patient and let each coat fully dry before adding more. Don’t focus on the same area for too long. Doing so will result in peeling and the horrible “latex boogers”. Lastly, clean your brushes regularly with a little cup of ammonia. Ammonia is the primary liquid ingredient in liquid latex and the latex dries when the ammonia evaporates. If you rinse your brushes in ammonia, it will keep the paint soft and more easily free it from the bristles. In my experience, rinsing brushes in water promotes curing and will ruin your brushes.
I painted my tots halloween 6 mask by hand, only with brushes. Liquid latex and the dollar store acryllic paints/brushes
I’m also from the UK, if you want to hold up a bit longer they will be back in stock in a month or so I believe, I’m doing a promotion video for them when they restock this will include a clip of hand painting some white on a mask so you can see the finish before you purchase. This video will be on their page when they announce the restock so keep an eye out.
This is my trick or treat studios H6 mask. I repainted the whole thing by hand with only brushes.
Dollar store acryllic paint, cheap liquid latex and the cheap brushes, all the shading is drybrushing
I painted my h40 with paint brushes