Corrupted Monk Mask
This project was pitched to me by a University friend, who wanted a mask from a game he liked: Sekiro - Shadows Die Twice, to wear when he played at gigs. It was, when I agreed to do it, perhaps beyond my skill level, but I learnt so much working on it, and had such great help from my more sculpting-inclined friends. I decided from the beginning that I wanted to cold cast the mask and polish it up to the metal finish.
The sculpting began in a group sculpting session with some friends, and for a while I attributed my good work solely on that one session, thinking I'd had a really good go at it and set myself up for the rest of the project. I had done alright, but I wasn't giving myself enough credit for the rest of the sculpting, and I really thing that this project was a turning point for my sculpting ability. It required a complete nose rebuild, moving the lower jaw down by a centimetre or so (by cutting it off), and multiple eye socket rebuilds.
I have had a preference towards matrix moulding since my Anubis project, since I've found it to be easier with the silicone and more consistent/controllable when it comes to silicone thickness. So, as you might expect, I matrix Moulded this, and did it right near the end of my time at university, as I was rushing to finish a different project. I took more time to create a smooth surface of the clay and specifically place keys and vents. I did have to make a wooden support bed, since the angle of the armature would've required much more clay to bed, and might've made the silicone create awkward air bubbles. My one major mistake was using the air dry clay, since that was harder to remove from the fibreglass than I would've liked.
When I started casting, I was using brass powder, but after a couple of failed casts (one was too thin, the other started curing as I poured it), I realised that the colour wasn't right, even when polished. So when cast the next one, I used bronze powder, which was a much better colour. Following casting came the long clean-up process, with dremelling out the eye sockets, then polishing the surface up to a shine. Then I had to add on the horns and teeth, fill the gaps with epoxy putty and colour match the finish, before finally adding an oil wash.
This was not the end of the project though, as I still had to install mesh in the eyes and mouth, fit straps and padding, all in the 3 days I was back in my University town to visit people for graduation. But we managed it, and then proceeded to take some aesthetic photos.
