Initially, Fiona and I had hoped to reduce costs by constructing our own armatures with the help of the metal workshop. However, after contacting the tutor who had inducted us into the workshop, he informed us that he believed the available kits (such as Armacreature) were our best option, as we would be unlikely to build something as effective ourselves. Using a kit would also be time efficient, allowing us a little more time to work on other areas of the project.
Rather than cast the entire body out of foam latex, when most of the hard work would be hidden beneath costumes, it seems sensible to cover the armature with foam or sponge, to form a basic body shape beneath the fabric clothing, and then cast the head (and possibly hands) in greater detail.
Fortunately, we have recently been given an induction into moulding and casting with foam latex. We were required to sketch out a character, from front and profile views, before sculpting the head (the front half at least) in clay. This utilised the same processes as last year's ceramics induction, where we created a hollow clay shell, rather than a solid head. However, as this time we were only sculpting the face, we were able to support our sculpts with newspaper padding, preventing them falling in on themselves as we sculpted.
For the purposes of the induction, our sculpts were about the size of an orange, much larger than Fiona and I need for our puppets. But we will be able to repeat the process on a smaller scale later.
Once I was happy with my sculpt (it didn't need to be perfect as it is only a test and will not be gracing our animation) it was time to make the mould. This was achieved by simply creating a base of clay, resting the head upon it, surrounding with a flexible strip of plastic and then pouring over plaster. The last step was done in several stages, allowing any air pockets and bubbles to be filled, creating as smooth a mould as possible. Then we simply had to wait for the plaster to set.
When the plaster was set, the clay head needed to be removed, getting destroyed in the process (which was quite annoying considering all the work which had gone into creating it), and any residue of clay removed before the mould was placed in the kiln over night to dry.
The next day, the moulds needed a little repair work, as many had suffered a few cracks, but nothing too serious, before we could begin work on casting foam heads. As the moulds were plaster and not smooth silicone, they need to be coated with a layer of wax before each cast is taken, to prevent the foam adhering to the mould. The foam itself is comprised of two parts which need mixing before pouring into the mould. The ratio of the two parts needs to be very exact to achieve the correct consistency. I found this out to my detriment, when I put in far two much of one component. The foam simply failed to set, and I ended up having to use tweezers to remove every last scrap of foam from the mould before I could have another attempt. Fortunately, I had already created a reasonable cast before this incident. I also found out at this point that it is a good idea not to get the wet/setting foam on your hands, as it is somewhat difficult to remove.
Despite his somewhat irritating setback, I enjoyed this process, and am looking forward to creating my butcher character's head in a similar fashion, although Fiona and I have discussed the possibiity of using a silicone rather than plaster mould, to get a better quality cast.
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