hey guys. Just had an idea after seeing an article a few days ago about a pepakura psycho mask. Ive used pepakura with fiberglassing and bondo and all that jazz before (for my halo 2 master chief helm), but figured that was too slow and messy for just a simple mask. I will post pics and methods used in this thread, should go fast, since start to finish will be like 4-5 days.
NOTE: this is not intended to be a super accurate cosplay model. It will be worn for halloween and then just hung on the wall. I just like the challenge to build something every once in a while
When its done, it should look similar to one of these
Example 1
Example 2
In order to build the mask I will do these steps (pictures coming soon)
-Purchase a pre-made plasic mask
-Modify the mask into the proper shape
-Use air-dry clay to sculpt the main parts of the face (brow lines and cheekbones and such.
-Use other parts (computer fan, sunglass lenses, and cord for goggle frames) to complete the shape/look of the mask
-Attach straps to the top and sides to keep it on my head
-Use enamel paints and sharpie to paint/decorate the mask as shown
-Using modified book lights, install lights behind the eyes, allowing for lights to shine through, but also be able to see out.
So far I have sculpted most of the mask, and gathered the parts needed to finish the mask. I have already got the lighting solution done, and just need to install it once the lenses are fitted into the mask (tonight I hope). I have tested the lighting solution and it works great (will post pics) but it is far different from most lighting solutions I have seen around. Most go for a complete lit look like on iron man, but for mine, I only want the lit circles in the center. Seems like the main failing in this project may be my sculpting skills. I realize this isnt the best way to make it, but it surely is the fastest, and cleanest (I only have half a kitchen table to work at since I am in a small apartment)
The main question I have for you guys is, what solution is there to take out some of the texture from my shoddy sculpting? I have heard things like using wood glue over the whole mask, and I like that idea, but it needs to be able to stand up to painting.
UPDATE: Here is what I got done tonight
fist order of business is to build the section around the mouth up so it doesnt look sunk in. The psycho has a protruding mouthpeice a little.
After that I needed to make the piece that would go behind the fan, so I can breathe through it, and so it is stable to mount the fan to. To do this I covered both sides of a metal vent cover from a PC with a loosely woven black fabric.
This is the piece installed
Next step was to round out the inside of the mouth hole, to make it nice and smooth, since it will be partially visible through the fan blades
Next I design the piece that will be mounted in the mouth hole. To do this, I am going to use a length of bungie cord (just as something round an flexible), a small computer fan, and a few risers to mount the fan far enough out.
After hot gluing the cord in a circle shape and cleaning up loose ends, this is kind of how it sits in the hole.
From here I started doing some steps out of order. I plan on finishing this mask tomorrow morning/afternoon, and tonight it is too late to paint and use a dremel tool, so I did other steps first. Not ideal, but it shouldnt mess up the finished product, just require some masking tomorrow.
I take the modified book lights I bought, and glued them inside the cheeks, routing the wires around the top of the eyes, and down into the center of the eyeholes. I also took some belt material and hot glued it to the top of the mask (this will be the top of the straps).
I havent seen this method done anywhere else when I looked, but I will describe the method I am using to light the eyes so that I will still be able to see, but there is a bright circle of light in the center of the lenses. this wouldnt work well on many models, but since the mask already looks like it is wearing goggles, and that only the centers of the eyes are lit up, it works well.
You must have a bright led, something to power it with, and something to turn it on. In this case, the book lights I bought at the dollar store have all three. It is also required that you have the domed mirrored piece found on most flashlights, and it must be SMALL or else it will poke you in the eyes. It is also important that you only have wire, the led, and the mirrored piece, in order to make the assembly as small as possible. To do this, I just took apart the enclosure around the led, since I took the cheap route with book lights. Glue/secure the front of the mirrored pieces flat to the lenses you are using. Done. In a model like this, where the lenses will be 1/2 inch to 1 inch away from my eyes, the 1/2 inch or so that the mirrored part sitcks into the mask still keeps it clear from touching me. the light does not bleed into the mask if you tape the back of the led, and so you only have a piece of the center of your vision taken away, but can otherwise see fine.
This is kinda what it looks like. I am tackling the eyes tomorrow, so I just laid the lenses on the mask for now. Since the leds arent stuck to the lenses, there is a little bleed here.
NOTE: this is not intended to be a super accurate cosplay model. It will be worn for halloween and then just hung on the wall. I just like the challenge to build something every once in a while
When its done, it should look similar to one of these
Example 1
Example 2
In order to build the mask I will do these steps (pictures coming soon)
-Purchase a pre-made plasic mask
-Modify the mask into the proper shape
-Use air-dry clay to sculpt the main parts of the face (brow lines and cheekbones and such.
-Use other parts (computer fan, sunglass lenses, and cord for goggle frames) to complete the shape/look of the mask
-Attach straps to the top and sides to keep it on my head
-Use enamel paints and sharpie to paint/decorate the mask as shown
-Using modified book lights, install lights behind the eyes, allowing for lights to shine through, but also be able to see out.
So far I have sculpted most of the mask, and gathered the parts needed to finish the mask. I have already got the lighting solution done, and just need to install it once the lenses are fitted into the mask (tonight I hope). I have tested the lighting solution and it works great (will post pics) but it is far different from most lighting solutions I have seen around. Most go for a complete lit look like on iron man, but for mine, I only want the lit circles in the center. Seems like the main failing in this project may be my sculpting skills. I realize this isnt the best way to make it, but it surely is the fastest, and cleanest (I only have half a kitchen table to work at since I am in a small apartment)
The main question I have for you guys is, what solution is there to take out some of the texture from my shoddy sculpting? I have heard things like using wood glue over the whole mask, and I like that idea, but it needs to be able to stand up to painting.
UPDATE: Here is what I got done tonight
fist order of business is to build the section around the mouth up so it doesnt look sunk in. The psycho has a protruding mouthpeice a little.
After that I needed to make the piece that would go behind the fan, so I can breathe through it, and so it is stable to mount the fan to. To do this I covered both sides of a metal vent cover from a PC with a loosely woven black fabric.
This is the piece installed
Next step was to round out the inside of the mouth hole, to make it nice and smooth, since it will be partially visible through the fan blades
Next I design the piece that will be mounted in the mouth hole. To do this, I am going to use a length of bungie cord (just as something round an flexible), a small computer fan, and a few risers to mount the fan far enough out.
After hot gluing the cord in a circle shape and cleaning up loose ends, this is kind of how it sits in the hole.
From here I started doing some steps out of order. I plan on finishing this mask tomorrow morning/afternoon, and tonight it is too late to paint and use a dremel tool, so I did other steps first. Not ideal, but it shouldnt mess up the finished product, just require some masking tomorrow.
I take the modified book lights I bought, and glued them inside the cheeks, routing the wires around the top of the eyes, and down into the center of the eyeholes. I also took some belt material and hot glued it to the top of the mask (this will be the top of the straps).
I havent seen this method done anywhere else when I looked, but I will describe the method I am using to light the eyes so that I will still be able to see, but there is a bright circle of light in the center of the lenses. this wouldnt work well on many models, but since the mask already looks like it is wearing goggles, and that only the centers of the eyes are lit up, it works well.
You must have a bright led, something to power it with, and something to turn it on. In this case, the book lights I bought at the dollar store have all three. It is also required that you have the domed mirrored piece found on most flashlights, and it must be SMALL or else it will poke you in the eyes. It is also important that you only have wire, the led, and the mirrored piece, in order to make the assembly as small as possible. To do this, I just took apart the enclosure around the led, since I took the cheap route with book lights. Glue/secure the front of the mirrored pieces flat to the lenses you are using. Done. In a model like this, where the lenses will be 1/2 inch to 1 inch away from my eyes, the 1/2 inch or so that the mirrored part sitcks into the mask still keeps it clear from touching me. the light does not bleed into the mask if you tape the back of the led, and so you only have a piece of the center of your vision taken away, but can otherwise see fine.
This is kinda what it looks like. I am tackling the eyes tomorrow, so I just laid the lenses on the mask for now. Since the leds arent stuck to the lenses, there is a little bleed here.
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