Finger Extensions
This base allows excess material to flow out of its extra channels.
Refering back to the Character Makeup DVD, this shows the early stages of the finger extensions before running the appliances.
To create my finger extensions, I am going to run resin into my silicone cast.From this point I will be able to sculpt small bases for each finger to sit into. Then I will be able to mould this, using Pro Gel parts A+B and thixo to greate a thicker shell, which will enable me to run the mould in resin so I have a complete resin finger and base to sculpt onto.
Once this preparation is over, I can then begin to sculpt and ground up my fingers, which I will then mould in 3481 silicone.
To mould, parts ro Gel, A+B will be mixed with pigment and poured into the silicone mouldthe clay will be removed and the
When running my resin fingers, I found that three fingers had distorted in the process, this was not due to the plaster bandge shell which encased the silicone, as there were applied whilst my models fingers were still inside. The only explanation I can come up with, is that the silicone wasnt pushed as far as possible into the plaster bandgae shell and as a result distorted the resin, I will run there few fingers again to see if this will resolve the issue.
As an alternative, I would use alginate to cast the three fingers again, meaning I can have a quick and cheap repleacement which won't set me back any further. I can then pour the resin straight in and continue my preparation for sculpting.
Overall, I feel that this method of casting the hands wasn't completely neccessary as the materils were a more expensive option, where instead I could have used alginate. Also I could have moulded the fingers separately to make it easier to pour in and remove the resin fingers.
To reduce material costs, I decided to try and mould just the base using pro gel and a thicker layer or pro gel with thixo to create a sturdier mould, then whilst upsideown I pulled out the clay, and the silicone stayed in place on the finger. I then poured fast cast resin (equal parts A+B) into the silicone mould and left it to cure. Once the silicone was removed, I had resin bases firmly atttached to my fingers. As this worked, I saved myself time and money by moulding just the base rather than the whole finger and running it in resin twice. I chose to use resin as it is sturdier and more rigid than plaster.
From watching the DVD Character Makeup- Sculpture breakdown and mould making by Bruce Spaulding Fuller, i discovered that only 5 fingeres need to be made as they should be very similar to the other side. This means that i just need to cast teach finger twice and double check that they do fit.
Sculpting
Moulding Bases
Moulding in silicone
Running Appliances
In preparation for moulding, I sealed the cups to the board using clay to block off any areas for the silicone to escape from. As a result, the silicone escaped from 2/5 cups. To overcome this, I should have used a glue gun to glue the cups to the board.
I think a hot glue gun would be a good long term investment, and I will be sure to use it next time as it will also save me wasting materials.
To test my fingers, I will run them in gelatine first. I will then also see where the seam sits from where I have cut the silicone mould.
The next stage will be to see if pro gel A+B will work, although it is said it may not cure properly. Hopefully a cap plastic layer will help to act as a barrier along with release agaent underneath.
Bray, S. (2010)
This test was a pro gel A+B silicone, which cured inside the 3481 mould. I didnt use a cap plastic layer, but next time I will for a blending edge. The colour of this finger is incorrect because I had underestimated the strength of blue pigment in ratio to flesh pigment. I will refer back to my colour samples I made previously to ensure I get the correct colour next time.
Each finger will need to be seamed and patched in preparationf or colouring.
This video demonstrates a method to make nails. This particular video may be an option for me to use on my fingers. To try this, I will cut away the sculpted anil and replace it with one I make.
No cap plastic With cap plastic No cap plastic With cap plastic No cap plastic
This collection show a full set of finger extension appliances. From the images above, you can see some issues. Firstly, thayre not all the same colour as I had to do these fingers in two batches as im only using mould ofrom one hand. I have found it difficult to get the pigment exact, but for practice, I will keep these fingers to attempt application.
Those ran in cap plastic encapsulated moulds, were difficult to demould. They also left a messy layer of material, which however was easy to clean up using IPA. a couple of fingers didt come out properly, as though they werent filled enough, or shomehow had large airbubbles stopping them from filling successfully. Finally one finger was a strange bubbly texture, which I can only think was because I didnt pour the silicone high enough for the air bubbles to stretch out.
Overall the mixture of fingers in the image above, will all be applied, seeing whether cap plastic was useful or not. I re-ran any fingers that didnt work, ready for a practice makeup.