I promised to show you my TAINT

One of the most original, tongue-in-cheek, gore fest flicks I've seen this year has to be THE TAINT. You can read my review of it over at BloodSprayer.com. It's the type of film I love introducing to friends because of how over the top it is; it basically is the style of cinema that will determine if we'll be friends or not.

For those unfamiliar with this film, here's the NSFW trailer:

I showed the film to some friends and one of them, Kevin Polyak, instantly fell in love with it. He wondered if I was capable of producing a mask from this film for his Halloween costume. Basically a drunken gauntlet was thrown down in my mind and I was determined to make his challenge a reality. The mask he wanted was from a flashback sequence when a character is forced to duct tape their own ripped off face back onto their head.

Reference Still from THE TAINT

I decided to take the look of the mask a bit further. I brainstormed what this face would look like for the possible sequel to this film. I wanted to show the skin in a bloody, leathery state; contorted and disturbing. This would be my own version of Film Fan Art. What I envisioned was a cross between Freddy Kreuger, the Cropsey Maniac, Leslie Vernon and when actor Lou Perryman gets his face ripped of in TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE II. Basically all the terribly wonderful things that delightfully taunt my imagination and memories.

I knew that this was going to be my first attempt at making a mask so I wanted it to be special, I wanted it to be custom, I wanted it to be one of a kind. I decided that I wasn't going to go about the traditional means of sculpting and pouring a mold. I was going to do a layer by layer build up of liquid latex from a Ultra-Cal casting of my own face.

I gobbed on the latex knowing it would take longer to dry this way, but give me a rippled foundation that I would make look like fat. It would be later that I would augment it further.

Here you can see the first layer dry. Not a bad start, very Toxic Avenger, but that's not what I was going for...

I had previously poured strips of liquid latex on my arm and as it dried, I would peel off these layers and stretch them over the face. I would definitely do thinner strips if I made this same mask the same way again, but that ship already sailed. Still it had a very distinct look versus if I had made it appear droopy and saggy. I wanted HUMAN BEEF JERKEY!

I filled in cracks and crevices with sponges and brushes, making sure not to lose the basic elements of the face underneath my half-cocked scheme of a technique. You have to make sure you have your ability to see, speak, and breathe with a mask, and if you know Kevin that means drinking too.

The mask was really taking shape with over a dozen layers of liquid latex cured throughout. It was now time to peel away and start the process of painting.

Here is the pull of the mask from the front view.....

.....and here is the back/inside of the mask.

I trimmed the edges with scissors to scale down some of my excess, but the idea was that this mask was to cover a good sized chunk of the face so I made sure there was a little extra along the top of the forehead and beneath the chin. My version of old school Trick 'r Treating theater if you will.

I started painting with pinks and purples, knowing that this would be the basis of what I would build and blend from in regards to shadow and composition.

I soon started adding more reds and browns to the mix, darkening certain areas and bringing the colors more to my liking.

I blended and blended, but I knew I would need some highlight to make the piece really punch. My secret weapon? Nail polish. Yup. I used a clear pearl glaze to add a sheen of viscous and sliminess and I used fire engine red for blood, which looked fresh and tacky even when completely dried. I added a couple layers of blending on top of this to tone it down and push forward.

To hold the mask in place I created a band from stretch elastic ribbon you can buy at any craft store. But I also wanted to hide this as well as utilize this necessity. I used grey Gaff tape, instead of Duct tape and folded it over top of itself and slipped the elastic through all the way around the mask. I chose the Gaff tape because it is porous enough to accept paint and aging where Duct tape would wipe right off.

A closer look shows how the "tape" hides the band.

Here I am wearing my own creation, moments after completion. It's definitely a face only a mother could love either way.

And like any good artist you have to make sure you sign your work. I probably would've stamped into the mask for this, but a black Sharpie has never failed me before.


Here are a few pics I would update Face Book with via my phone and the camera application Little Photo.

It was quite fun to see the changes the process took as this project came to a close. I learned several new techniques and ways to go about creating the look I want and how to avoid the look I don't want. I now plan on tackling the craft of mask making on a larger scale with a sculpt and mold in the near future to produce a limited run of original creations.

Kevin completely forgot that I had promised to make him this mask. It arrived just in time for him to enjoy the Halloween weekend and not be completely lame without a costume. And that's what you should walk away with if anything from this article; not wearing a costume on Halloween means you are super-mega lame. That and always keep your promises.



Here's a couple of pics of Kevin in all his glory Halloween weekend.

And you thought the rats were the scariest part of the NY Subway...

Kevin and his special lady friend

Now here's hoping that they do make a sequel to THE TAINT!!

Looking Underneath the Surface - Mask Collecting

Right before Halloween I got into a bit of a mask buying kick, hoping to use each piece for photos, future projects and inspiration for my own endeavors. It's also quite an interesting hobby to begin, though quite pricey and in my opinion well worth it. I think I'll probably stick to making my own masks, but I wanted to share some my collection with you. 

You can find many on the Internet, I recommend eBay & Amazon.com for some cheaper prices than the random ass Halloween stores that pop up in abandoned strip malls come October. And if you give the proper care, handling and storage to your masks, they will last longer than you think.

Here's FISH FOOD from Trick or Treat Studios. Basically it's a drowned/washed up Zombie. It's got quite a bit of detail with hair and ragged cloth/netting to add to the layers. It has a neck piece that extends to the clavicles.

Be sure to check out their other masks and goodies.

This is actually one of the first masks I've ever owned. It was only years later that I learned it was a Don Post Studios creation. It's a perfect 3/4's mask and still looks just as good as I first bought it over 15 years ago.

I started getting into various gas masks. The key thing for me was that they all had to be functional.  Here is a Russian gas mask with hose and canister filter.

Zagone Studios produced "Schell Shocked". It's detail and paint job is amazing and multi-layered, though it is quite difficult to see through the eyes. A small price to pay for looking so bad ass.

Here this is part Troll/part Alien from Ghoulish Productions. Along with the warts on the mask is small strands of hair that really add to the detail of the piece. My favorite bit are the eyes that really add a severe sense of creepiness and the neck piece continues downward to continue the illusion.

Here's another Don Post creation. You can see the commitment to detail and how their designs have evolved. I particularly enjoy the clear plastic dome that holds in the brain. It's creepy without being too gory. I love the slight evolution to the look of this Frankenstein's Monster.

Here's a NATO Surplus gas mask with hosing. It's quite old school and even came with with the canvas bag too to hold the hosing and filter canisters.

Here's a Soviet Army gas mask.

And one of my favorites is this one. It comes with a hose and filter too and offers the best line of sight. I like to know now that I'm perfectly prepared for the Zombie Apocalypse.




If you're looking for more information on different studios and mask makers, check out these articles from The Blood Sprayer:

All Eyes On Your Disguise (Part 1)
All Eyes On Your Disguise (Part 2)
All Eyes On Your Disguise (Part 3)


And to give you something to look forward to, here's an announcement of the Hudson Horror Show in Poughkeepsie, NY.

The question now is; Who wants to take me? I'll bring my masks...

Lost Loves - Forgotten or Abandoned?

My friend Alex Foster is probably gonna end up as the next big shot producer in Hollywood, but once upon a time I made him a piece of artwork for his apartment when he was stuck with me on the East Coast.

I had found a walnut dresser door from a dumpster diving trip in Soho that was in perfect condition since it was being disassembled for the garbage trucks making their rounds. I snatched it up, brushed it off, and got plenty of odd looks on the subway carrying it home.

I wanted to draw some inspiration from my surroundings. Another friend had given me an old James Bond poster so I decided to play with that. I was also handed a flyer on the way home regarding the persecution of Falun Gong, which it didn't know much about, but the flyer included some striking imagery of human suffering that was too much to ignore.

I used a combination of acrylic paint, decoupage, and Sharpie marker. I decided to utilize the classic look of James Bond, which is almost an icon onto itself. I really enjoyed reading Ian Flemming's pulp fiction as a child and the books always resonated with me; political intrigue, foreign locales, bloody violence, beautiful women, and danger the world over. It's only now that I realize the true politics behind certain events and how they affect its citizens.

I really decided to rethink my understanding of James Bond as a character and what he reflects as a society. These elements of espionage and intrigue, but you never truly see the human suffering of the politics behind the curtain. Not much for movie entertainment, but it’s the basis of understanding the reasons and actions that would place a person in such a situation.

For the flesh tone of the tortured souls, it’s just the wood left exposed. I used a stencil for the star to help separate the piece into three distinct pieces as the eye follows downward. The text I wanted to play with and invoke the feel of a movie poster. The bottom half is a reflection of how all of this is treated like a game, where the players don’t even realize they’re the ones being played. The women at the bottom are actually one bondage image I found & printed from the computer of a cartoon fetish model in stockings and a gas mask. Here I meant to address the misogyny of suffering and the stories reported, whether through Hollywood or CNN, particularly in regards to gender.

 

It’s a strong, striking piece which is quite odd to take in and process. Sadly, Alex decided to get rid of the piece when he was moving because the paint started peeling off of the piece which he thought was a defect. It was meant to do this, to fade away and fall apart, adding another element to the painting. I meant to toy with the notion of how we can let suffering fade away as well as forget about the classics of Hollywood. This was definitely a piece of purging things from my brain, even if I didn’t completely understand it myself.

Here's another little side project I ended up giving to giving to a friend. I started this roughly 5 inch sculpture out of scrap copper wiring. The trick was sculpting it so that I would be able to fit it into its base container, but more of that later.

I molded into a rough shape of the figure and just used scrap pieces of plaster of Paris to make this little figure. After it was dry, I began blending out a flesh tone for the creature with acrylic paint. I wanted it to look somewhat humanoid yet alien.

After the acrylic was dry I coated the figure in about 3 coats of epoxy to give it a solid seal. After the seal was dry I placed the figure in a repurposed olive jar (just peeled the label & cleaned off the glue). I made a label for the figure using Microsoft word, printing it out and using spray adhesive on the backing. The project number refers to my birthday, the project name refers to ZERO which used to be my tag name. And if you can’t figure out Area 51, well that’s what Google is for folks.

I added the statue and added water to fill the jar. I knew that the weight of the piece would keep it from floating. I took one drop of white oil paint and added it to the water, giving it an odd swirl effect. After a little bit of time, some of the acrylic began to strip away and hang off like skin and would lightly sway if moved. Unfortunately I don’t know what happened to it in the end as I gave it to a friend who moved away and disappeared.

I definitely would like to try this project again, especially with materials such as latex, metal, and possibly on a much larger scale. But in the end I was quite pleased with it; not bad for something so creepy that still fits on the shelf of your refrigerator.


 I definitely would like to try this project again, especially with materials such as latex, metal, and possibly on a much larger scale. But in the end I was quite pleased with it; not bad for something so creepy that still fits on the shelf of your refrigerator.