Glass eyes

Separate top and bottom jaws to work on

Nostril rebuilt with expanding foam

Eyes and detailing added

Whilst claiming back material expenses, I noticed the charge for my eyes from the taxidermist was significantly above what I had anticipated. The eyes have a value of $13.80, but the overall cost of delivering these to the UK from America came to £28, charging me £41 in total. Fortunately, I was able to claim this back from my client but I would definitely look into a greater range of sites, or make my own if I needed glass eyes again. After talking with someone in my class also making a model dog, I found that there is a glass eye company based in the UK, at glasseye.com. By using this website, I would have saved about £10 as the eyes themselves are more expensive.

This image shows how the inside of the mouth has began to be sanded back, Each ridge was traced with a scalpel and roughly cut out. I have then used a series of small raster tools and rough sandpaper to create these indents.

Fitting

Front view costume construction

Back view

original position of jaws

Fabric samples used in the costume

Foam jaws temporarily taped onto helmet

This week I went to a fitting in the costume studio. I was relieved to see that my mask does not look too disproportionate to the costume as I have significantly reduced it's original size. The dancer could pull on the helmet and seemed surprised at how lightweight the model is, my greatest concern however, is how the mask will be treated during a two month long run, especially during quick costume changes. In the photo above, I have positioned the top jaw at a wider angle than I initially imagined. This is so that the dancer's vision is less impaired, considering that there are still teeth to fit between the jaws. By widening the mouth, the mask is better balanced with extra support to the back of the head. Before deciding on a paint finish, I intend to create some more colour samples using these fabric swatches as reference. This should help to tie the entire costume together.

Carving back the form

Rastarized form filled with expanding foam

Pen guides show indents along snout, eye and nostril positioning

Roughed out snout

Top and jaw made to fit helmet, expanding foam has seeped through the thin section at the back of the head

I began the shaping process by roughly cutting the surface of the foam with a craft knife. I then noticed any areas that needed slightly building up, such as the back of the head and applied additional expanding foam, leaving it overnight to dry. The cured foam was cut back with a hack saw and filed using a raster. I have since used flat and curved rasters to rough out the form, making sure there is enough density left around the sides for the helmet to fit into. My pen markings were added after I had constantly sat the foam on the helmet, to ensure the shape and features are correctly positioned. The image at the top contains more detail such as the nostrils and eyelids, along with holes for the glass eyes to fit into. At this stage, I have started to use course sandpaper for more detailed areas. As the expanding foam is carved back, more gaps have appeared that are to be filled with additional, smaller amounts of expanding foam.

I was also informed today how the actor to play the crocodile is being re-cast again, making the head measurements I was given irrelevant. It's just as well that the helmet will fit a range of head sizes.

Building the final mask

Expanding foam sets around the helmet, with cling film protection to enable the foam to be removed later

Helmet sits in the top jaw to create an impression, reference sculpt shown on desk

Using the principle measurements from my sketch model, I began constructing the basis for the final crocodile head. By constantly placing the foam over the helmet, it was important that I followed the centre line of the visor to avoid the jaws sitting skew whiff. Despite my best attempts to cut the foam around the helmet, I decided that expanding foam would provide a good fit between the two materials, as it can mould to the exact shape of the helmet. Firstly, I covered the air vents in the helmet with masking tape to prevent any expanding foam seeping through the helmet. I then covered the whole thing with cling film, to prevent the foam sticking to the helmet, allowing me to remove the jaws once the foam has cured and work on them separately. The expanding foam has also proved useful for filling in gaps made during the fitting of the foam around the helmet, such as the join lines at the back and any holes around the eye line join.

Narrowed foam snout broken off at the sides

This more refined sketch model has introduced new problems for me to consider. The helmet has shown through the sides when I further cut the head back, in an attempt to make it narrower following the client's feedback. This model has helped me to understand the most resourceful, quickest way to fit the top jaw around the top curve of the bike helemt. By slicing through the eyeline, I was able to create two sections to the top jaw. I could then completely remove the centre shape of the helmet on the hot wire cutter by cutting through the back and around the bottom section of the top jaw. The hot wire sculpting tool has then been used to scoop into the top section of the jaw before both parts are glued back together. Any gaps can be filled and stapled for additional support.

From this model there are a few fundamental things I would like to change for my final outcome. I feel that the bottom jaw would look better if it fit all the way around the helmet, disguising the back half. I also believe I can get a better fit for the foam to sit on the helmet by filling areas with expanding foam.

Full scale mock-ups

Tooth shape cut from a thick piece of plastazote

Three foam sections pinned and glued together

Aligning the bottom jaw with the chin piece

Attempting to build up the bulk of the shape from small sections of foam

Two weeks into the project, I have decided to use foam to make up the form of the crodoile head. While yellow foam was successful in my scale sample, it is not easy to carve into as it does not melt on the hot wire cutters. Foam provides a good base for fabrication and is cheap, light and safe to use.

To create a guide for my foam head, I firstly had to see how I could fit this around my helmet and test whether the long snout proved too front heavy a structure. The image shown above is my first attempt to piece sections of foam around the helmet, secured with wire staples and PVA glue. This gave me the rough dimensions to work from for a larger, single piece of foam. Sections of small foam pieced together like this does not prove to be very strong, compared with a two whole pieces for the top and bottom jaws. My second attempt was constructed using the hot wires and hot wire sculpting tools. As there are far fewer pieces, sticking it back together is much less of a challenge, especially with contact adhesive. Some sections, such as the tongue, eyelids and teeth have been cut from Plastazote.

Digital painting in Photoshop

Using a side profile design, I have used Photoshop to experiment with different colour finishes for the final mask. This design incorporates large scales which I have re-created in yellow foam to show how they would sit into the head's surface. The sketch model has significant depth between each scale as I then painted this with liquid latex, which naturally fills out the crevices once cured. I have decided to produce my colour samples in photoshop as I have since been able to modify the colours used quickly and easily. The tones shown here are from my most natural and soft design. I have since worked back on top of this image using a graphics tablet to add definition and brighter colouring. As the client suggested the use of glitter around the eyes, I have added a black, dotted detail to show where this would be. A common fault with both my designs and sculpts is the positioning of the eyes as they will sit further forward on the final head. I have since corrected one of my clay sculpts as a guide to work from in a larger scale.

Finalising mini sculpts

Eye detail

Refined final three

Set of reference sculpts

As I have used plastiline, I was able to further alter my sculpts to come up with more realistic crocodiles. I have also added detail to the inside of their mouths, adding ridges and a gum line. As these three sculpts varied so much, I also thought it important to make a range of bottom jaws, experimenting with different tongues and gum lines. The positioning and size of the teeth where the last consideration, which I have represented with small triangles of wire. By looking at my sculpts, I was then able to choose the best features from each to use in my final drawn design, which is to be coloured and edited in Photoshop.

My drawings were produced alongside the sculpts to help me see what would work in 3D. I found that my altering styles of drawing something could be hard to translate to clay. The blue sketch shown above is the first image I emailed to my client. I have consistently used this as reference throughout making, though the sculpts are in not exact replicas. By making sketch models, I was able to combine influences from all my reference imagery to come up with something new. For me, having a 3D reference for the construction stage is crucial as I can see the object from all angles. This gives me a far better reference point, rather than an image drawn in perspective.

Choosing a design

chosen helmet

Refining sculpts by flattening top snouts

Bottom jaws with wire pegs to represent teeth

Traced helmet profile to design onto

Trialing position of scales

Series of face shapes

From browsing different bike helmets, I have chosen to work on top of a full face BMX helmet. This cost £23 in the children's section at Argos, though the head measurements fit the average adult with my wearer's falling in the middle of its range. The helmet is not considered safe to wear on motorised vehicles as it is lightweight without a sufficiently hard shell. I decided to purchase this shape of helmet as it includes a chin guard and fully covers the face at all sides. The top peek of the helmet also provides a slight base for the top jaw to extend upon. I have fixed the visor as fully open with some duct tape and glue.

My designs were traced over front, side and back views of the helmet to act as turnarounds for my sketch models. By sculpting these in miniature, I was able to see where there were any faults in the designs and to see the outcome in 3D. These early sculpts show the basic form I had drawn and helped me with the arrangement of the nostrils, eye lids and teeth. However, I found from looking at my life drawings that they are fundamentally flawed by appearing too smooth and rounded, like a dinosaur. I have since drastically altered them to lie much flatter with ridges along the snout. Each sculpt is significantly different from each other and I have also created a series of bottom jaws for me to pick my favourite layout from.

Sketch models and discussions

Mask sitting as a visor on the face, covering the mouth.

Lightweight form cut from Blue foam

First sculpt trialing out a stylised face

Before building my mask, I have trialed using clay, wire and blue foam to sculpt the basic features and shape of the crocodile's face. My original drawings are constantly evolving in response to the mediums I use and the input from the client. In the image above, I have given the crocodile a less menacing face, with stylised eyelids suggesting that the crocodile is female. As my designs developed and I further discussed with the client, I realised that his design is for a male crocodile. This breaks the traditional story of Peter Pan, in which the crocodile is referred to as "the only woman" who has shown Hook so much attention.

These sketch models simply help me to gain an idea of how the top and bottom jaw will fit together over the performer's face. I have used chicken wire, foil and plastiline as these are freely available around the studio. To give the basic structure of the face, I have started to consider how this will be built onto a hat or helmet. My early wire forms suggest that the bottom jaw could move on some sort of hinge, with a metal piece to build the bottom jaw over. The problems with making a metal structure made to fit to measure include the weight of the structure and casting considerations. Within the first two weeks of the project, the wearer's head measurements have changed three times as people are re-cast or cannot commit to the show. To solve this, a more universal fit could be achieved if the mask is build over something that will fit a range of heads such as a hat.

Sketch models

Papier Mache over a cap

My brief for this project was confirmed towards the end of the Summer holidays. This enabled me to start experimenting with how best to construct the model. My client is looking for a Crocodile head to complete a costume for a Pantomime production of Peter Pan, to be shown at the Lighthouse Theatre in Poole. Ken Powell provided a design for me to reference of a cartoon crocodile head in context to the costume. From this image I can see that the mouth should be open while the proportions of the head in relation to the performer are suggested. Aside from this, it was up to me to start collating imagery and to research how the head would fit over a human's. One simple solution I produced was this paper mache hat. This is a highly cartooned version of a crocodile, similar to Disney's vision with large, round eyes sitting on top of the head. The snout extends out from a baseball hat brim. While this idea was cheap to make and lightweight, it only provides a top jaw for the Crocodile without solving how to disguise the wearer's face underneath. The hat is much more representative of a character without giving the full illusion of a crocodile's head.

Alongside the hat idea, I have looked at puppetry and anamatronic crocodiles used in Theme Parks and Films. One crocodile costume was made for a crocodile observer to wear, incorporating real crocodile skin across his back so that he could crawl amoungst the animals and observe them undetected. The head was made from fibreglass with a Polyeurothane foam skin. These methods give a realistic looking finish, rather than a stylised version for the stage. As the wearer of my crocodile head will be performing a dance as part of the character, my considerations for the head will emphasise wear ability and lightness over realism. By working with the costume student who will be making the crocodile's body, I should ensure that the head will fit alongside the style of her outcome.