Mask Making Materials Guide – Part 4
In this fourth installment of the Mask Makers Material Guide, we continue to explore paint mediums for latex masks. Let’s take a look at another paint option.
Latex Mask Paint: One of the best overall paint mediums for latex masks is made with good old latex paint. Now I am not talking about house paint of course, but rather a spray-able, colored pre-vulcanized latex compound. Most masks made today utilize this type of paint product.
Mask Paints can be made from a variety of different recipes, but the majority of high quality latex paints in use today are comprised mainly of a pre-vulcanized balloon latex and a tinting medium. Nearly all paints require a binder and pigment to create a complete paint system. Latex mask paint is no different in that sense. The binder used here is typically a dipping a compound from which gloves and balloons are made. This type of compound is very flowable and is the right consistency for airbrushing masks. The concentration of color in mask paint can vary greatly, but on average it is around two to ten percent of the total mixture. The best type of tint used today, is a highly concentrated water based pigment formulated specifically for latex. However, concentrated, off the shelf acrylic tints have also been used with good success for this application. When using acrylic tints it is important to not excessively tint the latex or it can become over plasticized and the paint mixture will become sticky over time. That is the main reason that concentrated colorants made specifically for latex are the best choice as you need to add significantly less colorant to achieve the correct color shade. Depending on the composition, the do-it-yourself variety of mask paint has a shelf life of anywhere from a few days to a few months, but you can create almost any color imaginable. Commercial mask paint recipes can last up to a year or more but are typically more limited in available colors. When making your own paints, be sure to add a whitening agent to fix the color as close to your mixed color as possible. Mask paint made with out any or too little whitener will dry many shades darker than the mixed color. The exception is red and black which will become shades of pink and gray respectively. Those colors are typically made without any whitener. Mask paint will always dry to a darker shade from the mixed liquid color, so it is best to test spray the mixture on a scrap piece of white paper to discover the actual shade before committing the paint to your mask. However, any mistakes can generally be painted over with mask paint as long as no sealers or coatings have been sprayed over the mask.
What is the best way to apply Latex Mask Paint to a Mask?
The best effect can be achieved by applying mask paint with single action airbrush. Because mask paint is more viscous than acrylics and inks you need an airbrush that can handle a heavier flowing paint medium. My personal favorite for mask paint is the Paasche H. The design and construction lends itself well to this application mainly because it is easy to clean and it comes with a larger paint adjusting nozzle. Keep in mind that the H is an external mix brush. This means that the paint and air are mixed on the outside of the brush at the tip. This is important because mask paint dries so fast it can be problematic and cause major clogging issues if used improperly or with the wrong airbrush. Double action airbrushes are much finer instruments and are “internal mix” brushes. Internal mix brushes combine the air and paint internally. Whereas, single action brushes have a simply assembly that can be quickly disassembled for easy cleaning when necessary. Double action brushes are more delicate, made with finer parts and only designed to be used with very fine paint mediums such as inks and water colors. Because mask paint is water based, it can be easily cleaned up with soap and water, but even soap and water will not help much if you put the right paint medium in the wrong airbrush. Just remember that mask paint should only be used with a single action airbrush. Badger makes an airbrush with a similar construction to the H but it is more difficult to clean and not nearly as well constructed as the Paasche H.
What other methods can be used to apply Mask Paint?
Mask paint can also be applied using sponges and brushes. When using a sponge, mask paint works very well for a stippling process. This is the opposite of the rubout method previously described. For stippling you pickup a small amount of latex paint on a torn piece of sponge and lightly dab or press paint onto high areas of the mask. Mask paint that is used for stippling is generally a much lighter paint than the base color of the mask and much lighter still than the rubout color. As I mentioned earlier, rubbout out cement paint can be layered under or over mask paint and stippled or sprayed mask paint can be layered under or over rubout paint. A complete range of effects can be used when combining stippling and rubout techniques on a single latex mask but each layer should be allowed to dry thoroughly before the next one is applied.
Can artists brushes be used as well?
Yes, indeed. Standard artist paint brushes can also be used to apply mask paint. However, because mask paint is somewhat heavy it can leave behind brush strokes. So it is best to consider using brushes only for details on a mask such as moles and applying paint to the teeth and eyes of the mask. Mask paint can be thinned easily with water and layers of color can be achieved for a variety of paint effects. Be careful not to add too much color to mask paint though or the adhesion can be dramatically reduced. Up to 10-15 drops of water per ounce of paint should be considered the maximum amount of dilution.
In the next installment we will take a look at using Acrylic Inks for detailing your masks and discuss some sealer choices for finishing. See you then, back in the lab!
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