Splicer Bunny Mask – Bioshock

I’ve made the bunny masks for Dragon Con 2018 and to keep the build easy I built them with foam and Cosplayflex Classic to keep them sturdy. Here’s  step by step tutorial for those of you who purchased the patterns from my store.

1. Make sure to cut out the mask you need (cat or bunny) an trace the base shape, the eyes, and the details on to your foam.
2. Cut very long strips of foam (4 or 5 mm thick) and start glueing them onto your traced pattern. Use contact glue like Kövulfix, Barge, or any similar glue.

3. After you’ve glued everything on cut a piece of Cosplayflex Classic and by using a heat gun slowly heat it up until it gets soft and sticky. Make sure to use baking paper to protect your table from the stickiness of Cosplayflex.

4. Slowly work on each detail to stick it to your foam base. Use sculpting tools or regular tools you can find in your house. Screwdrivers work well, too. Always re-heat the whole surface to keep Cosplayflex soft.

5. When the surface is done, flip the mask over and stick all the flaps to the backside. Still keep the whole sheet of Cosplayflex soft by heating it up.

6. After all the flaps are stuck away take the still soft mask and shape it over your face. It’s the easiest way. If it’s too hot, let it cool down a bit, but don’t let it get rigid again unless you’re satisfied with the shape. Shape the face front and the ears.

If you want a crackle effect over the whole mask like I did, then follow these steps. Otherwise paint it and weather to your liking.

7. To get a crackle paint effect, buy pigment powder. I got white and black. What’s important here is that the paint absolutely cannot be flexible. It needs to crack to get this effect and a lot acrylics have the flexibility which we don’t need here.

8. Mix the pigment powder with water or Isopropyl alcohol. The alcohol will evaporate once you spritz it on the surface. Water won’t do it that fast and we don’t want to have too many pools in the surface. Get a spray bottle and fill it with your mixed liquid.

9. Get regular school or wood glue and paint the whole mask with it. Keep the layer thin and add a couple of thicker layers where you want a greater crackle effect. Use your pigment mix now and cover the whole mask with it. Use a good amount of paint, but don’t let it form any pools on your mask.

10. Use your heat gun and immediately start drying off the surface. It doesn’t need a too high temperature, though. You’ll see the paint crack immediately.

11. Let the paint dry entirely and use gold paint now to make the details on your mask. After you’re done with the details clear coat the entire mask. Only after clear coating it you can weather and add bloody effects to it. Otherwise you’d smudge the crackle paint.