Once upon a time, there was an alien couple
Hello! My mother and I created an astronaut costume and an alien costume (representing an ideal couple) for Halloween and for a future short film. You can find our previous audiovisual projects on YouTube by searching for “Dailiad & Chimera.”
Here, we’d like to share the creative process behind this alien duo.
For the alien, everything begins with the design and subsequent sculpting of the character. In this instance, we were aiming for an appearance that was both reptilian and feminine.
A piece of power mesh is custom-fitted to the actress’s (my mom’s) head, incorporating upholstery foam and styrofoam padding to maximize comfort (given the weight of the silicone). This mesh serves to reinforce the final mask while holding it firmly against her skin, ensuring that any mouth movements are effectively transmitted to the mask.
A positive mold is created using plaster bandages on the actress's face. The sculpture is then covered with alginate to form a negative mold. This impression of the alien is reinforced with plaster in preparation for casting with platinum-cure silicone.
The positive mold is submerged into the negative mold, which already contains the silicone; The alien sees the light of this planet for the first time…
A similar process is carried out to create gloves for the hands.
The eyes are created using cycling lenses. An afro-style hairdo is achieved using inflated medical gloves. Here is the final result!
For the lovestruck astronaut the process begins with drafting the sewing patterns and constructing the jumpsuit, which is then stuffed with rings of upholstery foam. The sewing machine struggles with the thickness of the fabric; its frequent repair is simply part of the process.
The visor—originally an acrylic cat bed—is carefully covered with strips of gold-tinted polarizing film. The helmet is constructed using layers of plaster bandages and dental plaster (Type IV). A ring is added to the helmet, ensuring that the helmet does not rest on the head, and good ventilation for the wearer.
Then, details, pipe couplings, emblems, and a box that mimics the Portable Life Support System are added. We hope you like it!!
The couple also went dancing that night; here’s a video!
We are just getting started, and even the course trailers have been an incredibly valuable guide for our process—I can only imagine what the courses themselves must be like!!
Thank you so much for your content and for this opportunity!!
Greetings from Colombia!!!