Silicon Mask Painting Advice

Nathan M

Hello Everyone!

This is my very first silicone mask and it has been a project 5 months in the making, i know it has flaws but i'm still proud of how far i've come with it.
I started around May with no knowledge in mask making and one day I just worked up the courage to make a mask of this mad doctor from a game called Dead By Daylight.  
My steps were pretty basic as i went from making a mold of my own head out of plaster strips to a life scale bust of my head covered in plastiline clay.
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Eventually i managed to due the impossible and pull a silicone mask out in once piece with a little help from a new friend, but now i've hit a wall..
I have no idea how to paint a silicone mask but ive researched and found a few ways to do it.
1.)I have heard alcohol based paints can work with silicone masks
(i believe doing this is safe because i dont need to wear a respirator but i've also heard the alcohol paint job comes off?)

2.)-Mixing naphtha with silicone pigments and either brushing or airbrushing it on.
(this is the problem, i heard if you mix naphtha and the silicone pigments it's very bad to breathe in and could harden in your lungs.
i plan to do this in my backyard but my backyard is quite small and i'm afraid the fumes would travel from one side and get sucked into my AC system on the opposite side)

3.)Is there an alternative to naphtha?

4.)What kind of respirator cartridges do i need?
 i have an old respirator that i havent used in about 3 years so im positive the cartridges are expired.
5.) Is there another way to paint silicone?

I apologize in advance if this is posted in the wrong discussion threads haha

Here's some before and after pictures

Plaster strip head mold

Then my life sized plaster head




My bust with clay

Then the silicone pull

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Ashy Slashy

sorry my other pictures are on my phone
Here's the bust with clay
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Then this is the front of the mask
 

Kai Rottmann

Hey Nathan/ Ashy,
that Mask looks very nice, well done ;-)

There is a product called psycho paint by Smooth On. It isnt the cheapest, but the less- toxiest i think.
https://www.smooth-on.com/product-line/psycho-paint/

I havent paint with that yet, but i will try it in the next month. In the past i have painted with that Naphta- silicone- oilpaint mixture with a respirator with the brown/organic cartridge.
The low pressure which i used to paint my masks, doesnt create such "Naptha clouds" and there was no problem.

If it was the plan, to let the mask look organic: try to cast your finished mask in a pale skin tone as a base for your paint.
I have no idea, how to paint a very dark casted mask so that it looks kind of oarganic  reds, blues, greens, yellows, browns, veinwork: You will not see anything of it.
As the great artists pray in their lessons: Pale base- you can always go darker, but its very hard to go lighter with a dark base.

I hope it helps and i wish you a great time with your mask :-)

Greets

Kai

Nathan M

There is a product called psycho paint by Smooth On. It isnt the cheapest, but the less- toxiest i think.
https://www.smooth-on.com/product-line/psycho-paint/

I havent paint with that yet, but i will try it in the next month. In the past i have painted with that Naphta- silicone- oilpaint mixture with a respirator with the brown/organic cartridge. 
The low pressure which i used to paint my masks, doesnt create such "Naptha clouds" and there was no problem.

If it was the plan, to let the mask look organic: try to cast your finished mask in a pale skin tone as a base for your paint. 
I have no idea, how to paint a very dark casted mask so that it looks kind of oarganic   reds, blues, greens, yellows, browns, veinwork: You will not see anything of it. 
As the great artists pray in their lessons: Pale base- you can always go darker, but its very hard to go lighter with a dark base.

I hope it helps and i wish you a great time with your mask :-)

Greets

Kai
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Aw yes! this is exactly what i needed! 
This Psycho paint might be the answer to my paint prayers! haha
When you said you painted with naptha and your silicone pigments what was your process?
I assume you poured the silicone pigment into the naphta and mixed it up and poured the mix into your airspray brush or paint brush.(i havent ever painted with an airbrush so thats why i'm asking, sorry if this comes off as weird)
_
Oh the only reason why my mask is a bit dark is because i was messing with colors and seeing how dark and how light it would come out when mixed and then applied and left to set.
But this mask is suppose to look lifeless and dead so basically it would be hit with a light greyish blue cobalt skin tone then touched up here and there.
It's not too crazy, but manageable(at least for an amateur like me)
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My only problem now is im doing a third pull from my mold and im having a hard time getting the silicone to spread out evenly , have no air bubbles, and be thick enough all all around.
The painting seems like a breath of fresh air now thanks to your suggestion.(A THOUSAND THANK YOUS MAN! I'd be so lost if it wasnt for you, thank you thank you! )
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On smooth-ons website i see dragonskin mentioned a lot and im curious if this is another kind of paint application or just another form of silicone to use for masks(more research required before purchasing)

Joshua Greenlee

For silicone painting your silicone paint has to have silicone, pigment/ paint, and a thinner for airbrush application. Psycho paint is Smooth On's  primary paint system for silicone painting. If your mask is cast in platinum silicone you can paint it with any platinum silicone, tinted with silicone pigments or oil paints in a pinch. Dragon skin, Psycho Paint, SilPoxy, Gel 10, Shin Etsu KE-45-T can act as the silicone carrier. If you used a tin silicone to cast your mask you will use different silicones to paint with.  Fuse F/X has the pigment in the silicone B side and you add the A side in equal amounts.  Its still Platinum A/B silicone system just pre-pigmented so that it takes the guess work out of color mixing

How you will mix:
-You will take your silicone siphon some into a cup.  ( if its an A/B mixture measure out using a gram scale) and use small amounts.  6 grams will be a lot when thinned down to go through an airbrush... if that helps.

-Add pigment to silicone and make sure to add enough pigment but not more than 3% as to much will inhibit the cure of the silicone.

-Mix it all together and check color and adjust where needed

-Add thinner solvent ( Naptha, Mineral White Spirits, Novocs) till desired consistency for airbrushing and desired opacity. At least a 1:1 ratio should be required to get most silicone paints to airbrush consistency. I have only used Naptha and will be getting some Novocs soon to give it a try.

- I then mix it all together with a martini mixer to make sure I get an even smooth mixture

Also yeah replace those filters on that respirator as they will need to be changed before painting if they are going to effective at all.

These were all painted with Gel 10 thinned with Naptha and pigmented with pigment bought from Brick in the Yard. None of the paint has come off and they have been intensely used during show nights at haunts. Just make sure you clean the mask well  before painting to remove releases and try to paint while its freshly cured. 

Nathan M

My mask was made out of Brick in the yards platsil gel 10 , so would Psycho paint work with this?
It just seemed like in the video they mixed two batches of A+B of Psycho paint with silicon pigment and applied as needed.
 (Also do i need to wear a respirator when i use Psycho paint? Because im trying to see if there's an alternative to not use a respirator if possible.)

-Got what you meant about Fuse F/X stuff one side is already pre mixed for you all i'd have to do is just combine both and apply it

(id also like to go over your steps if you dont mind since im not so confident in this stage)
_quote_

-You will take your silicone siphon some into a cup.  ( if its an A/B mixture measure out using a gram scale) and use small amounts.  6 grams will be a lot when thinned down to go through an airbrush... if that helps.
(So are you talking about my platsil gel 10 or if i where to buy something like Psycho paint? But the process is basically get a really small amount of A+B, about 3 grams?  

-Add pigment to silicone and make sure to add enough pigment but not more than 3% as to much will inhibit the cure of the silicone.
(Now when you say add pigment you mean just dab the color in and DO NOT MIX IT right?)

-Mix it all together and check color and adjust where needed
(So this would be if i mixed with Psycho paint right? no thinner required? Or is thinner required no matter what for painting?)

-Add thinner solvent ( Naptha, Mineral White Spirits, Novocs) till desired consistency for airbrushing and desired opacity. At least a 1:1 ratio should be required to get most silicone paints to airbrush consistency. I have only used Naptha and will be getting some Novocs soon to give it a try.
(So do all of these require respirators? Naphtha , mineral spirits, novocs?
Also lets say the mix with A+B plus the pigment with thinner is 4grams does that mean id need to have 4 grams of thinner as well?)

- I then mix it all together with a martini mixer to make sure I get an even smooth mixture

Also yeah replace those filters on that respirator as they will need to be changed before painting if they are going to effective at all.
(what kind of cartridges are required if i ever decide to try doing this?)

Nathan M

But htis is the general idea for painting my mask right?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29QgZVEhETo

Joshua Greenlee

First if you use airbrush to paint with silicone yes use a respirator. The only time I paint anything without one is when airbrushing makeups on models/ actors. Safety first but in the end its up to you. I actually even wear eye protection when I paint just to be safe.  If you're not going to airbrush its not as imperative to wear a respirator but if you add a solvent to thin the mixture, its best to put it on as its your lungs and for most people the only set you get.

Platsil gel 10 and psycho paint will work out the same (3 grams A of 3 grams of and that's just my recommendation for starting size sample of silicone and you can scale that up and down as you see fit. If you already have gel 10 use it to paint with. It has the best chance at bonding to your mask because your mask is cast in Gel-10. No sense in buying something else unless you just want to try it, this stuffs expensive enough.

Yes a dab of pigment and at those small amounts of silicone it will need a tiny amount, especially because you can 1. over pigment  2. you may need to adjust the colors with other colors so go slow and creep up on colors. And mix every time you add a color.
Everyone has their own method of how they add pigment to silicone:

1-Some mix up A/B add the pigment till you color is just right then add thinner for airbrushing (With this you have to be careful as the clock has started ticking for the silicone to set up when you mix the A/B together)

2-Some put the colors into A and the same into B to get them close and when they have them close to matching they mix (not as advisable when working with such small amounts, because when you transfer to the other cup you will be more likely to be off ratio)

3-Then there are some who add pigment to one side only, get the color they want and then add the other component ( downside to that is when you add the other side you reduce the strength of the pigment in your mixture because you essentially diluted the colored side with other side of silicone so you have to be aware of that ahead of time) 

A solvent used as a thinner will be required no matter what silicone carrier route you decide to go, if you are going to airbrush using silicone. That's the hard truth of it. If you want to try hand painting, you could do it without using a thinner but more than likely the paint job will suffer because you won't be able to apply and build up washes to get an awesome paint job and lets face it, that's one great thing about silicone.  I'm not saying it can't be done but you will have to move quickly.  Also with any of the solvents added to silicone just wear a respirator especially when painting with an airbrush. That stuff airborne and you breathing it in is horrible for you.

Yes and no on the ratio for amount of thinner required. You wont be adding thinner based on weight, for that 1:1 ratio it would be by volume. So lets say you have 1 fl oz of  mixed silicone/pigment mixture, you could add 1 fl oz of thinner to the mix. (Also don't be slave to that 1:1 mixture either. You need it obviously be thin enough to get it through an airbrush and you would add more once it flows nicely through your airbrush to change the opacity. The 1:1 ratio by volume should get you to airbrush consistency)

For your cartridges for your respirator get cartridges or even possibly a new respirator all together rated for organic vapors. Those are going to be best for what you're using.

I think I covered everything, if not shoot some more questions and I'll do my best to help you out. Hope this helps.