This short series will show how I create the resin bases for a wolf masks.

I use plasticine to model the base as it won't dry and crack as water based clay does. I normally change the base after each mask I do to (hopefully) improve it. Its important that whatever you use for the model is sulfur free, otherwise the silicone we add later will not cure and you are left with a hell of a mess!

The tools I use can be seen in (1). The second tool (the one with the loops) is very useful to remove small amounts of plasticine. The middle one is from a dentist and is perfect to create details.

I model the wolf base on a face cast of myself which can partly be seen in (4). This way I get a perfect fit onto my face. The muzzle itself is sloping heavily as my face cast is looking straight up in picture (2). Clearly visible are the lines I will cut the mask apart.

To create a realistic looking mask it's important to conceal the height of the human head. The sloping muzzle conceals the forehead. The chin is below the mask and is later hidden in the neck fur. Later I will add padding to the left and right of the mask. This along with long fur will make the mask seem wider.

Around the bottom of the model we add a rim (5) to prevent the silicone from flowing off the model. Note the small gap between the mask and the edge (5). When we pour silicone over the base some of it will flow in this gap and create a small edge on the silicone. This will prevents the resin from flowing out of the mask while slush casting and gives a nice edge (7).

I once tried to model a wolf nose myself, but I totally failed. So I bought one from Van Dykes and just put it into my model (8). This also helps to get the proportions right. I stuffed some plasticine into the nostrils because they were pretty deep. They will be drilled open later to get better ventilation inside the mask.