HEADS:
PLASTIC CROSS-STITCHING MESH:
Thanks BigBadWolf
Pros:
-Cheap and easy to find materials.
-Can find many gauges of mesh (from thick to very thin).
-Relatively easy to make a smaller head
-Easy to make 'articulated' (moving) jaws.
Cons:
-Hard to get rounded edges (such as for a muzzle)
-Mesh tends to break down after a while
PLASTIC CROSS-STITCHING MESH AND FOAM (Upholstry or Reticulated foam):
Jax's Dalmatian Puppy
Pros:
-Easy to find Plastic and upholstry foam. (Reticulated foam is slightly harder
to find and more expensive)
-Relatively easy to make a smaller head
-Easy to make 'articulated' (moving) jaws.
-Easier to get more realistic heads than pure mesh only. You can round the edges
and such with foam.
Cons:
-If foam is not use sparingly, the head can
get 'bulky' and large.
-Mesh tends to break down after a while
PLASTIC CROSS-STITCHING MESH W/FOAM & HOCKEY/SPORTS HELMET:
Xodiac's
character.
Pros:
-Easy to find materials -Easy to 'wire the jaw' and add mesh to it.
-Relatively easy to make an 'articulated' (moving) jaw.
-Can have great head-movement: back and forth. (fits firmly to human head)
-Easy to build off of. Muzzle, horns, ears, spines all attached with
relative ease.
Cons:
-Sometimes helmets can be 'bulky' so the heads turn out larger than expected.
-Helmets can be difficult to find and expensive.
-Not much room for animatronics; to hide them the helmet generall needs
to be bulked up to the point where another method would be more useful.
THERMOPLASTIC (heat-bendable) MESH:
Zachariah
http://www.orthopaedicsystems.co.uk/docs/x-lite.htm
http://www.biomet.com/products/index.cfm?p=090E05
Pros:
-Easy to use, just heat, bend, heat, bend, etc.
-Remouldability
Cons:
-Can be VERY expensive ~$40-$100/sq.foot
-Should cover with something to avoid 'rough look' if needbe.
SOLID FOAM (Upholstry or Reticulated foam):
Thanks MarchHare
Pros:
-Cheap Materials
-Very good for Toony or Mascot-type heads
Cons:
-Reticulated foam is more expensive but washable and breathable.
-Upholstry foam is not very washable.
-Upholstry foam does not breathe very well.
BALACLAVA (ski mask/open-eyed hood) & FOAM (Upholstry or Reticulated foam):
Ace - Thanks White_Fox!
What
does a Balaclava look like? Check here
Pros:
-Can use a 'head casting' or 'studio head' to get a good fit
-Can make very small heads -Lots of versatility.
-Great movement of head, due to good fit.
Cons:
-You have to make a head casting or studio head to make a perfect fit
-Takes a while to get to learn how to attach foam to the ski mask.
FIBERGLASS:
Kiko Kea
http://www.chameleon.net/aeto/fiberglass.html
http://www.chameleon.net/aeto/kiko/
(construction of Kiko Kea)
Pros:
-Can get unique designs, smooth edges, realistic.
-Can fit ONLY your head or make generic using a skull-cap.
-Can make small heads
-Can make master and recast and recast the original shape.
Cons:
-Should use Head Casting of your head to get proper fit.
-Need to make a clay master.
-Messy, need a lot of room to use.
-Fumes can be dangerous
-Need to learn how to use fiberglass properly.
-Can be a heavy head if built too thick.
FOAMED PVC:
Firehopper
(dragonroo)
Pros:
-Can get unique designs
-Once you have a stencil, you can make the same design many times.
-Can have articulated (moving) jaw
-Good head movement
-Very lightweight.
Cons:
-Need power tools to cut design
-Need heat gun to fold foamed PVC
-Cutting your stencils to the proper shape so it folds into the 3-D
shape you desire takes practice.
-Properly bending a stencil into the desired shape takes practice too,
even when the stencil is the right shape for it.
FURRED LATEX MASKS
Thanks to Ocicat for the pics of his doggy.
Pros:
-Can be made into anything you wish
-Easy to find a latex mask in stores or online at Halloween stores.
-Very light heads
-Can be a very small head
Cons:
-Can be very hot, needs backing of some kind and
-Needs heavy molds to create.
-Some people are allergic to latex
FOAM LATEX APPLIANCES
ScreamTeam (where left picture is from)
http://www.lyonshel.com/ Dogs and Cats
pre-painted appliances
http://superjay.timduru.org/Makeup/makeup.html
(for furries!)
Info on Prosthetics
Pros:
-Easy to make look neat with some latex grease-paint or airbrush PAX paint.
-Relatively cheap.
Cons:
-Some people are allergic to latex.
-Very few places make these off the shelf so they are hard to find.
-Hard to make yourself.
-Takes time to add fake hair, paint, contacts, etc to make look good.
-Can only use 1-10 times depending how much care you give the appliance when removing
it.
PAPER / MATERIAL MACHE':
Thanks to Canid
How to make a Paper
Mache' Spirit Mask
Mask Making
Masks by Illusionary Design
Animal
Face Forms
Pros:
-Cheap materials
-Can get unique designs, smooth edges, realistic.
-Good movement of head if fits correctly.
-Tons of styles to try.
-Can look through eyes or eyeducts, depending how you build it.
-Airbrush or fur can be added for realism
Cons:
-Cannot get head wet, or it will fall apart. Usually have to cover paper mache'
with another material, such as resin.
-Head can be heavy if covered with resin
-Resin may have dangerous fumes.
-Messy to use, long drying time.
LEATHER MASKS:
Leather Masks by Larry
Wood
Mardi Gras Masks
Pros:
-Can shape into many designs
-Can get unique designs, smooth edges, realistic.
-Good movement of head if fits correctly.
-Tons of styles to try
-Can look through eyes or eye-ducts, depending how you build it.
Cons:
-Expensive materials
-Hard to form
-Need Experience with leather
REMEMBER:
You can make a head out of just about anything. It just takes
TIME and A WILL TO DO IT. Goodluck!