Function: This costume is to be a full-fledged swimming costume that I can actually swim in. It will resemble a formorian, ie.., an aquatic humanoid with fins and patterns.
   
I didn't have any alginate so I had to use plaster to make a cast of my hand it took ALL weekend :( Difficulties: 
  • I can't cast my head on my own, I need help. 
  • Without alginate, it was a BIG DEAL to make a casting of my left hand
Got some alginate and made the other hand in 2 seconds, and made plaster castings of my feet. Abandoned trying to make cast-gloves and went with latex painted on real gloves. I put lycra between the fingers and then silicon rubber along the tops for bones and then shellacked the whole things in black latex, so they're both ready.
Cast my left foot, sculpted it and am making a mold for the top half of the left foot, then I have to flip it over and do the same for the bottom, and then again for the right. I think I'll use Super-Jay's technique of painting a mask right on my own face rather than trying to sculpt a head, because I cannot find anybody to do a lifecast for me.
The claws on both hands break too much, have to replace them. I found some eyeballs (in a gumball machine), and the head is ready to be pulled off and tested for fit before I finish it off. I made the eyes out of a plastic wine-cooler bottle with the right shape, and then smoked them with this cool transparent model paint. It works! I'm gonna paint my real eyelids white so that you get a flash of white like an inner eyelid. 
Formi's gloves got an acid test last night in the pool. Interesting added thrust, but I have to learn to swim a different way.. Instead of tensing fingers for thrust and relaxing for no resistance, you have to spread fingers for thrust and clench for none. Have to practice a lot! Wait till the backfins are done! I've been making the face by building up layers of puffy cloth and glued together with rubber it's SUCH A NEAT TECHNQIUE.. I could make a hundred cool costumes this way! I have these glass heads I got from Pier 1 Imports. I've just attached the face-side fins with rubber.. it's so cool .. I could make a HUNDRED masks like this! I wonder how well the top-fin will come out??
I found a new way to make claws.. I cut teeth out of an old comb.. They're indestructible and flexible.. and sharp too.. in a fun spanky sorta way. This boy sure is a homade marvel! "What did you make him out of?" "Well, the eyes are from a wine-cooler bottle painted smoky, the face is made of cloth scraps, the claws are the teeth of an old comb.." what's next?
The mold for the first foot is <done> eep! I have to pull the pieces apart and then try to cast it.. erk I'm nervous!! Oh DISASTER!! NO NO!! 

The mold broke apart and smashed itself to kingdom-come.. weeks.. months of my life sat before me in shambles.. instant migraine.. God, I'd forgotten how heartbreaking sculpture could be :( Some delicate surgery may preserve the rubber mold, maybe I can salvage this.. and it's only the left foot.. Why is plaster strong in all the wrong ways??
Flipper Joy! 

I cast my first flipper.. The wierdest thing.. The ink I put in seemed to accelerate the cute.. Instead of 30 minutes pot life I got <5> and instead of 24 hours full cure I got 8.. VERY wierd. It's not strong enough by itself but maybe I can reinforce with plastic. (see below). Had some wierd cracks in the casting too. Ought to be worth it for the amount of difficulty there is in using that rubber.

 DISASTER aGAIN!!

Do you believe it? The second flipper mold was ruined because I failed to put a thick-enough rubber layer..  I gIVE uP I guess I'm just not good enough to make and cast things in latex.. or I just don't know how I guess..  :( :( Maybe I'll try making the flippers another way..  I also have to practice being underwater.
Maybe a different style of flipper.. cast a different way? Cast nearly-flat?  Maybe no rubber layer?  
Sketches: