# Latex / Cotton Corpse Tutorial (Long Post)



## the dogman (Jul 8, 2007)

A while ago I was asked to make a tutorial for the corpse heads I made, but classes had me tied up so I waited until spring break to do it. So in between playing video games and sleeping I managed to make a corpse head and take pictures of the head in progress.

(Pictures added as links, this post is long enough as it is. Pics can also be found in my props album.)

This process was taught to me by Lurks in the shadows, and he also provided the supplies to make the head. It’s a really simple method and makes for good looking corpse heads and corpses. Your own results will vary based on your own personal skill level, but don’t be intimidated, its really an easy process and anyone can make a good looking corpse this way.

Materials: 

Latex
Plain Paper Towels
Cotton Batting
Small Plastic Cup or Bowl
Cheap 1” wide Brushes
Clothes you don’t mind getting trashed
Hair drier
Illustrated Anatomy source (optional)
Hot glue, Super glue, Epoxy (optional)
Knife and/or Metal File (to clean the skull)

Additional Notes: 

The ear on the featured head (and the ears and noses on the other heads) were made by Lurks.
The eye ball in the featured head is made from a quarter sized Styrofoam ball painted by me.
The 1” brushes can be found at hardware stores and are usually quite cheap. When a brush gets gummed up or the latex dries in it, just toss it out and use a new one.
Using a Hair drier on low (or high) will speed up the drying process for the latex and shorten you work time.
The pictures were taken over 3 days, the head making process can take up to a full day for a complete head, I just drug it out cause I’m lazy and wanted to play video games. 

Ok on with the tutorial!
First off you need a skull, I used a 4th quality Bucky skull, removed the hardware, cleaned up some of the rough edges and seams and fixed the jaw and skull top in place with hot glue. You can used super glue or epoxy in the place of hot glue. I also drew a sort of plan for the head’s look onto the skull (Note: use pencil or marker not oil pastel for drawing plans)
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=916&pictureid=13850
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=916&pictureid=13851
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=916&pictureid=13852

Now when you have everything they way you like it you can pour some latex into a small plastic cup or bowl. It doesn’t need to be disposable because latex will clean off easily once it dries. I started by attaching the ear and blending it down. I did that by marking where the ear should be, brushing over the area with latex and brushing latex onto the ear. I let the latex get a bit tacky then put the ear in place. Then (with help from Lurks) I used a blow drier to dry the latex faster adding a few layers around the edges to keep it in place. You can also glue the ear down into place if you choose. To blend the edges I took a plain paper towel (that means no quilting or colorful pattern) and tore the strait edges off (a rough edge blends in better). I brushed latex onto the skull around the ear and then pressed a torn piece of paper towel onto it, brushing over the towel with more latex. I repeated that all around the ear and built up a few layers. I also stretched paper towel over a few places to simulate dried skin.
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=916&pictureid=13853

After fixing the ear in place I moved to the other side of the head and created muscle looking tissue for the heads right side. To apply the paper towels I brushed the skull with latex then added the paper towel pieces, brushed more latex… see the pattern here?
By adding more paper towels in different places and shapes you can build almost any shape on your corpse head such as brows, eyelids, lips, tongues, veins, etc.
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=916&pictureid=13854
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=916&pictureid=13855
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=916&pictureid=13856

Now the list of materials says cotton batting, but I didn’t use any on this head. Cotton batting can be used to create different textures and fill in spaces so you use less paper towel.

After the sides were done I started to add paper towels to cover the seam on the top of the head and into the open eye socket and I got a bit carried away before remembering to take another picture…
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=916&pictureid=13855
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=916&pictureid=13856
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=916&pictureid=13857

So after repeating the simple steps of:
*Brush on latex, 
Add paper towel (or cotton batting), 
Brush on more latex, 
Let dry, *
I got a corpse head that was looking good. 
Maybe you noticed that I left the top of the head mostly uncovered, well I did that on purpose ‘cause it looks neat. 
Now taking a better look you might see that the edges of the skin has a neat rolled appearance. That was done after the latex dried, I found the outer most edge of latex and gently peeled it up rolling it toward the paper towels. After getting to the edge of the paper towels I used super glue to keep the latex from peeling farther off the head getting the peeled away skin effect.

Well after you have a head that you like the last step is to paint the head (and add hair if you so choose). I used acrylic craft paints and brushed it on, but you can also airbrush the corpse heads. 
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=916&pictureid=13858
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=916&pictureid=13859
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=916&pictureid=13860
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=916&pictureid=13861
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=916&pictureid=13862
As for adding hair you can glue on a wig or use latex to apply crepe hair. 

If you have your own method for attaching hair that you think is better, an anatomy illustration source, or your own tips, tricks and experiences with the latex and cotton method please share it with us!

Well… that’s it for the tutorial. Hope it helps you out in your corpse making! 
Sorry its such a long post, I didn't want to leave anything out


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## voodoo willy (Feb 1, 2008)

Great Tutorial Dogman. Looks just great. 

I enjoyed meeting Lurks in the shadows, Terra, Jeff, Lord Grimley and yourself at Transworld.


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## Lurks in the shadows (Mar 12, 2005)

Nice instructions, Puppychick!
Even using the same materials and processes, our different corpsifiying styles come through. Some of what you come up with really surprises me! (I can't wait to see how your "Fiji" project turns out!)

I hope to see some of the different looks and styles that other people come up with using the cotton/latex method. 
___________

It really is an easy way to add just about as much detail as you want to a Bucky corpsification, or nearly any kind of framework. The cotton batting can be teased apart to look tattered or rotted, as well as used as a thicker layer builder than the paper towel. (I've found that Viva brand paper towels work well.) 
I tend to use more of the cotton batting than DM does, she prefers to roll, twist, and layer up the paper towel to create details.
_________
Hey VDW! 
Yeah, it was great getting to meet everyone!


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