# "Dark Crystal" Skeksis Costume



## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

*Project Overview*My girlfriend, having successfully recreated a flying monkey costume from the movie, "The Wizard of Oz" last year, decided to take on a new project from the movie, "The Dark Crystal" for this year's Halloween.​Her favorite character group from the "Dark Crystal" is the Skesis, and it is this character group that serves as a model for her new project. This new project will include an original latex mask and an original costume, both of which will be created from scratch on a minimal budget.​This thread will serve to keep forum users up-to-date on how far along my girlfriend is with the costume, as well as serve to solicit suggestions, product ideas, donations of materials, etc.​


*Completed Items:*

08/05 - Initial sculpting of the mask using oil-based clay.
09/23 - Initial dying of the clothing articles.
09/27 - Final sculpting of the mask using oil-based clay.
09/29 - Creation of the two-part mother mold using a silicon base.


*Items in Progress:*

Creation of wax mask utilizing the two-part mother mold made on 9/29.
Creation of plaster mother mold based on the wax mask.
Creation of latex mask using the plaster mother mold.
Painting and styling of latex mask.
Positioning of artificial eyes in latex mask.
Sewing of costume.


*Items to be Completed:*

Paper mache spinal ridges for costume.
Costume fitting.
Latex mask fitting.
Armature for gloves.


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

*Initial Sculpture Pictures*

*Initial Sculpture Pictures
(August 5th, 7th, & 19th)*


*August 5th, 2007*


























*August 7th, 2007*



















*August 19th, 2007*


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

*Final Sculpture Pictures*

*Final Sculpture Pictures
(September 29th, 2007)*


*Right Side - Middle - Left Side*


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

*Creation of First Plaster Mother Mold Pictures*

*Creation of First Plaster Mother Mold Pictures
(September 29th, 2007)*


*Shims - Taped Shims with Mold Release Applied*



















*Silicon Base - Plaster on Silicon Base with Shims Removed*



















*View of Silicon and Plaster Layers - Completed Mother Mold*


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

*Wax Casting & Final Plaster Mother Mold Pictures*

*Wax Casting & Final Plaster Mother Mold Pictures*
*(Check back on Friday, October 5th)*


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## Mr. Mxyztplk (Sep 27, 2004)

WOW, that looks really cool.


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

WOW!

I love that movie, and the head looks fantastic!!! I can't wait to see the finished costume - what a coool idea!


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

Looks like we'll begin pouring the wax tonight, and if all goes well, we will begin work on the final, plaster mother mold as well. *crosses fingers* 

UPDATE: Finished pouring the wax and worked on the costume tonight. Will have to wait a day or two to see if a plaster mold can be made of the new wax casting. More pictures to come!


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

*Wax Casting Pictures
(October 4th, 2007)*


*One Side of Inner Mother Mold - Brushing Wax onto Silicon​*















*Mother Mold Ready for Wax Pouring​*


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## noahbody (Sep 20, 2003)

Awesome sculpt.


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

Pulled apart the mother mold this morning to see how the wax casting turned out, and everything looks great so far.

We will post some pictures of the wax casting later this evening if all goes well, and we will work on making the final plaster mold using the wax casting on Saturday. 

Once we have the final plaster mother mold, we can begin pouring the latex.


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

*Umolding of Wax Casting
(October 5th, 2007)*


*Wax Casting in Mother Mold - Empty Half of Mother Mold*


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

Pictures of the costume and of the unpainted latex mask should be posted by the end of next week. Also, we will hopefully have pictures posted of the stomach and back structures that will add a sense of realism to the costume.


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

Pictures of the new, six part plaster mold and of the rough draft latex mask will be posted shortly.


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## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

I feel like an idiot in suspense.


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

It's gonna be good... ;-)


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## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

Are you going to wait until Halloween to unveil this???


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

Probably... ;-)

Luckily we have the pictures, but we've been spending every free hour getting the costume ready since the contests are all towards the end of this week. I will try to post some tonight after we get back from shopping.

The costume is pretty much complete, the final latex mask looks AMAZING (it's really thick and holds its shape perfectly), and with the edition of UV LEDs that are placed into the back of the eyeballs, I'd say that we just about nailed it for this year.

I can only imagine how good this costume will look next year when we work on armatures for the arms and install a CCTV system to help with movement.


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

Took some pictures today of the final costume and going to a costume contest this evening.

I should have some pictures posted tomorrow.


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

*Mockup of Costume
(October 6th, 2007)*


*Full View - Zoomed View*


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

*Joining of Mother Mold
(October 8th, 2007)*


*Side View - Angled View*


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

*Rough Latex Casting from Final Mother Mold
(October 12th, 2007)*


*Side View - Front View*


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

*Test Fit of Final, Painted Latex Casting
(October 25th, 2007)*


*Side View - Front View*


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

*Test Fit of Final Latex Mask & Costume
(October 27th, 2007)*


*Side View - Front View - Front View w/Lighted Eyes (Out of Focus)*


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

We are still working on the costume, and I hope to have some more pictures posted of what the costume looks like in a low-light setting where the lighted eyes are more pronounced.

For those wondering, the final latex mask was touched up around the seams using the same liquid latex in which the mask was cast. Grease paints were used to add color to the latex mask, and the greast paints were set using a powder. Cheap extensions from a beauty store were used to create the hair, and more hair plugs will be added for next year's version. Doll eyes were used, and veins were added to these eyes using permanent markers. From inside the mask, the eyes were lit using a pair of UV LED lights that are connected to a 9V battery (these look awesome in low-light settings).

Feel free to post any quesitons or comments you may have, and I will try to post all of the Halloween pictures of this costume immediately following Halloween.


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## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

Any video?


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

It'll be low quality, but I'll try to snag 15 seconds or so of video on my digital camera at one of the events.


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## Attain (Oct 10, 2007)

Can't wait to see the final product?


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

*Halloween Costume Display
(October 31st, 2007)*


*Darker Front View w/Lighted Eyes - Lighter Front View*


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

*Halloween Costume Display
(October 31st, 2007)*


*Front View w/Dog*


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

*Halloween Costume Video 360
(October 31st, 2007)*


*Click Link Below for Low Res Video
*** May Take a Few Moments for Video to Load ****

Low Resolution 360 View



*Click Link Below for Higher Res Video
*** May Take a Few Moments for Video to Load ****

Higher Resolution 360 View​


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

Well, we were unable to hit up any costume contests this year. One was poorly planned and when we were told to arrive was actually an hour late, one was cancelled, one decided to not allow masks of any sort this year, and one could not get their story straight as to when the contest would be held and what the prizes would be.

Hopefully we will get a chance to enter some costume contests next year; at the very least we will dress up, go out, and enjoy Halloween as opposed to waiting around for costume contests.

Know that we had a great time putting this costume together, know that we will be making it better for next year, and know that everyone that was lucky enough to see it this year simply loved it!

Until next year...Happy Halloween!


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## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

It looks fantastic. I want to go out and buy the Dark Crystal DVD and see it all over again.


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

Thanks!

Or wait until the sequel comes out next year.


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## Undeadvoodoomonkey (Aug 4, 2007)

Cool stuff! Bummer on the contests but I guess you'll be ready for next year. I have a question regarding the sculpt. Why did you create a version to mold then pour a wax copy to then re-mold? Could you not just sculpt one then just mold the first sculpt in plaster and save a redundant step and extra materials? And why a 6 part mold? Did I miss something? Thanks.


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

Why did you create a version to mold then pour a wax copy to then re-mold? Could you not just sculpt one then just mold the first sculpt in plaster and save a redundant step and extra materials?
*The original sculpture was made using oil-based clay so that it could be sculpted off-and-on for a couple of months without worrying about the clay drying out and cracking. 

If we had directly cast a plaster mold of the oil-based clay sculpture, the exothermic reaction caused when the plaster sets could have caused the oil-based clay to droop and lose its shape. It this were to occur, and the mold did not turn out properly, then the sculpture would be lost.

Using a two-step approach ensured that we would have the clay sculpture in reserve should anything go wrong during the molding process.*​
And why a 6 part mold? Did I miss something?
*A six-part mold was needed due to the complexity of the mask. If only a two-part mold was used, the ridges and valleys of the mask would not allow for an easy separation of the casting from the mold (this was especially true when casting and releaseing the wax sculpture).

Since I have not done any mold making myself, I asked the same question while we began placing shims in the mask, and as I saw how the mold pieces would have to come off of the mask in order to ensure its proper release, it all began to make sense to me. *​


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## dionicia (Nov 5, 2006)

rogue4 said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Or wait until the sequel comes out next year.


Long awaited sequels never turn out as good as the originals. I hope the Jim Henson Creature Workshop proves me wrong though.


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

His kids are working real hard on this one and hope to integrate some good ol' fashion muppets...let's keep our fingers crossed.


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

Looks as though we will be streamlining this costume for Halloween '08.

Included will be a CCTV set for easy navigation (almost impossible if in low-light environments), as well as custom-molded hands, and a better mask configuration (wanting to make the eyes brighter).

Keep your eyes peeled!


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## Bilbo (Mar 8, 2007)

rogue4 said:


> His kids are working real hard on this one and hope to integrate some good ol' fashion muppets...let's keep our fingers crossed.


Elmo look for Dark Crystal!! Will you help Elmo??


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## LV Scott T (Aug 14, 2007)

rogue4 said:


> Looks as though we will be streamlining this costume for Halloween '08.
> 
> Included will be a CCTV set for easy navigation...


How are you going to fit a CCTV system in a mask?


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## HD-Lilly (Jan 23, 2008)

really cool costume great work ..One of my favorite movies also.
I like the way the clothing looks darker in the one vid though better than the bright colors . 
cute dog


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## Zarcath (Mar 30, 2008)

don't suppose you made any extra masks to sell? :O


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

We still have the mother mold, so it might be possible to make another mask, but it would probably be expensive since it requires a lot of labor for as many parts as the mother mold has.


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## Lady Nyxie (Jul 27, 2006)

What can I say, but Wow!


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## RBC (Mar 4, 2008)

awesome job, I hope you win the big money with that costume you deserve it. Hugs


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## nightbeasties (May 22, 2008)

That's just plain impressive. Those things always gave me the heebies, and that would actually give me pause if I saw it walking around. ::shudder:: I have to show the roomie, he's a huge Dark Crystal fan.


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## silverbullet83 (May 19, 2008)

I seriously hated that movie when I was a kid. It freaked me out. That said, I gotta give you credit for a seriously well-made Halloween costume.


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

Thanks! We hope to improve upon the costume this year and maybe begin selling custom costumes to folks interested in high-quality replicas.


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## CalypsoLB (Aug 8, 2007)

You would be great at that! that is simply amazing!!!


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## k.dacalio (Jul 11, 2008)

*That looks sick mate. Hah i like how even the dog is kind of scared looking, like "what the heck is this monster". 
Looks amazing!*


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## Malenkia (Sep 5, 2006)

That's awesome!!!

All I could think of though, in the picture with the puppy, was "Smells like Glefling!" *LOL*


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## rogue4 (Oct 29, 2006)

Two months and counting...this year we'll be focusing on our new home.


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## halloween_sucks_in_the_uk (Sep 28, 2008)

Rogue, that costume you made was amazing, I was terrified of the Skeksis when I was a kid, way back when I first saw that movie...shows my age!

Good luck with the new house


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## Count Chocula (Oct 19, 2007)

The count thinks this costume is full of WIN!


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## kittyvibe (Oct 27, 2008)

You mentioned doing copies but would be expensive, what are your thoughts on pricing? I think you and your woman should definitely go into making your own costume replicas but Im unsure about legal ramifications like copyrights. Perhaps if you limited it to word of mouth (like on the forums) vs opening a website store? awesome job on this costume


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