Kyle Pasciutti Design Blog

Testing123

2011-03-17T05:13:00.001-04:00

Just testing the android blogger app... So far I'm still thinking of sticking with Tumblr... More options and you can view articles in-app... Where are those fancy upgrades Blogger? #InGoogleWeTrust

Solomons Island Part 1: Giant Prehistoric Barnacles

2010-04-30T02:12:00.049-04:00

Giant Prehistoric Barnacles

I spent most of this past week in Solomons, Maryland with nothing to do except relax, walk around, see the sights, mix it up with the locals, and get some of those delicious Maryland Blue Crabs (my favorite food and pretty much the only left over trace of my having lived in MD until the age of nine). The one attraction that was recommended to me again and again was the Calvert Marine Museum around which these next three quick blog entries will revolve...

Stopping in to see the fossil-cleaning-in-action, I met two volunteers who were incredibly knowledgeable and quite friendly. Snapping a picture of what I thought were simply the largest barnacles I had ever seen, the two ladies informed me that they were actually prehistoric fossils. Apparently because of the warmer climate and different makeup of oceanic and atmospheric gases, many creatures (including barnacles) grew much larger back then. So that got me thinking... Haven't I seen barnacles of this larger size in the movies before? Pirates of the Caribbean perhaps? Ohh well... Chock it up to Hollywood magic :) I'll certainly be using this shot as inspiration in the future... Interesting to think about and possibly a neat little bit of trivia anyway...

Cartoon Math

2010-04-13T03:34:00.007-04:00

So I was doing some character study today and it occurred to me that since cartoons usually only have four fingers on each hand, they probably wouldn't have a base 10 math system like we do. Four fingers on each hand would seem to lead to a base 8 system. After a little research **cough** **wikipedia** **cough** I learned that this is called "Octal" (instead of decimal) and has in fact already been used in both real world fictional settings.

In counting with a base eight system, only the numbers 0-7 are used and the ten's place becomes the eight's place. Things start to get really tricky when the hundreds place then becomes the sixty fours place.

So let's say that you somehow meet up with Roger Rabbit and cross over into the toon world... All of a sudden, your dollar is only worth sixty four cents... The comparable max speed limit of sixty five mph (assuming toons care about such things) would be 101mph... 1ft equals 14 inches... And the legal drinking age would be 25...

Here's some more fun base eight math for ya: 5+5=12 1+7=10 22+36=60 20-2=16 75-25=50 77-10=67 12x2=24 3x10=30 10x10=100

A quick run down of base eight numbers from zero to sixty four:
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 100

...and that ladies and gentlemen completes the random thought that ran through my head earlier today. Completely useless but fun to think about :)

Experimenting with Neoprene As Latex Alternative For 'Fitted Masks'

2010-04-08T13:40:00.346-04:00

A couple weeks ago I was contacted by David over at Critical Coatings who had seen the neoprene masks on my site and thought he might be able to save me some money on supplies. His prices for the basic Rigid, Semi-Rigid, and Flexible Neoprene formulas beat out those from companies I've used in the past, and his customer service was amazing. We got to talking, and I told David about a new type of mask I was working with called either a 'Fitted Mask' or 'Sock Mask' depending on who you ask. I had been using latex to make the masks, but both David and I were interested in experimenting with neoprene to determine the benefits of using one material versus the other. In the past, I had only used neoprene on the clay-model plaster-cast style hard masks, but love the material & was quite excited at the opportunity.

One of the major problems with the idea of using Neoprene for this application, is that in it's usual form, the material is close to the consistency of water. This is great for making clay-mold plaster-cast 'slip masks', but not so much for this type. The Latex I had been using is roughly the consistency of pudding, and is perfect for being both spreadable and absorbable into the nylon and other materials being used. So David whipped me up a batch of what we're calling 'Viscous Neoprene' using specially designed thickeners to achieve the proper consistency.

The 'Fitted Mask' technique uses a pre-made full-head plaster cast and nylon stocking to form completely to the shape of the individual for whom the mask is being made. This allows for some movement to show through the mask when simply being worn, but also because of the makeup of the mask, an adhesive such as Pros-Aide, Latex, or (less recommended) Spirit Gum can be used to affix the mask to the wearer much like a prosthetic piece, except pre-made and reusable.

After being fitted to the head and removing the excess material, the nylon is completely saturated with the neoprene solution (approximately 1-3 cups depending on the size of the head). It was at this point that the first differences from the latex became apparent. The latex is blended approximately .05% with ammonia in order to facilitate a faster dry time. The smell from the ammonia can be overpowering, and it is highly recommended that the process be completed in a vented area. With the neoprene however, the smell is more like that of a fresh set of tires than that of household cleaning products and dissipates roughly 75% after drying. The smell can 'sit' in the area in which you are working for quite some time, but is neither overpowering nor toxic on any level.

Because the drying of the neoprene is based on water evaporation rather than the ammonia evaporation of the latex, the time is slightly extended, but not incredibly so. Before the mask is completely dry, and while the nylon still retains some of it's elasticity, the eye and ear holes should be cut. It's about this time that I began to notice one of the few negative aspects of the neoprene. Latex is rather sticky and is often used as an adhesive, but the neoprene does not share that quality. You will notice that the bridge of the nose on the mask does not sit completely on the plaster cast. Normally the latex would stick down this area while it was drying, but in this instance, the nylon must be manually stretched.

Once the neoprene has dried completely (roughly an hour to an hour and a half), the nose and mouth holes are cut. At this point the nylon has lost most of it's elasticity, so when these holes are cut, you can be sure that they will sit directly on the areas of the face that you want them to. Specifically, this is done so that the breathing holes line up where they need to be, and the movement of the mouth will work with the wearer. The color of the mask base has also now returned to a similar shade as when it started, having only darkened slightly. The mask should now be separated from the plaster, but if you are planning on making a mask that fits the wearer very well, the mask should not yet be removed from the plaster. I would suggest using a tool such as the back end of a paintbrush to release the more tricky parts.

At this point the base mask is complete. Just about anything can be used to decorate the mask. Most often, I have seen and used this technique to extend the life of prosthetic pieces, but having none available at the moment, I decided to experiment with some of my other favorite materials which I also often tend to use on the latex version of this process. The first material I tried was cotton balls. These are most often used to build up areas while still maintaining an organic look/feel, and worked quite well with the neoprene even surpassing their use with latex since they will stick to the mask but not as much to your fingers and can be moved/shaped with ease. Next up, I tried paper products. Paper towels, toilet paper, tissues, and a bit of cardboard which are used for everything from creating a textured skin to building up small areas to creating wrinkles and cuts and scars. These all worked similarly to how they would with the latex with the exception of the cardboard which had problems holding to the mask. This problem was resolved with a layer of neoprene coated tissue on top. Finally, I tried adding some polyurethane foam which is most often used to build up large areas or add large shapes while keeping down the weight of the mask. This was the most problematic of the materials, and biggest difference from the latex. First, an area of the foam must be saturated with the neoprene, then if the foam is fighting gravity it will continually slide off, and if the area being attached to the mask isn't quite the shape of the surface of the mask, it will flex and pull off. I was able to solve these issues by adding an edge of neoprene soaked toiled paper which also worked to blend the foam into the mask creating a more organic look. In other uses, this may not be an issue as the foam is most often covered with a 'skin' layer of one paper product or another.

Cleanup is relatively easy with neoprene in that it will fairly easily peel off your hands much like everyone used to do with Elmer's glue back in the 2nd grade. For some surfaces, I've found that you can peel the neoprene off once it's dry, but I wouldn't plan for that. Newspaper is your friend. It WILL ruin clothing though, so wear something you don't care about...

Final Thoughts:
Neoprene is a great material. It's slightly more expensive than latex, but holds up much better over time and with regular use. It is possible to be allergic to neoprene or it's additives, but if you need to create a mask for someone allergic to latex, it is a definite possibility. When creating the mask itself, neoprene and latex each have their own strengths and weaknesses, and you should decide for yourself what qualities you are looking for. Personally, I plan to continue playing with this new blend of neoprene in my future masks, and will more than likely end up using both the neoprene and latex together.

I do want to again recommend and CriticalCoatings.com who have great pricing, and were kind enough to send me the sample neoprene to do this experiment with. They are both professional and personal. More than willing to discuss your projects, whip you up a custom blend, and ship it super fast!

For more information on Neoprene, check out the Wikipedia Article HERE.

Now on Flickr... Yay!

2010-01-23T02:01:00.003-05:00

Prawn, Ork, & Zombie

KyleP555 now on Flickr!!!
Yep, all joined up... Photos up from the summer's makeup class along with one pic of a crab that's hanging on my wall... I'll upload more of the old stuff when I'm done working on my new website & have more time... From here on though, I'll be keeping the Flickr photolog as up to date as possible... Speaking of which, since discovering that Flickr has an auto Twitter & auto Blog features, that should make sharing incredibly easy!!! Yay technology!

Makeup FX Class Pictures Finally Released!

2010-01-22T02:06:00.001-05:00

Nobody from the class was allowed to post these pictures as to the possibility that they might have been appearing in a magazine... Now that we're allowed to show, it either means that the magazine just came out, or that they decided not to use them... Either way, I love the work! Especially going to see District 9 one night, then waking up the next day to make a Prawn! It just doesn't get better than that... I think I'm going to have to sign up for Flickr now as one unified spot to share pix... TweetPic is good for on-the-go & Facebook has the advantage of friends & family immediate reactions... But what about you Blog readers? Something must be done! Lol

Of course all credit to the full makeup & fx class that collaborated, & the Wolfe Brothers who taught & modeled...

ITouch Blog Test

2009-12-11T03:10:00.001-05:00

Testing an iTouch app to see if it can post to my blog... Nothing to see here... Move along... :)

What I'm Up To...

2009-08-14T20:28:00.004-04:00

Stay Puft, Yale Sound, & Audry II...
Good stuff is a-happening...
:)

Expanding Foam Time-Lapse

2009-04-21T05:24:00.006-04:00

As I was working on the expanding foam portion of a project for an upcoming art contest, I noticed how cool this looked... I very quickly grabbed my tripod and camera which had luckily just finished charging...

I also decided that since Time-Lapse videos are always more interesting with music... I should whip up something quickly... The first thing that came to mind was Fantasia's "The Wizard's Apprentice", of which I found a nicely done midi track online, and ripped apart in FruityLoops... I know it's mostly just some cruddy synthesizers, but I actually kinda like the track...

A Real Post???

2009-04-04T19:38:00.003-04:00

Found on the web:

The Backstage Creed
"We the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful; We have done so much, for so long, with so little; We can now do virtually anything with nothing!"

I thought I should have something on here that says something other than just "Test"...
I plan to do a blog update soon about my adventures with Theater Tech Job Posting Websites...