Keth the zombie, formally named Keith in life but has since lost an “eye”, was my summer project for 2022. My aim for this project was to develop my skills in areas such as sculpting a large head, moulding techniques, running techniques, as well as silicone painting and finishing. Between working and studying, I squeezed in a few hours here and there to work on this project, which paid off as I was then able to display Keth at the prestigious Prosthetics Event in Coventry, in the Monster Mash Exhibition.
To start making the sculpture, I first used an anatomically correct acrylic skull, which I screwed onto a pole, and then attached this to a wooden base. I used chavant clay to sculpt the zombie, but for the chunkier areas around the neck, I bulked out the general shape with water-based clay first, as this would take a long time to bulk out in oil-based clay. I took my time sculpting this piece, as I wanted to make sure every detail was perfected and that no stone had been left unturned. For the skin texture, I wanted to create a dry, shrivelled look, much like beef jerky! I wanted the skin to look as if it had rolled up on itself, as the fat reserves and muscles had decayed away from under the skin. To create this effect, I developed a new technique using clingfilm and melted clay. I first created a convection plate, using tin foil and a heating appliance to melt the clay and keep it warm. I then used a small piece of cling film, dipped this into the clay, then stretched it out and placed it over the desired area. This stretching motion created smooth ripples, which I could manipulate to give me the desired effect. After repeating this process around the hole head, focusing on the high and low areas, I went back in with a loop tool to define the concave shapes and add more texture. To finish the sculpture, I used a stiff brush and naphtha to burnish the sculpture, and take away any unwanted clay, debris and harsh edges.
For moulding, I decided to create a 3-part plaster shell mould, reinforced with burlap. I chose to do this in 3 parts because otherwise, the mould would lock around some areas of undercuts. To do this mould, I first sealed and released the whole sculpture with wax and release agent, then created my partition wall with water-based clay and a tongue and groove key. I used Crystacal R plaster to mould this, adding a few layers of burlap and working the material until it was completely solid and smooth. I repeated this process on the back of the head but split this section into two.
I will admit, de-moulding this was a struggle, I had to get two extra pairs of hands to help me! As it turns out, the mould had gotten caught around the nose area and snapped those areas off. However, I simply fixed this with some super glue. As well as this, I thoroughly cleaned the interior surface of the mould with naphtha, to remove any debris and clay residue. I then sealed and released the mould with an alcohol soap solution.
For casting, I used Plat Gel 25, which I had left in the freezer overnight to extend my working time. As mentioned in the beginning, this was my summer project, and by the time I had gotten to casting, I was working during some of the hottest days of the year! I separated my silicone and pre-coloured both the A and B components before mixing. I think I used around 1kg of silicone across several batches. I pre-coloured my silicone because I wanted to ensure consistency across all batches mixed, and made sure I had some left over at the end for patching and seaming. I built up two layers of silicone with a brush inside all three parts, before clamping this shut and adhering cotton into the walls of the silicone. In hindsight, I should have used some thixotropic to help me with this process, however, I didn’t have any on hand at the time. The purpose of the cotton was to create a mechanical bond between the silicone skin and foam centre; because silicone does not stick to anything and I didn’t want it to shift around on the core.
After this, I propped the mould upside down in a bucket and used some expanding foam and a brush to work this into the cotton. After allowing this to cure and harden, I trimmed the excess, then glued more cotton to the foam, before finishing the bottom with red tinted silicone.
To seam the zombie, I first trimmed any excess as close as I could to the skin with curved nail scissors. I then used my pre-mixed silicone to patch the seams in small batches, using naphtha and sculpting tools as required to blend the silicone into the design. It’s worth noting that I had thoroughly cleaned the zombie with soap, water, and acetone to remove any release agent. I also tried to do the seaming as soon as possible after demolding, to ensure a strong bond between the silicone.
For painting, I once again cleaned the zombie to ensure a strong bond. I used naptha-thinned Plat Gel 25, in the primary colours to paint this, also using different tones of red, white and brown. I used a splattering technique, as well as using my airbrush to paint the zombie.
I allowed this to cure for a few days, then cleaned the original wooden block and sanded this down to display Keth. Keth is supported on this block with the wooden pole attached through the foam core.
This project was an immense undertaking for me, and I have definitely learnt a lot! I hope you have gained some knowledge or inspiration whilst looking back at the production with me!
Keep creating,
Poppy.
