Heads & faces
Proportions, Misc. & gen. techniques
Simpler heads
Age groups & gender & ethnicity, etc.
...heavily sculpted character faces
Skin
...recipes for skin-colored clay
...adding color on flesh-colored skin
...skin texture
Molds (smaller)
...Distorting molded faces for more variety
...Mold releases
...Molds misc.
Faces used alone
...(surrounded, embellished, dimensional or flat, etc.)
Cracking (in larger pieces.. prevention,repair)
Misc. heads & faces
Websites + YouTube, etc

Masks & larger molds,forms
Forms to use
Make your own forms
More mask websites
....mini masks
....medium-size masks
....larger masks
...other masks, for inspiration

Garie's wire-and-features face (didn't know where else to file this!) http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/frank.htm

see also Masks below for more things that could also pertain to heads in general

There are some basic measurements (proportions) that help to keep in mind if you are going for a realistic look rather than cartoon . . . Ears start at the brow and stop generally at the end of the nose (?). Mouth corners end at the eye center. . . .Instead of adding muscle groups before of details, I would recommend beginning first with basic large groups such as the forehead, nose bridge, chin, and mouth box. Then add muscles, details. 10more

lessons on drawing features in the correct proportions (positions and sizes)
http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/create/tech_proportion.html

Sarajane's proportions for face...... measure your eye from side to side (the whole thing, lid and all) with your finger and thumb. Hold that measure with your finger and thumb and check this out--it mostly holds true. There is a eyesized space between your two eyes. Your nose is roughly as long as the eyes are wide. The relaxed mouth and eye width are almost the same. The space between the bottom of the nose and the top of the lip is the same measure as the top of the eyesocket to the bottom. Sarajane H

(virtually) experiment with putting features in the correct positions, and seeing how people's faces can be different depending on spacing, etc.
http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/create/tech_portrait_drag.html

drawing various face shapes (also drawing eyes, noses, mouths, ears)
http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/create/tech_face_shapes.html

NoraJean advocates filing faces (and other sculpts) after an initial baking of the rough shape (she may begin with a mold). . .she feels that one has greater control using a jeweler's file (rather than sandpaper which removes too much) and one can go slower, etc., .. and that there's no chance of messing up the head by mishandling or dinging it (takes about an hour). She then fills in all the file marks, and coats the whole skin, with skin colored clay mixed with a drop of TLS ...or TLS and acrylic paint for details
http://www.norajean.com/CowboyKai-3e.htm

sequential molds... NoraJean advocates making a number of molds as you get closer and closer to the face you want to sculpt ...so sculpt-mold-make new head from that mold. . . sculpt-mold-make new head....etc . . . . then file

"slice painting" ...flat: placing very thin individual cane slices one at a time onto a base slice, sheet, bead, etc. . . .(see Canes-Instr. > Overall Techniques for more info)
...one way to use that technique for faces or bodies would be to add single elements, or items like the eyes, lips, clothing, etc., by placing single slices of them onto your sculpt (that way you coud keep rearranging them for each slice , if you wanted)
...overlapping could work well for hair too
...slices from canes for eye, nose, mouth, hair or accessories could also be used as dimensional onlay in the same way

Adria's lesson on two simple (leprechaun) heads with seed bead eyes... simple beard, simple hat
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_LuckyLeprechaun.htm
my (mostly simple) animal and people heads
http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l163/DianeBB/sculpts_more
very simple heads (similar to mine--and bodies) wearing simple hats and other head wear....holding hearts, flowers or lollipops, on Jan's page
http://www.mindspring.com/~janruh/clay/b3.jpg
Ruth's many simple heads, including older people and babies
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4218486&a=31279335&sp=1&showall=true
Ruth's simple faces made with onlaid eyes, noses, mouths and hair (..each on a paperclip as bookmark?)
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=4218486&a=31279335&p=68441887
Cindy's simple funny sculpted colored heads
http://www.geocities.com/claycrazy1/original.html
Johnny's PolyPals (simple faces and face/bodies in one)
http://polypals.com/v-web/gallery/Galleries
Monica's somewhat simple head (with simple tools) --lesson
http://guide.supereva.it/hobby_femminili/interventi/2001/11/76792.shtml
(see also molds below)

Another thing I do is to just use a blank face....sort of cabochon shape, very smooth with no features...that sometimes makes a very interesting piece. DottyinCA
...or slight line impressions could be used to add eyes.... or a slight nose as well

A very simple smiling (or frowning) mouth can be made by bending open a paper clip, then cutting the leg off one side to leave only a short curved area; bend the curved area back 90 degrees with pliers; this can be done at both ends (for two different size smiles); the middle area can be wrapped with clay for a handle if desired.
...A great tip I discovered while in the silverware drawer is this -- if you want to make smiles on animals or santas or whatever -- use the tip of a teaspoon. You get a perfect smile every time. I've tried the round circle cutter to make them but usually get an impression on the nose along with the smile. Michele

nowwhatzine's lesson on making a simple somewhat-abstract, ethnic polymer head ...which attached to a wood popscicle stick for making a figure (head is popped off after baking, and reglued with Duco cement or similar cement glue)
http://www.dotcalmvillage.net/nowwhatzine4jan03/starshamanhead.html

make interchangeable Mr. Potato Head type pieces from polymer (eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hat, collar, or any other accessory)...
......stick each into a baked head you've made with a hole for each of the units
......or stick them into mini-pumpkins, or any other hard squashes
...make each unit over a small-nail head, tack, or brad (whatever was used for the features)

Garie's tiny little animals have distinguishing features made from polymer clay, even though the rest is made with bump pipe cleaners (also, hands, feet, tummies of clay)
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/furry.htm

see below in Age Groups for lesson on making a still simple but more complex brutish male face (Frankenstein)

Sculpting humans is the (hardest thing) for for the artist to achieve (even the casual consumer viewer will not know what looks wrong, but can see that something is not right..... We see people and are preoccupied with viewing people every day). Wayne the Dane
........Thanks, Wayne. Sculptors can struggle trying to make fairies --which usually end up more like gnomes!! Your summary (see below) will make it easier for me! Kathy

lots of ethnic (to us, anyway) heads from the fabulous sculptors Jodi and Richard Creager
http://members.aol.com/creagers1/gallery.html
Judith's ethnic heads, mostly profiles... bas relief types
http://home.att.net/~reserved/JudithPhillips04.htm

It is easier to do "character"-type faces than "pretty" faces.... but here are some tips to help you towards "pretty", should you wish to go there!
-- Roll out a ball of clay (it's harder to work small, so practice a little larger at first...when you get comfortable, work smaller.)
--Flatten the convex (rounded outward).
-- Add bits of clay for the "sticking out"parts-- forehead, nose, cheeks, mouth mound (NOT the lips, the part between the nose and chin--lips go there later) and chin.
-- Press them into place, and indent where the eyes go.
-- Then roll out a sheet of clay (set on #3 or so) and use as "skin" to cover the face.
-- Starting at the nose and working out, press gently into place, working any air pockets out to the edges.
..........this gives a gentler smoother surface to the facial planes, and any sharp edges become obscured... hard lines read as "old" to our eyes, whereas smooth is "pretty" . Sarajane

women's chests... I use this same "covering" technique on doll bosoms for nicer "cleavage" and for smoother joins to the chest. Sarajane

female faces vs. male faces:
...try "rounder" features, larger (opened) eyes, fuller lips, and lots of hair for women!!!
....color also will help....redder lips, rouge on cheeks.....also maybe even lashes or a darker outline over eyes.
...also the ears and nose tend to be larger on men (these are cartilage areas... and they grow as people get older)
...and the jawline, and neck tend to be heavier for men (especially the older they get). ...I think I tend to givemy females too much chin, too long faces, and too big brow bones.
...If your female face is looking like a man, try removing some clay from the chin and jawline...also if the jaw is too square it will look masculine. ... you might try making nose a tad narrower for the female as well. MelissaJ
....lesson on making a brutish male face (Frankenstein)
http://www.makinsclay.com/US/eng/project_gallery/seasonal/halloween07.htm

Creating a "generic" female likeness (whole "busts") can be made easier by applying the following general anatomy to her forms (unless you are sculpting a specific female likeness which may or may not require a slight flattering of the the face in some subtle manner) .
1. Wide-set eyes and eye brows (slightly wider than eye space apart).
2. Creating a high, smooth, well rounded forehead suggests an innocent youthful expression. See Michealangelo's "Pieta" likeness.
3. Jaw should not be too pronouced or too large and have soft transistions to the neck and face.
4. Mouth mounds should be "puffier" or fuller. Not the lips themselves, but the entire circular area surrounding the mouth.
Of course lips should be fuller and rounded in treatment., using the same human anatomy references as males.
5. The cheek bones can be made higher into the temple area, and the tapered form below them to the mouth area be a more accute angled (sharper angled) "V" shape.... this gives a general "feline" shape to the likeness that is considered very delicate and attractive.
6. The area below the brows and above the eye lids should have youthfull fat pads on the lateral (out) side under brows.
7. The nose bridge-brow area can be wide and smooth, with an indentation below and an upwards slant to the lower nose bridge for a youthful flair.
8. Be careful not to make the nose forms too strong or wide, but maintain a delicate structure.
9. The female neck should sit farther back and be thinner and swan-like in contruction. A slight lengtening of the neck can be an enhancement as well.
10. Shoulders should be narrower by almost 1/2 a head measurement than males.... they should not be more pronouced at the deltoid tops outcroppings like male shoulders.
....... A very attarctive feature to sculpt in female shoulder areas is a slightly round-shouldered look from the side with careful attention to life references concerning the shoulder blades and their positions and softness of form.
...The female shoulder may be slightly lowered in angle from the square look of male ones if desired, with an enhanced display of the trapeius slope from the front view.
These "tricks" or "tips" have been hard fought ones for me garner over the years and should save the sculptor some frustrating hours of trial and error. Sincerely, Wayne THE DANE

Sculpting the male form is made dificult enough by this situation....but sculpting female forms is even more critical given the social norms of female beauty.
Male lips and other male forms may be flatter, and rely on expression and hard-edged body forms for recognition.
Female lips and other forms must be subtle, soft edged general forms that have the human look, and added proportional tricks for attarctiveness besides.
Female Lips: The mouth area requires subtly added amounts of clay in comparison to the male mouth form. The upper female lip should protrude slightly more than the lower one, but generally both lips sit out slightly more than the male. Hence, women going to plastic surgens for collogen lip injections, to effect "proper" standards of beauty. Wayne the DANE

males develop an Adam's Apple in the front of their throats during puberty... this protusion falls about halfway between the neck and the collarbone... women have them too, but they're much flatter. Wayne?

Nora Jean's lesson on a male face
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1751108&a=30347573&f=
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1751108&a=30361564&f=

(for male and female hands, see Wayne the Dane's suggestions below in Hands).

Kathy Dewey's book on modeling lifelike figures basically has you using flattened wedges of clay for the mouth that are then blended in. It means the whole area of the face gets "raised" and then the lips just form naturally. Gillian
...for more on the book Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay, see Sculpting > Books
http://www.elvenwork.com/book.html

for info on using molds to make faces (changing a masculine one to a feminine one, etc., see below in Molds > "Distorting")

The mouth mound is very important---mouths (especially in the young) are slightly raised above the face plane
... if not, they can look sunken & toothless, as it were, (which is a VERY aging effect...so take good care of your teeth!) Sarajane

Hannie 's lesson on sculpting a childlike fairy face (...pretty, with tiny chin and large lips)
http://www.hanniesarris.nl/web/index.php?page=sculpting-a-fairy&lang=eng&PHPSESSID=98901aa6be62011d16a59287832a34d3
(This tutorial is using paper clay but will work just as well for polymer, except use aluminum foil instead of styrofoam. Jeanne R)

older people
...If you want an older look for your crones, make the eyes & chin a little smaller, the nose (and ears) a little bigger (medical fact - your nose never stops growing!) and drop the cheeks a bit to make jowls. Fill in the neck a little also. This is what I do for my "oldies" and it seems to work. Blame it all on gravity, but if you study pictures of older - or should I say "wiser" people you will find that if you want to make a "generic" oldie, these traits are often, but not always, present. Add a few character lines and grey the hair a bit also. I love making older faces. They are so interesting to do and you can alter the whole character just by placement of the character lines. ie add smile or frown lines. Make smiling happy faces or mean grouchy ones. Cally
....(also see Marcy's people: she uses a curved paisley, 3-D piece beside the nose which curves down to dewlap area, to create fleshy cheeks, and dewlaps?) http://marcysclaypen.com/otable/pages/ogal.htm
.....adding lines and wrinkles, add an extra ball of clay on the end of the nose for a real santa look....laugh lines. Jody Creager
lots of wrinkles!
... Jill's "Haman" http://www.studiowillich.com/images/Haman1.jpg
& many others http://www.studiowillich.com/SDpage.htm
....for more on wrinkles, veins, etc., see also Sculpting-Bodies,Tools > Skin
Dominic Zinanni's sweet older faces with lots of sags and jowls
http://www.familiarfacesco.com/gallery_frame.htm (4 galleries)
Dotty's older woman, with "attitude" (website gone)
Little Old Lad(ies) from Pasadena swap (at sunni's)
http://members.spree.com/sip/sunnidaze/me/clay/swaps3/olady.html
Kathy's large sun face (website gone)
*Karen's lesson on face-and-body wood egg figure (Santa, etc.)...wood coverd with floral tape for better adhesion of clay
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_WoodenEggSanta.htm
...Lynda's Santa face lesson ....based on Karen's lesson
http://www.hecht-haus.net/lynda/lsart/santa.htm
many wonderful more realistic, older faces (Santas)
http://www.thegrandfatherclaus.com/Gallery/default.htm
Jannie's figures and heads (olders too)
http://www.vaneijk.homestead.com/index.html
Nora Jean and swap participants give lots of tips on creating older or gendered faces
http://www.norajean.com/MSAT/ClayArt/Swaps/Faces-NonSwap.htm
Fayette's many older faces... older women, older men, witches, elves, Santas, etc
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=6&uid=492837&
Jodi & Richard Creager's older person's eye area forms for studying & purchasing (may have others later?)
http://members.aol.com/creagers1/eldereye.html#ElderEye

many faces... including older and pretty, etc. ones
http://pcpolyzine.com/0301january/0301fantasyart2.html (click on all pages)

*the Buonaiuto's casual, uplifting, multi-ethnic older women & also children and men, etc., heads and bodies, using realistic bodies for a change! (also look in Bronzes and One-of-a-Kind Clayworks)
http://www.alittlecompany.net/sculpt.htm#women

heavily sculpted "character" faces
(often older, craggy ... large features....gnomes, elves, witches, etc.)

Dawn Sch's heavily sculpted caricature heads-faces, over egg armatures on whimsical long legs, Humpty
http://www.pacificnet.net/~rhaiven/eggcentric.html
Kevin's heavily sculpted faces of elves, gnomes, and other creatures
http://www.kevinbuntin.com/index.html (look all around!)
more "coneheads" ... caricatured, dark-skinned, clay heads with pinecone "hair/hats"... from Klew retreat, at Kim K's
http://beadyeyedbrat.com/conehead.html
Julianne's many heavily sculpted faces of fairies and ogres, older men, etc.
http://www.mysticalis.com/gallery.htm (look all around)
caricature drawing page, with lots of facial and head/hair possibilities (....select expressions from drop down menus on left)
http://www.magixl.com/heads/composi.htm

for an elf.... I would suggest exaggerating the features , trying different poses, & in general going for "sass''. Mavis

(....for many more TIPS on sculpting facial features and other body parts, see Sculpting-Bodies,Tools )

skin variations shown on websites:
Dianne C's skin tones, recipes, and samples (using Premo)
http://www.geocities.com/polyzine/january2001/technique.html
Nora Jean’s skin tones(website gone)....now somewhere at norajean.com
(.....see many more in Recipes for Skin Color below)

Sculpey III gold mixed with white makes decent skin tones. You might start with small amounts of half and half and then add either white or gold, depending on the shade you want. . . .Sometimes I even add small amounts of pink to the mixture. I no longer buy Sculpey III's beige or tan because I can make it on my own. Buege

I rarely use ready made skin tone.. . . An important component in any skin tone for me is translucent and pearl. . .
. . .of course you also can't overlook the importance of blue or green, you don't need much but you do need it. Dawn

A friend of mine who sculpts adorable figures suggested I use Super Sculpey and Cernit and it works beautifully. When I don't have the Cernit, I use the Super Sculpey with Premo Beige which also is great to work with. Dotty

I use premo, 14 parts beige to 1 part white. Makes a fairly light flesh tone that takes a nice blush well. Kathy

I got spoiled by the Premo mix I came up with: translucent beige base**, Premo white (30%), and then a touch of Fimo Soft Indian Red , Fimo Soft Sunflower and Fimo Soft Cognac.
Makes a nice Caucasian skin tone that doesn't darken appreciably in the curing, even in multiple bakings .

(Premo developers.. the Clay Factory used to make a color that they called "Base," but I don't think they make it any more - at least, that was the last I read. Elizabeth)

Premo: The beige/flesh is #5092. So if it has that number, no matter what the name on the package says, it's the base/flesh clay. However, this is a Flesh base clay and that is not the same as "Base" clay which is almost colorless (no longer made?)
. . . .Also, Ecru and Beige/flesh are not at all the same. That's why, I think, that they are calling it flesh, instead of beige even though the packages don't reflect the name change. At least not yet (I once asked Howard at the Clay Factory for Beige clay. He gave me the flesh instead. So now I'm careful to ask for the Ecru.) Dotty

Kato Clay has a ready-made flesh color. At first I thought it was a little pinky. But then I realized it just needs a little color added for the particular skin tone you are going for. Makes a nice "base". It does have more color than the Super Sculpey, but I assume you could even tone it down with translucent if that's what you are after. And it has the Kato clay features of strength, too. Ginger

I don't make peoples, but I do make face canes. There isn't one color off the shelf that I use for skin tones. The flesh tones I see don't look like anybody that I've ever met, so I mix to get the tone of the race I'm trying to show. Most of the flesh tones seem too pink to me, so I use a bit more yellow. . .. Kinda check it against the inside of my wrist to see if I'm getting close. . . . There are several nice browns that can be added to a mixture of flesh and translucent that are nice. My favorite face canes have a good bit of translucent in them. It seems to add some life to them, at least in my own eyes. Kim K.

We all know how the translucent "browns" when overbaked. Well, I was blending clay, trying to make *my* idea of what my angel's face color should be, when I remembered that translucent from way back. Viola! Overbake my angels, so their faces turn tan! Perfect! Miracle

i wanted some blush for cheeks ect and have been using makeup blusher but.... I went into a cake shop and noticed they had some colour dust for food in about 80 colours ... i took some home and i was amazed how good they came out, they stick to unbaked clay (and also a little to baked clay)
....and if that wasn't enough, add water and you have paint...... its also safe to have around pets and kids as it edible . kasaj101

I've done a little bit of work with (oil or chalk?) pastels and liquid clay. ....I use the chalk form because I can scrape a smidge from the bar for the color I want. You don't need much to made a deep rich color. I've mixed different colors of pastels and blend them in TLS to get the desired color.
....You can also use pastels on raw clay for blushing and it works well and stays in the clay after baking. Since I make mostly sculptures, I haven't had an issue with them scraping off. Sooz

I do cheeks on cooked dolls by mixing my paint (teeny bit) with a little water or Varathane
... then dab my finger in it, dabbing then onto a papertowel for a "drybrush" (dryfinger?) effect, then apply to the cheek.
... it takes several dabs to smooth....if too much gets on at once, scrub it off with a washcloth, then dab and try again. (Its the same technique as using a liquid blush on realpeoplecheeks.) Sarajane
....I tried it with a little paint with the matte (Varathane?) varnish and it worked beautifully. It worked much better this way than with water. Dawn S.

polymerclayexpress' lesson on antiquing a sculpted or molded face (she used a combo of burnt umber and red oxide, then created eyewhites and eyebrow color by adding white to this mix)
http://www.polymerclayexpress.com/nov2001.html

I've never liked the plain face tone clays, so I always add something. This time I added a bit o' paprika and got freckles! Perfect for a little redhead. Irish Red (would paprika discolor the clay? use other red inclusion?)

If you are making babies, use less brown and add just a touch of red. Remember the red should be used in tiny doses. Also, I bake at 250, but for my little people, I bake for 10 minutes then turn off the oven and let them cool inside. eileen-Gar'goils'

(see above for older skin, wrinkles, etc.)

Winsor Newton Water Mixable Oils are the brand I've used, always mixed with water. I've applied them to both unbaked and baked clay. . . . baking or rebaking helps to dry and set the paints, though I like to let them dry as much as possible before baking. ....If I use them on flesh toned clays to add that spark of life, I let them dry and then gently brush the surface with Diluent (which helps to remove brush marks). Katherine Dewey

Diluent applied with a soft bristle brush removes tool marks. . .
. . . and reheating removes brush marks.
For folk who want a good matte finish, this is the best method I know. It's one way of achieving flawless...skin. Katherine Dewey

To smooth and even, use Q-tip dipped in water (on Sculpey or Premo) clay--it's great for faces. When the Q-tip begins to unravel, just switch to a fresh one. . .
...or you can also use a soft brush with water. Dan Perez

To smooth larger areas, use a small square of Scotchbrite pad dipped in 90% alcohol or lighter fluid (stronger) and gently scrub
....or to remove fingerprints use 90% isopropyl alcohol or lighter fluid with soft brush... work over surface
....(Diluent is okay too, but more expensive)

To smooth baked clay ...steel wool (medium then fine)
... for tight spots, use tweezers to hold onto a wad of steel wool. Dan P.

slight texture (pores) for larger expanses of skin for most realism
...press stiff nylon bristle brush into surface...soften a bit with alcohol.
...stretched skin ...draw wet Q-tip on surface Veins: thin snakes of clay...taper ends...apply and blend partway into surface...follow with alcohol to smooth Teeth: baked clay shapes, pressed into mouth, or into rope of clay for gum pointed teeth (dinosaur, etc.) back in cone shapes yucky teeth or horns, etc.... score with a pin, X-acto knife or dental tool (can mount on toothpick to hold), follow with alcohol real-looking human teeth... form with dental tools (spatula, etc.)... shapes of teeth are different front to back though Wrinkles: thin clay ropes where desired...blend together ...or use a loop tool to cut grooves in the clay ...follow up with alcohol ...see Wayne's method using of carving over layer of plastic wrap

~I just pulled angel out of the oven and she has the most beautiful skin because of TLS (recommended by someone to cover fingerprints). Not only did the TLS produce a smooth and matte and almost a flat finish, it was applied over a painted sculpture (eyebrows, thinted skin, etc). I thinned the TLS with Diluent and cleaned my brush with alcohol, and painted the thinnest of layers over the fleshy parts of my sculpture. I baked it at 275 degrees for twenty minutes and she did just fine. The layer was so thin that higher, recommended temps weren't necessary. Katherine Dewey

try mixing Sculpey Diluent and ispropyl alcohol together then using as a smoothing agent. this is what we always recommended at Polyform.. . .Donna Kato
(Some people seem to think denatured works better than isopropol)
Dont use too much because it does melt the unbaked clay! It can be sanded (start at 320 or 400 and work your way up to the higher numers) .
Yes, rubbing alcohol with a few drops of diluent has been advised by various artists. Katherine Dewey, Patrick (Disney artist), an old Sculpey book I had. It seems to vary between 1 oz. of alcohol per 2 drops of diluent all the way up to half & half. The sculpey book says half & half but others say this is way too much. Frankly, it seems to work for me with no adverse effects. But then I am sometime cautious to recommend something that others may find unworkable, so I would say experiment first before you try it on a glorious work of art. Annette

You can also add details to a baked cast for a second generation object to mold
... e.g., make a flower cast from a flower mold... bake the cast... then add to the flower some raw clay leaves you've sculpted, or raw leaves taken from another mold... bake ... now you'll have a flower-and-leaves mold to use as you wish
.....Sarajane did this with a face, to which she added headwear to create her final mold from http://www.polyclay.com/molds.htm
....this could also be done for head profiles
http://www.crazyblackladydesigns.com/slide_show.html?show=CrazyBlackLady_Designs&picture=picture5.jpg

Maureen Carlson face molds & some uses on simple figures with fabric or clay bodies
http://www.weefolk.com/mold_example.htm

making a whole head from a molded clay face
Susan's lesson uses a aluminum foil armature mounted on long wire (looped at end) (half-egg shape)
...she puts a pad of clay over the rounded side of the alum. foil, then places the clay face on the flat side, smoothing the joins, and narrowing the lower part of the back of the head? ... adds more clay to create a full neck (widened at bottom)
http://www.theclaystore.com/pages-tutorials/polymer-clay-project-tutorials.html?action=showTut&tutID=48
Dotty's lesson which adds a half ball to the upper half of the head's back (face placed on tapered clay log neck..then half ball added)
http://pcpolyzine.com/0204april/vessels.html

I can slice down the center of the face with the knife at an angle, creating a 3/4 face

Sarajane's page showing (a two-part silicone molding material) called Miracle Mold used for various face molds (more info in Molds)
http://www.polyclay.com/mold.htm

Once I made the mold (for my doll face), I found that I really liked pressing gold leaf layered with a dark and translucent clay into it, to get crackling. I alter the expression after molding. Jody B.

A cane slice can also be pressed into a mold to give the features dimensionality
...or a cane slice sheet can be used to create a patterned face (for a mask too).
......NoraJean's mini-lesson on pressing a cane slice into a mold... then filling in the back with blobs of clay... adding a clay blob "handle" for removing from mold (then removing from mold and slicing off handle (photos # 6-17)
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4213214&a=31248347&sp=1&showall=true

Karen P's lesson on using a mold to make a head (& hands/feet)... also painting the molded face
(she cuts the back to make it flat for use as a bas relief)
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_HolidaySantaPlate.htm (look down near the face photo)

Alan's chess figures made by making molds from his own baked sculpted faces, making them full heads, then "dressing" them with jester hat, cowl, etc., and adding a bust
http://groups.msn.com/ALANV/sculpture.msnw
It may take two or three pressings to pull an accurate reproduction from the mold, since you trim the flash or excess clay. Go carefully. Remove only the counterpart that shapes the back of the head, leaving the impressed face still in its mold. Trim the flash and repress until the flashing is minimal.

Sarajane's sculpted, molded, then cast polymer faces (some antiqued, stained, painted, etc.)... + face "cabachons" for sale
http://polyclay.com/pendants.htm
(see more on these in Faces Used Alone below)

NoraJean's lesson on making a molded face with gold clay (or other mica clays), and ways to avoid getting "dark" areas from manipulating the mica in the clay
http://www.norajean.com/Biz-Archive/Egypt/004.htm (or see Mica > Other Techniques)

sequential molds... NoraJean advocates making a number of molds as you get closer and closer to the face you want to sculpt ...so sculpt-mold-make new head . . . sculpt-mold-make new head....etc .

multiple casts (helps to get the features just right) . . . To sculpt one little face from the beginning takes me at least one hour and if I make ears, it takes me at least 1 1/2 hours. I developed a way to make it faster for me. I used a thin plastic which has a grid on it and mark the eyes, nose, mouth in a permanent ink. I then use a large needle and punch holes at the corners of the eyes, sides of the nose, lips, etc. After making the first ball of clay about the size of the head, I lay the grid on the top and put marks in the clay where these features are. Placement of the eyes, nose, mouth were the most time-consuming part for me and this cut down about 15 minutes. Now I'm getting better and don't always use this system unless I'm making a large face.

....for info on making larger or life-size human faces, etc., see below in Masks

...for molded faces surrounded or embellished with other clay (leaves, cane slices,etc.... or clothing like hats, neckwear, etc.), see below in Faces Used Alone

Distorting a molded face for variety

FACES. USED. ALONE
(....often surrounded or embellished with other clay....)

...a face can be added to with hair, hats, scarves, neckwear, etc.,
...or a face could be surrounded with cane slices or other onlays (leaves, flowers, anything), or beads, etc

...faces can be placed on a "body" (clay or non-clay) to create an art doll or amulet figure
......faces on items like wood/twigs/gourds, or shapes of wood or metal, or any material (face glued on if material can't be baked)

....faces can be dimensional (molded, sculpted), or flat (face cane slices, drawings or transfers)

...a finished plain face (like a moon, or unembellished face) or finished embellished face can be used freestanding for pins, pendants, etc.
.....or as embellishments on vessels/boxes, jewelry, tiles, or on anything

Marie's many faces completely surrounded by clay leaves and various embellishments
http://www.clayfactory.net/marie/gallery2.htm (also Galleries 3 & 1)
Melnick's faces used as onlays on Altoid tins
http://melnik.freeservers.com/atins.html
Marcie F's many various faces...with headgear, hair, collars, etc.
... many faces are colored (colored clay or metallic powder coverage)
...some are resting on a piece of clay as a background or framing element
http://members.tripod.com/~Artistree4/polymer2.html
Lorie's small faces surrounded by glow leaves & larger face... also her whole website
http://www.sculpturefromtheheart.com/polymer_clay.htm
nenuphar's face surrounded by hair and other embellishments
http://isisesc.supelec.fr/gallery-nenuphar/PolymerClay/aag (gone?)
lesson on making a red hat (slouch hat?) with flowers
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_RedHatPin.htm (need new link?)
Christel's faces with other onlay (scarves, etc.)
http://home.online.no/~raje/Polymer/ethnic/index.html
Sarajane H's heads with bonnets (for buttons)
http://polyclay.com/beads.htm
Sarajane's (more) "dressed" faces
http://polyclay.com/facecabs2.htm
Mile High's faces on pendants
http://www.mhpcg.org/clayDays/claydays04/july2004/jul012aLg.jpg
Tawan's many faces and heads, etc. used as pendants...... many types, ethnic, etc
http://pages.infinit.net/tawan/Gallery11.html ....and http://pages.infinit.net/tawan/gallery12.html
Judith's ethnic faces (mostly profiles), with hair, hats, headgear
http://home.att.net/~reserved/JudithPhillips04.htm
Dayle's various ethnic and other faces used alone with embellishments, or for amulets, art dolls, etc.
http://www.dollartists.ca/mediaconference/2004/workshops/ccharacters/characters.html
http://www.dollartists.ca/mediaconference/2004/workshops/Messengers/messengers.html
Lorieo's onlaid faces/hair and vines for women's faces (on pens and notebook cover)
http://www.sculpturefromtheheart.com/_borders/tablet2pens.jpg
Cheryl's use of small molded faces with other onlay (as centers) (website gone)
Dotty's molded faces with other onlay (as centers) (website gone)
faces on large snowflakes (from cutters), for ornaments:
http://pcpolyzine.com . . . Dec. 2003 (can't find photo)

sunni's Little Old Lady from Pasadena (maybe not a mold), on various plaques with symbols
http://members.spree.com/sip/sunnidaze/me/clay/swaps3/olady.html (now somewhere at sunnisan.com?)

Myra's nametag ...with sun face over other canes (website gone)

syndee's lesson on Mardi Gras mask pins ...faces colored with Pearl-Ex.. also feathers, sequins added (& pinback after baking)
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/projectsheet?pid=e01770

Gail's faces surrounded by seed bead work
http://www.mhpcg.org/clayDays/claydays02/april02/gailG.jpg

Cathy's faces incorporated in bracelet (website gone)
Ed's embellished heads (not molds?), Egyptian, etc. http://www.polymerclayhaven.com/treasures/ed/ht7.jpg
Kathy's and Trina's large sun (for plaque?) with leaf-covered rays not attached to central face (website gone)

Sherrry showed a photo of regular silk flowers, each having a molded face added the center of it (stamens removed)
....could be used. for plant pokes, etc.... or the petals could be made of polymer too

Marie's sun face created with onlays of cane slices as its eyes, eyebrows, nose, cheeks, etc\
http://www.clayfactory.net/marie/sun2.htm

Sarajane's "girl beads" ... cane slice faces on slightly flattened round or oval "bodies" (Japanese, Indian, Island, and Southwest themes)
http://www.polyclay.com/beads.htm
Kim K's goddess beads with cane slice face and "gorkley" strands for oval body
http://www.beadyeyedbrat.com/images/goddessbead-kim001b.jpg
....see also Faces for faces canes
"nesting dolls” come in all kinds of shapes, animals, etc --could be made with rock vessel technique? (see Vessels-Rock)
nesting dolls from Eastern Europe, Japan, China, and India .... http://home.hetnet.nl/~ingrid41s/
....http://tinyurl.com/479gn ....http://tinyurl.com/44z7q ......http://www.bitsandpieces.com/depts/id-49.html
http://www.nestingdolls4u.com/products.htm (gone... change)
Japanese Daruma ...face, as half of abstract oval body
... Japanese Kokeshi figures (don't nest). Some people have suggested that in "matryoshka," the nesting Russian dolls that originated in the nineteenth century, some influence of "Kokeshi" can be seen. ...babushka
I am going to go to the thrift store and buy a bunch of chess sets and cover the pawns  with cane slices. (that is if they pass the oven test first!).   Or, I have seen little wooden  "playschool" shaped pieces that I will cover with canework. I'm even going to put little caned faces on them like Russian Nesting Dolls
(see more on these, and on other abstract figures in Sculpting-Body > Abstract figures)

Maureen's face (actually a face slice made 3-D) atached to a cloth doll (&) blackboards (on Grapevine Wreath)...
... use a face cane slice the appropriate size and color of the doll.... make the cane slice dimensional if desired (see "Dimensional Millefiori" http://www.weefolk.com/10_1996.htm)... put holes into edge of slice. ... bake... sew onto cloth head
http://www.weefolk.com/ideas.htm#home (see more in Faces > Other Methods for Making Faces)

You can make your own molds (and faces from them) for these techniques (see Molds > Making Molds Yourself)

Or you can buy face molds already made:
....see Molds > Purchased Molds for what's available, and where to get them
....I think the moulds in the craft store seem to be masculine -- to change than to more feminine, cut away the sides and chin areas (and heavy brow areas) when just pulled out of the mould. . . . since women's faces are smaller in the cheek and chin area, it's easier to carve away than to add clay to a feminine face and make it masculine. . . . Ditto the age thing. I've been using the small face moulds from Michael's for ages, and once cut away they can even look like children! Barbara in Toronto

Or you can buy faces already made
....Sarajane's face "cabachons" for sale (some antiqued, stained, painted, etc.)
http://polyclay.com/pendants.htm

(....for many faces on gourds, see Covering > Wood > Gourds)
as amulets, etc., see Pendants & Cording > Amulets & Fetishes

Arizona guild's "doll swap"... all kinds of whimsical figures & amulets .....(plus Donna H's " paperdoll " with polymer head)
http://home.att.net/~reserved/DollSwap.htm

(...and many "dolls" or art figures use heads and faces (and maybe legs/feet) of polymer, with fabric or other materials for their bodies
(Sculpting > Websites > Wild Women,Goddesses + > Figures)

Here are some reasons why cracking may occur (in any clay project):
..clay too thick ....clay too thin
..dry-ish clay layer overlying a juicier one, or vice-versa .... thin, raw layer overlying an already-cured thick layer
..underconditioning .....inadequate mixing of clay brands, or clay densities within the same brand
..failure to support raw clay while it cures
..rapid temperature changes
..moisture-humidity: ....."inclusion" of atmospheric humidity, or dampness from your hands into the clay
.....swelling of underlying structure (wood, mache, or other porous materials which aren't thoroughly dry, or sealed)
...introduction of air pockets into clay when conditioning by pasta machine
...forcing holes into beads and curing them on skewers too large for the hole ....there are probably more.... Elizabeth

Even Maureen Carlson refers to cracks in her new book "How to make clay characters". (She has been working with polymer clay for many years and you know that her clay gets well conditioned. But she still gets cracks on her little heads now and then.)
....she thinks that it occurs mostly in areas which have been compressed a lot, like around the eyes of her figures (...or could compressing a lot be working in more moisture from fingers?)
....she just patches it and moves on (she doesn't say whether it happens more with one brand or another). tlc

Because I leach the clay ( removing much of the plasticiser), even my very large pieces have never cracked.

thick-walled pieces will crack if cooled suddenly. Alan

(on the subject of shocking things in cold water), my experience has been that they become more apt to crack if you are re-baking. I was doing it out of impatience and now let things cool either in the oven, or at room temperature if I'm in a hurry. . .

I used to get cracks (and plaquing) all the time until I did this and it really seems to work:
...I'll start with the figure in the oven without preheating.... then set the temp at about 150 & leave it there for 20 minutes or longer .....then up the temp to 175 for another 20-30 min..... then 200 for another 20-30 min. etc.... untill I reach 265 ....and then leave it for the required curing time
.....this allows the temp of the clay to heat all the way through both uniformly and slowly so any trapped air or trapped moisture doesn't expand suddenly and make a crack to escape
.....using a foil core to decrease the thickness of the clay helps too. Dawn S.

see also other tips on avoiding cracking in sculpted heads especially in Sculpting-Gen > More Tips

I want to suggest you try a tip that the Creagers' share, and I now use when sculpting heads in pc.
... for the armature, use alum. foil and hot glue.
.......cut several pieces of foil into smal squares.... Make a small foil ball... add a bit of hot glue on its outside... wrap that in one of the foil squares tightly around it while the glue is still hot (your fingers will get warm but will be ok) .... repeat this procedure until your armature is the size that you want it.... be sure to tightly wrap on top of the hot glue, eliminating any air pockets
....when you bake, the hot glue between the foil will soften and 'move' with the baking of the pc, thus, eliminating any cracks.... I haven't had any cracks since using this technique. Dianne

breaking-chipping-cracking (different issue)
... > I've tried some bracelets and they all cracked after a little use... I'm using Sculpey but have tried Fimo also. <
...Sculpey is one of the most brittle of the polymer clays; if you made something like a bangle bracelet from it, I'm not that surprised that it cracked. Try shaping the bracelet on an armature (such as a metal cuff bracelet, or a wire for thinner bracelets) which will give added strength to the finished product, and perhaps stay with the stronger clays (Fimo, Promat, or Cernit) for projects that need to take a lot of stress. Troy

To fix cracks immediately

As the clay cools, it retracts.

A Diluent rub (then reheating?) will probably help the cracks re-bond. Trina

To fill cracks in your cured sculpture pieces, try Plumber's Putty, available at most hardware stores (2 part).
...looks like a bullseye cane, just slice and mix.
...once the two parts are mixed, you can press it into your work and let it cure (this happens pretty fast so, don't waste time!)
...once cured, it can be sanded and painted. Donna Kato

Evelyn's impressions for features and hair (rubberstamps or freehand) to make faces-heads from flat shapes
...antiqued with black, or powdered with dark gold ...used for small jointed figures
http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/funfigs.html

Lidija's painted features (on flat, oval clay)... impressions and onlays added as embellishments on forehead (could also be hair or headgear, etc.)
http://www.lidijafairbanks.net/face_techno.htm

...........(see Sculpture for many more heads and lessons and sculpting groups)

YouTube.... http://www.youtube.com .....and other free video sharing sites
...to find the lessons on heads at these sites, enter significant search terms into the search box there to get results such as these (from YouTube):
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=clay+sculpture+head&search=Search
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=clay+sculpture&search=Search

many lessons on heads, faces, features, and armatures fr. various participants at NoraJean's swap page
http://www.norajean.com/MSAT/ClayArt/Swaps/Faces-NonSwap.htm
*Christel's very complete lesson on making a troll (or other) face/head, also coloring with acrylic paints
http://www.pcpolyzine.com/may2001/troll.html
(she used a ball of aluminum foil as a center, placed rough shapes for nose/cheeks, etc. on, then covered the face half with a sheet of flesh clay before refining the features)
Brigitta*'s very good lesson on making a head (over a ball on a skewer)
http://www.fantasyforevercreations.com/lessoneng.html
Marika's lengthy lesson on making a head over aluminum foil (small chin)
http://members.home.nl/m.spijkers/dolls.htm
Angela's lengthy lesson on sculpting a head by adding components one at a time
http://www.emilysfairies.com/hints/Head_L1.pdf (to proceed to all 3 pages, substitute L2 or L3 for L1 in the URL of your browser bar)
.....also "lips" http://www.emilysfairies.com/hints/Lip_L1.pdf (do same as above to see all 3 pages)
Claudine's lesson on sculpting a realistic baby head on a compressed foam armature
http://www.claudineroelens.homestead.com/tutorialmodellingbaby.html
Monica's somewhat simple head (with simple tools) --lesson
http://guide.supereva.it/hobby_femminili/interventi/2001/11/76792.shtml
Norajean's many lessons on faces, face parts, skulls, etc., including ethnic ...
http://www.norajean.com/Full-face-grp.htm
....many made over aluminum foil-covered "skull" forms (lessons)
....http://www.norajean.com/FullFace-001.htm

Jodi & Richard Creager, very realistic, fabulous, ethnic heads
http://www.creagers.com ....... http://members.aol.com/creagers1/gallery.html(gone)
June Goodnow's very realistic heads, also Native American
http://www.junegoodnow.com/artistdolls2.html
Marika's dolls and figures (many types of heads and faces)
http://members.home.nl/m.spijkers/dolls.htm
Margie's troll face, body, clothing (lesson) (website gone)
Leslie’s sculpted, painted heads on sticks(website gone)
some (puppet) heads
http://members.efortress.com/temtool/heads.html
*Cheryl's fabulous jointed figures (art dolls) with sculpted heads, caning, and lots of mixed media for skirts, hair
http://members.shaw.ca/gera/new_page_1.htm

http://beadyeyedbrat.com/goddessswap05.html
Bonnie's realistic old-Santa faces
http://www.santasstation.com/bonniejones/bonniejones.htm
Jannie's fairly realistic figures and heads (olders too)
http://www.vaneijk.homestead.com/index.html
Jenny P's many faces (clowns, fairies, women, etc.) --look around(website gone)
Fayette's many heads (old, young, etc.) --look around(website gone)
Leif's simpler but not simple heads (sculpted) (website gone)
Dotty McMillan's faces, etc. (with powders, or another one ??)
http://www0.delphi.com/polymerclay/pcc/featured/mcmillan2.html
Jessica A's amazing face on a collage (with many examples of metallic powder, stamping, as the other collage elements)
http://polymerclaycentral.com/chall_jan04.html (click on each "Detail," but beware that the detail window may jump down into your task bar!)
Selkie's faces in framed collages made also with mixed media, nature objects, etc.
http://hometown.aol.com/selkiewhitebear/myhomepage/artgallery.html
crazyblackladydesigns' African heads in profile
http://www.crazyblackladydesigns.com/slide_show.html?show=CrazyBlackLady_Designs&picture=picture5.jpg
Gwen's African American (covered bottle) (website gone)
"wild women" swap --heads/faceshttp://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=866491&a=10819552
Jo's? heads, faces, used with boxes toohttp://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=839259&a=9974232&p=33238667
Ginny L's many heads (painted and mixed media also)
http://www.digitalartbeat.com/sculpture/index.html
molded, sculpted or caned heads/faces on jointed "bead people" bodies
http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/funfigs.html

Garie's heads (tiny, ethnic, Halloween, with articulated mouths on clothespins)
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/clip.htm
Plankspanker's lesson on dragon/monster/dinosaur type heads (plus teeth,tongue,skin,protuberances)
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/6883/draghd.html
fireEyes' lessons on dragon shapes (bodies, heads,etc.); drawing, but applies to sculpting too
http://www.tailchaser-sushi.com/index2.html (click on Tutorials)
Ed's Bog Mummy, Green Man face (& Celtic pony helmet) --masklike
http://edsclaypage.homestead.com/TheBog.html
Joan's faces surrounded with clay or mixed media
http://www.cox-internet.com/spirit/masks.html
~Susanna Oroyan's lesson on making a face from wet felt stretched over a Styrofoam base, then features painted (use as mask or added to second half of Styrofoam ball for doll head)
http://diynet.com/DIY/article/0,2058,321,FF.html

embellishments and techniques (for the mask swap) included:
hand sculpting, cane slice trim, metallic leaf and powder, applique clay, inlay, faux ivory, paint, carving, use of molds, feathers, shells, beads, glitter, threads, fur, rhinestones . . . . a LOT of diversity!
...Dorothy Greynolds' wonderful colorful masks, using cut outs from Skinner blends as onlays, various texturing, piecing, etc.
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery.fcgi?p=999&gid=9255216
http://tinyurl.com/5o6ut (can't access unless member of PolymerClayPeople yahoogroup)

features (eyes, noses, mouths, ears, hair, facial decoration) can be added to the masks.... onlaid, etc.
.....sometimes cane slices can be interesting:
........(using mutliple Skinner Blend ikat canes... see Canes-Instr.>Ikat) ...when two rows with horizontal line patterns are separated by one row with a vertical line pattern, these can look like crazy lips and teeth
......jellyroll canes/slices of various kinds, including ikat) can also be used as very interesting eye canes, or eye slices ...depending on how they are oriented, "eyelids" can show up, a white glint can appear in the "pupil" area, etc.
...cutters work nicely for cutting eyeholes...

I find superglue much better for adhering raw clay embellishments to baked clay in mask making.... I use liquid clays in most of my pieces. . . ... white craft glues can work ok though... redturtle

Some ways to mount/hang:
...pin back, pin back/peandant bail combination, eye pins (or variation), side-to-side piercings in the masks for a cord to go through (similar to how real masks tie on), simple hole, jump rings, leather loop, clay tube (cylinder bead), plastic tube,etc.
...Robert Shields mounts his small masks on a (wood) rod standing in a base (his has lots of feathers)
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/robertshieldsdesign/maskpins.html

If you want to make your own template for a mask, draw or cut it on folded paper so it will be symmetrical when opened.S

For smaller masks (for pendants, etc.), make a mold, then a cast to use as a base/form from it, using a doll's or other small figure's face:
--make the cast thin (don't fill in the mold completely with clay), and use that as your mask (embellish if desired), or
--cover the cast with aluminum foil, flattening as much as possible, then cover it with clay and embellishments, bake and remove from foil.

Michaels' lessons on making various masks with various materials:
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/search?pageNumber=1&channel=0&search=yes&keywords=mask&type=4&x=9&y=10

or use other rounded forms underneath
...Jan R's mask pendants, formed over small river rocks
..........I bet it'd be a great way to make lightweight little insects too.... neat! Joanie
...Susanna Oroyan's lesson on making a face/mask over a rounded drinking glass
http://diynet.com/DIY/article/0,2058,321,FF.html

Susanna Oroyan's lesson on making a face from wet felt stretched over a base, then painted (use as mask or stretched over Styrofoam ball for doll head)
http://diynet.com/DIY/article/0,2058,321,FF.html

mytvine's masks ...mixed media, mostly ethnic...made on gourds (but idea could be applied to other rounded forms)
http://community.webshots.com/album/34346714WsEmZE

Sarajane's lesson on making tiny clay mask by texturing a piece of clay and cutting a fan shape from it (with a Shapelet), placing on a slightly larger backing shape of clay, cutting eyes with a teardrop shaped cutter, highlighting with Pearl Ex, then forming the bottom around a pencil and adding simple flowers and other embellishments
http://sculpey.com/Projects/projects_MayFlowersMask.htm

wire mesh (WireForm) can be used over the face to create a base form for polymer clay or other materials... or can be left as is
http://www.reuels.com/reuels/product29624.html (faces) and http://www.catsgroup.co.uk/wireform.html (vairous uses)...see Armatures for more

Karen P's lesson on how to use an aluminum foil armature under a sheet of clay (could be applicable to masks) http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_HolidaySantaPlate.htm

Maureen Carlson's lesson on making a very basic face shape with aluminum foil (hemisphere with added bits for nose, etc.)
... gently covering with scrap clay layer... pressing Wireform over the scrap layer... adding the skin-color layer ...adding clay pieces for nose, lips, etc.
(she makes a face surrounded by leaves for hanging on a wall)
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_clay_figures/article/0,1789,HGTV_3237_4009535,00.html

I have made a few bowls from the homemade (newspaper) type of papier mache...when finished and fully dry, they are rock solid, have no bubbles, and can be handled like a soft wood (sanded and thicker pieces can even be sawn)
...I use a pvc type glue, thinned a bit with water, (usually the yellow carpenter's kind) to seal the surface
...I speed up the drying by putting them in a low temp [150 F] oven for as long as needed. . . .
...once dry I sand it smooth.
(these steps can be repeated until I'm satisfied with the surface)...a last coat seals any spot where sanding may have gone thru to the actual paper layers. Ke

If using a form that can't be heated in the oven, wrap foil tightly around the outside of it, put on a layer of plaster gauze (see below), let dry and remove foil; then cover the plaster form with polymer and decorate; bake and remove foil.
~Nora Jean's half masks made on an aluminum-foil covered form lesson, & also ethinic masks/heads lesson (website gone)

I've been using thin cardboard shapes cut out of cereal boxes, etc. as armatures between thin clay sheets covering each piece with Sobo & letting it dry before sandwiching). I like them because they're strong but flexible, and I can make the sandwiched clay "wrap" and curl. Index cards and cardstock are not quite strong enough for the masks and small relief sculptures I'm making.
I made the masks with thin sheets of clay over plaster cloth forms. I use thin cardboard "sandwiches" (of cereal box cardboard between two layers of clay) to add relief bits to the basic form (noses, etc.); these have adhered just fine to the raw clay on the forms as long as there's plenty of surface area for contact. The largest single piece I have used so far is about 1" by 5". Mostly I have used them (to wrap or) to "curl" following the contours of the mask, but I can also get them to curl away from it. (He will add samples of these at his site soon? http://goddessmandala.com/index.html Sid

make a mask with plaster gauze
(on your own face ...or on a wire or other form)

medical "casting plaster" (aka orthopedic gauze... aka plaster gauze)
....roll of wide "gauze" impregnated with un-activated plaster..
.. can be purchased at hobby supply stores or cheaper online or at medical supply places?

....strips are cut from the roll, and dipped in water ...then (accordion-folded) squeezed somewhat to remove excess moisture
... apply (to your Vaseline-coated or plastic-wrap-covered face, or to a wire mesh form, etc.)
...let dry for 5 min. or so, then remove... or let dry up to 2 days (or in an oven____) until completely cured

It dries very fast, and if you put some face cream (or Vaseline, plastie wrap with nose holes) before applying the cast it does not leave any residues on the skin. You cut the bandage-like role into rectangles (~2"wide) and follow the instructions (wet in warm water and apply one piece at a time). It is fun and an interesting trusting experience. Varda
........Once you've made a mold with this plaster, add more plaster for strength, if you want
....fold the outside strips so they will be more rounded at edges of mask, or cut with scissors after drying

blue "shop" towels which are drapey but strong and good for at least outer layers of "papier mache" for smoothness and thicker coverage
.....buy them at automotive supply stores, hardware stores, or even Target (DB: where is info on Rachel's??)stuff?)
..some white paper towels could work too (the Viva are quite soft and clothlike)

various polymer clay masks made by children with cancer by putting a layer of clay (solid color or other) over plaster gauze forms made on their faces, then embellishing with cane slices, impressions, etc.
http://www.pcpolyzine.com/0302february.pdf (click on Masks and Hands)

various lessons on making plaster gauze forms on faces:
http://www.art-rageous.net/MummyMask-LP.html (mummy mask laid out cardstock flange to make larger)

great lesson and photos of painted finished masks made on faces
http://www.artlex.com/ed/Maskmaking.html

lesson on make plaster-impregnated forms on faces
....buy a roll of plaster-saturated gauze at a craft store
.....coat your face with Vaseline (don't forget the hairline or you'll be sor-ry)
.....use either face-width strips, or cut squares for more detail
.....for strength, you can fold some layers of gauze in half, especially the ones on the outside.....begin around the outside, or the way my son learned it from the middle
.....dip each plaster gauze strip into water, accordinion-fold, squeeze a bit....after applying, rub with your fingers to soften the plaster and eliminate sharp edges
.....overlap the layers somewhat
......leave holes for eyes, nose, and mouth (if you want), or whatever you want (or features can be painted on)...if you choose to have the eyes covered with plaster pieces, a small piece of plastic wrap should be placed over the eye before it is covered
(.....for the lightest form, use only one total layer of gauze; otherwise use two layers)
(.....for the smoothest effect, rub the plaster mask with your finger until the plaster forms a sort of paste, then smooth as well as possible)
photo of my nephew waiting for mask on his face to set before removing:
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l163/DianeBB/z_CRAFTS_misc/751f.jpg
.....wait 3 min's until it sets, then gently pry from face and let completely dry ___ hrs

you can add features (ears, eyebrows), or enlarge or change the shape of your own features, by attaching scrunched alum. foil, rolls of wet plaster gauze, or other bits and pieces from around the house (small balls, cups, etc.) with masking tape (or hot glue?) to the dry form and covering again with plaster gauze**, or add these items to the plaster gauze mask using squares of plaster gauze around the bottom or as necessary
.....let dry again
.....trim holes and edges (and sand? --not necessary though)

lesson on making mask (papier mache) over a half-gallon milk container http://www.art-rageous.net/Masks-LP.html
lesson on making animal head (papier m.) over blown balloon which was taped to a cardboard tube for a neck... dried overnight, then cardstock and masking tape ears and other details added... another layer of papier mache and paper towels
http://www.art-rageous.net/AustralianPuppets.html

MORE WEBSITES

Mini-masks

2 miniature mask swaps, at Sarajane's site
http://www.polyclay.com/maskswap.htm (3 pages) ....and http://www.polyclay.com/mask2003.htm
Sarajane's pendant masks ...+ links to more masks
http://www.polyclay.com/masks.htm ....+ her masks for sale: http://www.polyclay.com/maskpendants.htm
Jody B's and Dawn's masks (Ethnic Swap)
http://www.geocities.com/n_late/ethnic2.html (2 pages)
simple mask shapes (with many patterns)... created over same form, eyes punched out with mini cutters (Philadelphia Area Polymer Clay Guild's Clayathon 2007)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/papcg/374404362
Leslie Blackford's many ethnic-type masks
http://moodywoods.deviantart.com/gallery/#_featured--3 (see other pages also)
Robin's many mini masks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/papcg/sets/72157594508334738
Lois' many mini masks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/papcg/sets/72157594518278792
Kathy G's many masks for a swap
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4153008&a=31320404&f=
many masks for a 2004 swap
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4153008&a=31458036&sp=1&showall=true
various masks at PCC ClayPen (some large, some mini)
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/claypen_masks.html
Dorothy G's colorful whimsical masks, with cutouts, onlays, texturing & mixed media
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=9255216&uid=2343137 (all but #1 & 2)
Kim Cavender's partial masks-- painted with alcohol inks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimcavender/2473466555 (click also on other 2 photos in photostream, top right)
cforiginals' masks built up with added onlaid component shapes
http://store.cforiginals.net/shrunkenheads.html (look all around site...clicking a second time will make photos much larger!)
mask (beads) ...as only Dinko can do them. . .
http://new.dinkos.com (...click on NEW gallery... look down a bit for the cherry & brown colored mini-mask beads)
Dinko's masks with wire embellishment by Leigh
http://dinkos.search.bg/gallery14.html (gone?)
Sarajane's polymer mask/face to be used on cloth doll form
http://www.polyclay.com/japandoll.htm
......Jeanne R. suggests that ethnic, etc. mini-masks make good heads for art dolls, for assemblage, etc.
syndee's lesson on making Mardi Gras mask pins from Pearl-Exed mold faces, adding feathers, sequins and pinback after baking
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/projectsheet?pid=e01770 ....(for half-masks, see below)
Garie's masks (some scary)... made from Friendly Plastic, but good for inspiration anyway
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/mask.htm (click on pg. 2 also)
KellyK's tribal mask pins (some using feathers or mixed media)
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=696318&uid=458761
Ginny L's small masks and busts (painted polymer and mixed media) --click on various
http://www.digitalartbeat.com/sculpture/maskbust.html
Beckah's powdered mask faces used on tiny shrine pin?
http://www.bearingbeads.com/Images/_imaskedshrine.jpg
Mexican coconut masks (hemispheres with extensions around outside)
http://www.casacorazon.com/index2.html
*Lori G's fabulous slightly larger micro-mosaics with cane slices too... masks
http://www.abundancebox.com/Masks.htm (gone)
....mine is a smiliar idea to Cynthia Toops (micro mosaic), whose work has been an inspiration but my "micro" pieces are probably 3 times the size of her little threads...which is still tiny. I'd say each little individual strip is about 3/8" x 1/16", maybe a little thinner. The masks are about 2-1/4" x 1-1/2" and are all 'wired' to be a pendant. Laura Liska's work and Sarah Shriver's blending techniques have also been great inspirations. Lori
Shrinemont mini mask swap (gone)
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=4153008&a=31266991&p=68352070&f=0
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=4153008&a=31266991&p=68352069&f=0
MDPAG's mini masks swap
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=4530485&uid=531344 (gone)
Linda T's small green jade mask with carving (website gone)
Linda C's small ethnic mask (for mask swap) & mask made into pendant (website gone)

ADD KIDS' ONLAY MASKS at Sj's

Medium-size Masks

Adria's mask used as a Christmas ornament
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_ornamentinspirations_adria.htm

Larger Masks

Helene Grove's half mask with elaborate overlapping canes
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/chall_jun04.html
*Grove & Grove masks, elaborate overlapping leaf canes, and others, & mask pins
http://www.groveandgrove.com/maskgal1/gallery1masks.html + maskpingals/maskjewelgal.html(gone --boo hoo )
Kris Richards' stamped & metallic powdered mask (...brightly colored onlay mask gone)
http://www.expressionartmagazine.com/04JFtoc.html
...lesson for similar mask http://www.polymerclay.co.nz/projects/pxmask.html
Ginny L's painted polymer mask with feathers, wall mounted
http://www.digitalartbeat.com/sculpture/warprnce.htm
Klew's many cane slices mask (her other masks gone)
http://beadbugle.com/html/karen_lewis_.html
?'s many-caned mask (one of many with his wife)
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Coffeehouse/3404/Page3.html
Christine Brasher's masks .. on plaques, or freestanding
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/pcc/featured/brasher.html
Cyndi C's unusual, larger, ethnic? masks
http://geocities.com/ccrisel/artpage.html
Janet Farris' mosaic mask! (more-than-half mask)
http://www.janetfarris.com/Gallery.htm
Carol Z's use of various mosaic tiles and bits in some parts of mask
http://www.pcpolyzine.com/0306june/zil03.jpg
*Donna Kato's ethnic looking flat masks (website gone)
Greg's faux ivory and jade masks, with long bead dangles from ear area (website gone)
Denise in Austin's faux bone and horned, caned, and white-antiqued masks
http://hobbystage.net/art/denise_in_austin/ (near bottom) (gone)
Barbara's Nigerian masks (ivory... carved and embellished) (website gone)
Denita's mica clay effect base for mask http://djoneofakindcrafts.com/micashift.html
jenleviel's wonderful ethnic masks (wall art...on painted wood backgrounds, some with 3 masks vertically per piece)
http://www.jordanstreasures.com/jt_wall_art_gallery.htm
Kim Korringa's African mask with onlaid strips cut into shapes for facial features (could be micromosaics though)
http://www.nwpcg.org/ravensdale/rave/rave98pics3.shtml
*Olga's fabulous small fantastic faces and bodies http://sites.netscape.net/olgaayalataino/decor (gone)
Janet Ferris' half-masks (caned, colored wire, ribbons) http://userzweb.lightspeed.net/jrfarris/gallery.html
mask of King Tut with some polymer http://www.rcs.k12.va.us/csjh/1st_99/kristin10b.htm
Dawn Sch's sculpted faces w/ leaves onlaid over all but features (green man) http://members.aol.com/rhaiven/greenman.html
"mask" made from leaf canes (website gone)
Dotty's ethnic? mask with metallic powders used various ways (website gone)
Jo's? half and ethnic masks (website gone)
mask Nora Jean's ethnic masks and faces (website gone)

Christel's lesson on aluminum foil form for half head, adding rough shapes, then covering with a sheet of skin (applicable to mask?)
http://www.pcpolyzine.com/may2001/troll.html

Other Masks ....for inspiration