in this video I'll be making a custom
sized faux mannequin head that can be
used for a wig styling or as a base for
designing fitted helmet patterns first I
need to create a pattern of my head so
I'm using the plastic wrap and tape
method wrapping my whole head and neck
with openings to see and breathe next I
need to sketch in the centerline and
then very carefully cut along the line
far enough to be able to remove the mold
I managed not to cut myself but I'd
recommend not doing it this way instead
be safe and get someone to help you cut
it off from the back I temporarily
stuffed the head with some grocery bags
just to hold the shape so I could tape
the seams back together fill in the nose
and eyes then sketch in more lines to
create shapes that looked like they
would lie more or less flat once they
were cut apart it's important to add
registration marks anywhere it is a
curve to help line everything up later
on and also add in some way of
identifying the orientation of pieces in
relation to each other my system was
just to mark edges that go together with
the same letter I cut out all the pieces
and traced them on to foam floor mats
which was a good opportunity to use up
some of the awkwardly shaped scraps
leftover from cutting out those risers
for parents acts from the last project
it's important to extend those
registration marks into the piece so
they don't disappear when they're cut
out and also copy in the orientation
lettering so those puzzle pieces get put
back together in the right place you
always need a really sharp knife to get
clean cuts in foam so I have my
sharpener ready to go every couple of
cuts which is it's super easy and
economical option when you're working
with foam I laid out all the foam pieces
and the pattern for comparison to figure
out which pieces would benefit from some
pre shaping so with the heat gun I'm
stretching and forming some of the
pieces to fit together more easily for
the rounded head shape
contact cement is excellent for adhering
film because when you spread it on both
sides let it dry then begin sticking it
together you can kind of work and
stretch the foam as you go to get those
registration marks to line up and create
a smoothly rounded shape from pieces
that are mostly flat the contact cement
also stands nicely and doesn't add bulk
to the seam so you can get some really
clean joints that way
with all the pieces assembled I could
see that the head was a tab a crooked
probably because I did the tape and
plastic pattern on myself and
unwittingly fold everything tighter in
areas that I could reach better but no
big deal I can stretch him form it a bit
with some heat and I'm also adding in a
little more shape to the facial features
the seams and that kind of funky nose
can be further refined with the Dremel
and some hand sanding and then a
once-over with the heat gun gives the
foam of final smoothing I had a few gaps
especially around that nose piece so I'm
filling that with caulk and misting on
some water so the patched areas can be
smoothed and blended in I had some
leftover white Plasti Dip which was just
enough for a base coat then I missed it
on the last dregs of a can of black
Plasti Dip to further disguise the seams
and also to make a grippy texture for
holding wigs and patterns in place
[Music]
the foam head by itself is fairly robust
but stuffing it with paper just add some
extra rigidity for when you need to
stick pins into the mannequin I also
want this to be able to attach to my
body cast torso mannequin so I'm
including a PVC fitting into the
reinforced foam neck closure so this can
screw into the neck on the body cast for
styling longer wigs our patterning
something like a cowl where you need the
head and shoulders all together but I
made sure to recess the fitting so the
head can also stand by itself flat on a
table the finished head isn't exactly
beautiful but it functions well that
rubbery plastic dip in the spatter
texture make it super grippy so you
might not even need to use pins but if
you do the pins work really well with
the floor mat foam so that's going to
keep projects in place on the mannequin
making stuff on a mannequin is a lot
easier than trying to model it on
yourself so this is an easy and
inexpensive way to make a model for any
part of your body just double check that
the sizes and shape to end up being
accurate for your body before making any
closely fitting patterns from the
mannequin because it's really easy for
things to get a bit off during the
cutting and shaping this for the weird
experience plastic wrapping my face but
it got the job done and I hope this
provides some inspiration for making
useful parts out of foam I'm still
working on the vacuum-formed axe and
thanks for all your advice on that
should have some updated results ready
in the next couple of weeks so hit the
like button if you had fun today thanks
so much for watching and I will see you
soon