I've addressed this subject on the forums in years past, but wanted a version of my argument on the blog for posterity's sake. Back in 2009 and earlier when I first started painting these people used to paint the part 3/4 masks a variety of colors due to the fact that the masks look so different in the films. Were they white? Beige? Yellow? Sandshell? (lol), or something in between? Since then hock painters have standardized their color into a light lemon yellow color, which I believe to be inaccurate, as I will explain.
For starters, do not trust what you see in the film. Lighting can affect the appearance of the mask, as can color timing in post production. So how do we really know what color it was?
Well back in December 2009 I asked Robb Wilson King, the art director who worked on Friday the 13th part 3 and painted the originals. He described it as a "cream color" created by a "slight aged patina" over an off-white base. I took this to mean that the "cream color" was some sort of translucent glaze designed to give the mask weathering some depth, but can't be sure.
Regardless... as you can see from the several behind-the-scenes photos below here the mask wasn't exactly yellow, although there were yellow undertones in the color that will emphasize in certain lighting conditions. It was a sort of caramel-beige color. Call it a "cream color" if you like. My own approximation of it is at upper left.
Some painters have alleged that the mask changed colors over the years. But the above photos were taken between 1982 and 2010 or so. They all show the same color. So this theory is false.
This is the color I used to paint my masks. It took tons of trial and error to get it right with an acrylic mix but I think accuracy is the way to go. There was an acrylic color called "camel" at Joann Fabrics they used to sell that was extremely close. So there you have it. The mask may have looked white onscreen in certain scenes if the beige layer was translucent. Perhaps Dario Latinovic, who owns the part 4 mask can shed some light on this.
Update: Need more proof? Jesus Christ you're stubborn. Here you go, Dario with the real thing. It's beige, not yellow:
If you're a hock painter and you want to achieve this color, go get this and basecoat away:
UPDATE: Better yet, somebody try out this spray paint and let me know how it works! American Accents "Strawflower"
https://mobileimages.lowes.com/product/converted/020066/020066792787.jpg
Amazing job. But, I've seen a 'making of' where they said that the mask were painted 'from behind', to protect it from scratcheas and all. So, as far i can tell, the mask itself was transparent, and painted from behind, what could give, depending on the light of the set, a white or yeloow colour.
ReplyDeletedid you use this camel as a base coat then the patina ? or didn't use it at all in that mask...?
ReplyDeleteHi, sorry for the delay. I am aware of Doug White's claim that the mask was only painted from behind, but it is demonstrably false. In the movie masks the chevrons fell off the front during filming of part 4, leaving torn paint beneath. See my post titled "how the part 3 masks were probably painted".
ReplyDeleteAs to the "camel" its just a suggested coat. If you are doing the patina you paint the mask white.
ReplyDeletewhit what pen or tool use for the marks on part 3?
ReplyDeletexacto knife
DeleteOkay thanks for the quick reply, only with a xacto? because if I watch crash creation or the other artists and even in the film, I have the impression that there is a drawing with black and it's as if it was the color of a sole .. .sorry for my english and thanks for your answer it helps me a lot
ReplyDeleteDifferent artists use different techniques. The part 3 mask had a white basecoat that was scuffed with sharp tools (don't know exactly what), then coated over with an amber patina varnish. Then on top of that was a paint-cracking varnish. Then some additional weathering was painted on top of that, probably with a gray/black acrylic or oil paint wash.
DeleteThe paint cracking varnish is very difficult to duplicate--so I tend to just use an xacto knife to etch in the cracks one by one. I believe other artists are doing the same.
Are you sure the white under the acetate chevrons isn't just the dried super glue?
ReplyDeleteYep.http://jasonlivessince1980.blogspot.com/2016/08/how-part-3-masks-were-probably-painted.html
DeleteBut your own picture on that page shows what appears to be translucent superglue under the forehead chevron. It even has a pattern that causes it to resemble medical tape as though some kind of tape had been pressed into it. https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0OUtWbu8E8A/VxPbi8HWc7I/AAAAAAAAAyQ/KcFLQjU7JvkNWBsCviab4nrW-UaUzmOpwCLcB/s1600/friay-the-13th-the-final-chapter-posterwhite.jpg
ReplyDeleteThe way I interpret that picture is that we see three colors under what used to be the chevron. White, gray and red. The white is the front base coat. The gray is the white basecoat on the back, as seen through the clear blank. The red is either a chunk of the old chevron, or paint added by the photographer to create that effect.
DeleteHere's an official Maimeri upload which may explain the process by which the patina and crackling were done for the movie, given that it's likely they have always recommended the same methods. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpEEm0hu5xw
ReplyDelete