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Page 3
 LMC:
What do you use as your paint formula
EL:
I use
latex mixed with acrylic paints, or universal tints. On occasion,
I’ll use rubber cement paint; mostly for commissions and personal
projects. For my standard masks, I use the latex/acrylic paint. I
don’t really have a set formula. It’s all done by eye, and depends
on what I’m painting. Sometimes, I want an opaque paint. Other
times, I need a wash. It varies a lot.
LMC:
How many masks do you make in a calendar year?
EL:
Oh,
God! I guess I’ve made about 200 masks this year, possibly a bit
more. This has been my best year, so far. I know it’s not much, but,
for me right now, it’s a good amount. As I’ve said before, I expect
2003 to be even better.
LMC:
Wow! 200 is not shabby at all, 5 or 6 a week. Great job!
EL:
Thank you.
LMC:
How is that year spread out? Which months are best, worst, etc?
EL:
Well,
as it is for most, the year really begins in November; designing new
products and stocking up on whatever sold best the last year. Up
until after the Chicago show in March, that’s pretty much what
happens. Come May and April, the bigger orders come in from
distributors. I then spend most of my time filling those and gearing
up for the customer-direct orders that come in later in the year.
January through March are pretty dead months, for me, as far as
incoming orders go.
 LMC:
How would you break down the numbers between distributors and direct
orders?
EL:
By percentages. 60% distributors and 40% direct buyers. I’d like to
see those numbers reversed in the near future…or, at least, even
out.
LMC: Let’s hear a funny customer story.
EL:
I
don’t really have one. It’s not really funny, but I thought it was
REALLY cool to have Tom Savini as my first and last
customer at the Fango Weekend of Horrors!
LMC:
Let’s
hear a customer story from Hell.
EL:
All of
my customers are great!
LMC:
Let’s hear your worst molding experience.
EL:
This
happened a long time ago, when I was first getting started. I had
the entire splash coat of a plaster mold peel off with the clay.
This was before I knew better than to let the first coat dry too
long before adding the consecutive coats.
 LMC:
What advice do you give to someone looking to start making masks?
EL:
Get enough information together on
the basics of mask making; sculpture, mold making, using latex, etc.
The Internet makes this easier than ever! Then, get yourself some
clay (does not matter what kind or what brand,
I started with Leisure Clay because it was affordable for me, at the
time) and start sculpting! Whether or not you take your first
sculptures all the way to molding and casting isn’t as important as
taking good photos of them. Invest in a decent camera that will
allow you to take nice clear close-ups of your work. Making friends
who share your same interests, speaking with people who are more
advanced, sharing your work with people who aren’t biased towards
you and will give an honest critique on your work. Friends and
family aren’t good people to go to for critiques, they’re likely to
say, “Yes, honey, that’s nice” or “Cool, dude” and that’s it. That
doesn’t help you grow as an artist. You want people who are going to
seriously look at your work and what does and what doesn’t
work about your sculpture, mold, mask, painting, hairwork, whatever.
People who are jealous and bash your work aren’t helpful, either.
Anyway, I’m straying from the point. I’m always excited to help
people who are just beginning! They remind me of myself just
starting out. I feel obligated to help in any way I can, but it’s in
no way a burden. Even if they’re just looking to make masks as a
hobby, not a career, I always give the same attention to my answers
when asked. I learned the “Dick Smith Method” long before I took his
course. It’s in my blood to help as best I can. I’m not
saying I’m the greatest, far from it! I just like to see people get
as excited about this stuff as I still do.
 LMC:
Talk about Dick Smith
EL:
He’s a man that was blessed by God at birth. From a fan’s point of
view, I can’t really believe that I now know this man and he knows
me! I feel very fortunate to have been allowed to take his course,
learn directly from him, and speak with him on a semi-regular basis.
From a professional standpoint, his knowledge and willingness to
share in every respect is beyond comparison. I don’t want to sound
like a weepy little schoolgirl swooning over the newest heart-throb,
but Dick really is the best! There’s nothing I do that isn’t
directly related to the inspiration he’s given me. Every time I sit
down to sculpt, his words are with me. When I paint, when I glue
down an appliance, when I’m molding something, when I need to figure
something out that I’ve not done before…there are always Dick’s
words of wisdom somewhere in my head.
LMC:
Any
tips on sculpting?
EL:
First,
don’t be afraid of the clay. Clay is the most forgiving material we
work with. Realize you’re in control of it, not the
other way around. If you don’t like something, tear it off and start
again! Then, sculpt, sculpt, sculpt, and sculpt some more! It’s that
old saying, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!! Practice makes perfect.
Don’t worry about your first sculpture looking “perfect”, just
concentrate on perfecting your abilities. The skull structure is
very important! It doesn’t matter if you’re sculpting a likeness,
fantasy, horror or sci-fi character (or something of your very own
creation that has no definition), knowing how the bones under the
skin affect the way the character will look, move, act and feel is
vital in making a realistic sculpture. Take college courses in art
and anatomy. Read books on those subjects. Watch any of the numerous
instructional videos on these subjects. Study faces as you’re
speaking with others. Compile folders of photographs from magazines
of every type of person and character you can find. Use those photos
as reference when sculpting. Keep adding to your collection of
reference photos. Don’t stop. Even better than photos, take
lifecasts of many types of faces old, young, male and female). Study
every plane, every feature, and every detail of each face; notice
how there are similarities, but each face has defining
characteristics that separate it from the others. As I said before,
take pictures of your sculptures! If you never mold them, consider
them practice. It’s all practice, anyway. Practice for the next
project you take on; a perpetual learning process.
 LMC:
Tips
on molding?
EL:
You
can, literally, spend weeks or months working on a
sculpture and getting it just right. Then, you mold the sucker up,
only to find that your molds are permanently locked together! There
are SO many things that can go wrong in the molding
stage. Take the time and learn to measure, mix, and apply plaster
the right way. You’ll be glad you did!
LMC:
Tips
on casting?
EL:
I like
to layer the thickness of my masks. I don’t pour a solid 45 minutes
to one hour at a time. I pour in 30-minute increments, with a 30
minute set time between pours. It cuts down on lumps forming in the
latex and produces a thicker cast…at least with the latex I’m
using. It can vary from brand to brand a bit.
LMC:
Tips
on seaming?
EL:
My
advice is the same as everyone else’s: BE CAREFUL WITH THAT
DREMEL!!!
LMC:
Tips
on painting?
 EL:
Never
tell your boss you don’t how to use an airbrush your first on the
job. Either that, or you’d damn well better know how to use an
airbrush your first day on the job!
LMC:
What
are you plans for ’03?
EL:
To
become filthy rich!!!
(What? You wanted to hear the truth, right!) O.K., I hope to keep
the momentum going with this crazy little business of mine. I’m
branching out a bit this year, too, by allowing another artist to
contribute two masks to my line up. Alex Oliver is sculpting some
truly amazing masks for me! I’m pretty excited about that. I also
want to maintain quality, grow a little more (both as a business and
as an artist), and have fun doing it all. Gee…now I’m sounding like
a Centerfold’s bio: “I like puppies and long walks on the beach…”
LMC:
What
about years down the road?
EL:
Same
as above…only BIGGER & BETTER!!!
LMC:
What
would you do if you had all the money you needed?
EL:
Holy
cow…if I had all the money I needed, I’d buy everyone reading this
article a Coke.
 LMC:
Ummm… we are a Pepsi related site
EL:
O.K., make that a Pepsi!
LMC:
What
are your pet peeves?
EL:
Messy
work areas. Latex masks poured thin. Hypocrisy. Angry people. People
who try to discourage creativity…now, this is truly
turning into a Centerfold’s bio!
LMC:
What
makes you happy?
EL:
Having
a sculpture turn out better than originally expected. A perfect
mold. Painting a mask for the very first time. Watching someone wear
one of my masks and acting the part correctly. Wearing one of my
masks and scaring paying customers. Satisfied customers. Watching a
good movie (horror, or otherwise). Family and friends.
LMC:
How do
you unwind?
EL:
I’m
kind of dull in the sense that I don’t really have any other hobbies
outside of this genre. I’m almost 100% a horror fan. I still do
enjoy just getting out into nature from time to time and doing
absolutely NOTHING. Just sitting in a comfortable
chair, or on the ground, watching and listening to nature is very
soothing for me. I also enjoy painting. I mean, painting portraits
on canvas, or whatever. I haven’t done that in a couple years,
though.
 LMC:
If you
had to do it all over again, would you be doing this same type of
work?
EL:
Probably. If not, I would still be interested in something creative.
If you believe in reincarnation at all, I’ve most likely been
involved in the Arts from the beginning. I can’t imagine not
doing something like this. I’m a definite left-brainer.
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