I really wanted to practice working on details on this sculpture. The Annabelle mask I sculpted for my daughter was very smooth as she is a doll made of plastic or porcelain. While Sam isn't human... Hell, I think he's mostly vegetable... pumpkins are a vegetable, no? Let's just agree that he;'s a gourd. Anyway, Sam has plenty of fine lines and wrinkles so, this face would be the perfect time to focus on the little things. It was time to make the molds and since I had made a mold for my daughter's mask a week or so earlier, I felt like a pro. This level of hubris is never a good thing when dealing with mold making. One cannot overlook the subtle yet significant patchwork details adorning Sam’s costume. The patches, sewn onto the burlap mask and pajamas, signify the historical and mythical connections of Halloween. They represent the folklore and traditions associated with the holiday, further emphasizing Sam’s role as a guardian of Halloween’s rules and rituals. The Lollipop Prop:

In the case of this casting, there was some chipping where the two halves met. I knew we would have an ugly seam to deal with, but otherwise, the mold was fine and I knew we could overcome any minor issues. We smeared some water based clay into the gaps and poured some of the the latex in keeping a lookout for any major leaks. Using a chip brush, we filled the details in and around the mouth, nose, and eyes. We coated the other surfaces constantly working the plaster into the details and making certain there were no air bubbles. As expected, the oil-based clay repelled the water-based casting stone at first. We continued to work the curing plaster with the brush and finally overcame this reaction and the mold began to take shape as the stone started to set. At this point, we worked fast to make sure we got good coverage over all areas of the mold. Having never been to the "Wild" West Hollywood Halloween Parade before I was unsure of exactly what to expect. I knew about the outrageous Halloween Costumes, and the wild parties from the news media though. I also knew there would be lots of cross dressers. I used the reference pics to get general shapes and rough out the initial design. At this point, you want some semblance of the overall character but it doesn't have to be perfect.Next, it was time to mix the casting medium. I bought a 50lb bag of Hydrocal casting stone as it is MUCH stronger than Plaster of Paris. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Do not use plaster for casting anything important to you. TRUST ME ON THIS!!! Get the good stuff. I carefully took a chip brush and worked the latex into the recesses to reduce the risk of bubbles in the deeper details of the face. Once covered, we finished filling the mold, tapping the sides as we went. Again, our goal was to reduce the possibility of bubbles in the latex. Again, we waited. Parking was challenging but I found a reasonably priced lot about a mile away and grabbed my gear and walked down to the parade route. Sam has a big head so you will need a lot of clay - this is exactly why you start with a head form - not only will it provide support for the heavy clay, it will reduce the amount of material needed. There are different "hardnesses of clay available so, I chose a soft version of the clay in a fleshy/orange color so the sculpture would be more natural than a gray tone. Sam" is pronounced using English phonetics, as opposed to its word of origin, Samhain, which is pronounced with Irish Gaelic phonetics (pronounced "sow-en").

Once I got the general sculpture to a place that I was satisfied, I started detailing his skin. I took a plastic baggy and cut it open and placed it on the surface of his skin. I then took my sculpting tools and began running wrinkles across his face. The plastic softens the harsh lines created by the tools. One thing to note is that I considered his anatomy and musculature to determine how his skin might fold and wrinkle. Additionally, I was able to integrate his "pumpkin-like" qualities into this anatomical consideration. While all wrinkles do not run in the same direction, there are some rules about how they run and why. Study a few pics of older people - or in my case I just look in a mirror. LOL. Sam may leave a rule-breaker alone if they decide to follow the rules set by Sam's example. For instance, Sam leaves Mr. Kreeg alone after Kreeg unintentionally offers him some chocolate. I staked myself out under a streetlamp in the middle of Santa Monica Blvd, and tried to get as many of the unique and good costumes as I could. One of the inside jokes is to let the newbies keep asking "What time does the parade start?" All night long. Eventually they figure it out.Usually we dig around at the local thrift stores for the clothing. How hard could it be to find an orange onesie? Answer: IMPOSSIBLE! So, I turned to Etsy and found someone making Sam onesies. I had a few "screen accurate" requests that we wanted the seamstress to include. We opted for burlap patches rather than yellow and a more correct "butt-flap" with buttons. Then, we took a sculpting tool and dug a trench in the wall about an inch or so all the way around the sculpt. This served two purposes. First, it created a key for aligning the two halves and second, it kept the latex from escaping the mold during dwelling. This year both of my kids wanted mask based Halloween costumes. This was great since I already had the materials on hand - clay, hydrocal casting stone, liquid latex, paints, etc... After the success of my daughter's Annabelle mask,( Annabelle Costume ) I felt like an old pro at the process so we jumped right into the sculpture! I took a fiberglass head form (you could easily use a styrofoam head form) and started lumping on the oil based clay. Keep in mind the size of the final mask and your noggin as you start roughing in the mask size. One tip about Hydrocal... and all plasters/stones, really. As they set, the chemical reaction makes them HOT. You will even see steam coming off of your mold as it cures. Be sure the mold is cold before attempting to open it. Additionally, oil based clays melt with heat. If you de-mold too soon, your clay surface could be VERY soft. This makes the mold difficult to clean. You are better off waiting an hour too long rather than opening it 10 minutes too soon. You will thank me later. :)

Spirit Halloween is the largest Halloween retailer in North America, with over 1,450 pop-up locations in strip centers and malls across North America. Celebrating nearly four decades of business, Spirit has cemented its position as the premier destination for all things Halloween. Known to many as an exciting and interactive event for shoppers, Spirit stores offer complete selections of costumes and accessories for infants/toddlers, children, 'tweens, teens, and adults, along with exclusive jaw-dropping animatronics and décor you won't find anywhere else. In fact, Spirit knows how to have so much fun, it's scary! I took two halves of small bath bomb molds and placed them where I wanted the eyes to be. I did this for a few reasons: First, it maintains a reference point on the sculpture for the anatomy. Second, It allowed me to sculpt eyelids OVER the eye forms as I planned on using the actual plastic "eyes" in the final version of the mask. And, third, It's pretty tough to sculpt a two perfect spheres of the same size. Notice, they are BELOW where my son's eyes were located! I did this as we planned to cut holes above the painted eyes so he could see out of the mask through slits in the area between the brows and the upper eyelid. We also did this as Sam's face is lower than a human's face and this was a good way to force this unnatural anatomy. Regeneration: He was shot in the head and had visible damage, but when he came to, the damage was gone. Sam's regeneration power is strong enough to reattach severed parts, i.e. his hand.