Liquid latex, Pigments & Paints

Liquid latex, Pigments and Paints.

This page is about Liquid latex check out the main project index for the rest.

Liquid latex comes from a rubber tree, so it is a natural product. Latex is air drying so it must be built up in thin layers and allowed to dry in between, or cast into a plaster mould so the plaster can absorb the moisture. This article includes YouTube videos and sample projects.

Rubber Halloween masks are traditionally made from latex, as well as other rubber goods such as rubber gloves and balloons. Many of the modern fancy dress accessories are made in China from Vinyl these days, mainly because Vinyl doesn’t perish. The majority of the original Star Wars creature/alien masks and props were made from latex in the 70’s, but they have now rotted away. Latex is a very easy product to use, but as it is a natural product the finished piece doesn’t last for ever.

Pictured above are a selection of Liquid latex, some pigments, and Stretchi Paints for painting latex items. Latex comes out of a rubber tree, it is treated and cut with ammonia prior to distribution. The ammonia content makes latex dry quicker, and once it does so the rubber solids are left behind forming a solid rubber piece. However, you have to wait for the moisture to dry out in between coats otherwise a skin can form on the surface and the latex will never dry.

Latex can be used for moulding applications, although it will shrink as the moisture dries away. It will also be quite stretchy, so although it is a cheap rubber material it is often unsuitable for some applications. Silicone RTV on the other hand does not shrink and does not easily stretch. You can add latex thickener to the liquid latex to make the liquid thicker for application to non-porous surfaces, it doesn’t make it dry any quicker though.

If you wish to use latex for moulding, then you can combat the shrink and stetch issues by adding layers of absorbent cloth to the mould. I did this with my Alien head mould. I chose latex for the mould largely because it’s cheap and the sculpt wasn’t that great, the mould was also backed up with a rigid mother mould made from Jesmonite to stop deformation as much as possible.

   

You can of course make actual rubber items such as masks from latex, as mentioned above. of latex is going to be cast into a mould then the mould should be made of plaster so that it can absorb the moisture from the latex. A skin will then form on the inside of the mould which can then be peeled out. Latex can also be pigmented with specific additives which should be added at around 5% – they tend to darken as they dry, so a small test sample is recommended. You can see how I made myAlien torso using this method, here’s a video about this topic:

There are various methods of painting latex, including more pigmented latex. In the UK you can buy ‘Stretchi Paints for painting latex items’ which appear to work well – they maintain their colour as they dry and remain flexible. They can be thinned with water for airbrushing and you can clean the brushes in water too.

You can also check out this thread over at TheEffectsLab, for further painting methods.