Tools of the Trade
Day Thirty: Mannequin Heads
A few years ago, I spent each day in January writing about a different tool I use in my maskmaking. As I am currently redesigning my entire website in the new year, I thought it might be nice to revisit this project. Each day in January 2021, I’ll share a different item that I use in my studio. I hope some of these can help other people who are interested in making wrestling masks.
To make a really good professional wrestling mask, you need a life-size mannequin head. Ideally, you’ll have a head exactly the size of the person you’re making the mask for, but really you can get by with small, medium, and large heads. The problem is, it can be difficult to find a mannequin head that is indeed life-size, as most commercial heads are quite a bit smaller than the average human head. After searching for a long time, I finally decided to make my own. I watched a bunch of YouTube tutorials, and observed the heads a number of mascareros used, and combined elements from a number of these along with some ideas of my own, and made what you see here. From left to right is my medium or average head that I use for myself and most of the masks I make, a special head I made to help me make the Ophidian mask (which has a magnetic removable piece over the mouth area, since the Ophidian mask floats over the mouth), a small size head, and a larger head. If you’re interested in making your own mannequin head, I put together my own YouTube tutorial video to show you how you might give it a try!