Easy DIY Head Casting with Paper Tape 

No problem! Glad it helped you!

Cool thanks for the info!

I was thinking the same thing, but I’d just be concerned that it causes the form to deform

You can if you want but the layers of paper tape make it super sturdy so you don't really need to fill it. Honestly 4-6 layers of that tape and it's rock solid lol. If you fill it with expanding foam just do it a little at a time and spray with water to speed up the reaction.

@@Atheeni thank you!

Glad I could help!

Yuppa definitely could use it with expanding foam for sure 💖

I think the initial taping took about 1 hour and then another hour and a half of putting the cast pack together and adding layers. So it's a pretty quick process. Thanks so much for your kind words, I'm glad you've found it useful :)

Yay! That's awesome to hear. Thank you so much!

Haha I hear ya. I've tried doing plaster casts and just freaked right out. This doesn't feel as scary because it's paper. But if you're really worried just leave more of your face uncovered.

Same!! I wanna do it to make my fursuit cuz my craft store is closed rn

Lol! Best pun!

Thanks so much! I have more coming soon!

Yay that's so great to hear! So excited for you to do your first costume!

I had the thought that you can use a wire cable to tear through the cast. So , you lay a long strip of small flexible (steel?) cable over head, wherever you want seam. Then use tinfoil, instead of plastic wrap as the cable would cut through tin foil easier. then do paper tape over that.....making sure to leave ends of cable sticking out of cast on both ends. once cast dries. hold one end of cable so it doesn't pull through , them lift other cable straight up, tearing through the cast materials...hopefully a nice clean tear. I don't think this method would work for duct tape but not sure. I made a cast of my foot that was really tight(duct tape) and couldn't use scissors and nicked myself with the razor blade. that's when I thought of the cable method. I will test next time I do cast! cuz yeah, cutting it off is hard part

@@heidipendergast355 I don't think the cable would rip through as easily. If it was one layer of paper tape then maybe but you want 2 - 3 sturdy layers and it's basically cardboard. Definitely see if you can use the proper scissors next time. The special scissors I mentioned make it impossible to cut yourself, that's why they're used by medical professionals.

Yup the paper tape will dry to hold its form pretty well. You'll just need to be consistent with making sure the one inch gap is not closing in on itself once it's off.

I would definitely leave a small gap on the back of the head...

Glad to help!

Oh ya definitely. I've done torsos and various limbs and it's super cheap and way more accurate since it's essentially a quick body cast. Good luck!

Yup you can absolutely fill the paper shell with plaster or resin or any other curing material. For liquid materials you'll want to coat the inside with something waterproof before you pour since the paper tape will activate again and absorb the moisture. Covering the inside with packaging tape or a few players of PVA glue should help prevent the moisture from getting absorbed.

Yup you totally could. I've done that to make dress forms to sew with several times for myself and friends. The process is the same. It would work the same way as a duct tape mannequin but just with paper tape instead.

@@Atheeni Thank you so much. I've been considering making my own mannequin and head cast because I struggle to get clothes and hats that fit me properly because of my dwarfism, so a replica of me would really help. Thank you :)

Ya it's a shame there aren't more accessible ways to have custom dressforms. None of the standard off the shelf forms ever work for me either so I always end up having to make some sort of diy form. Good luck with yours!

@@Atheeni It's crazy isn't. Thank you very much :)

Yup it absolutely can. I've made several dress forms like this. They're better than the duct tape kind because they don't stretch out.

@@Atheeni could you do dress form video? and maybe one on how to do a full body mannequin to display antique clothing?

Ya you'd either need to use stretchy fabric that could be pulled over the shape or add more cuts to flatten the pattern if you're using non stretchy fabric.

@@Atheeni 2 way or 4 way spandex/lycra is a common material so that could be an option for sure. Thanks for your input.

Thinking of using duct tape. Would like to paint it tho, do you have an idea of what medium I should put over the duct tape?

Hmmmm, that's tough. Maybe if you can get those horse head masks to use as a base? Doing a hard toy should be ok to just use an exacto to cut the two halves free though.

@@Angela-nh7fh hmmm... For painting... If you're going to use duct tape you'll probably need to use something like gesso to coat it first to give the tape a good enough tooth for paint to stick. If you use paper tape you shouldn't have any problems painting it though.

I freeze framed and I see you just sat it on top of the tape 😂

Yup the head is loose and just sits on top of a stand. What I currently do is actually fill the inside with newsprint so that it can sit tightly around a cheap tripod. If you want it to be permanently attached then you can use any spray foam from the hardware store to secure the head around your stand. I've used the Great stuff Big Gap Filler before and it turned out super solid and made a great option to securing to a stand.

Most other tapes will stretch and will require stuffing to hold form. Paper tape turns into super stiff cardboard after a few layers and can withstand a lot of pressure or tape. You're welcome to use other tapes, it's just more work because you need to fill them somehow after to hold shape.

Try looking for gummed watercolour tape. It's often used to secure watercolour canvases or looking in shipping supply stores for water activated paper tape. Hope that helps!

Yup you definitely could! You can use it either as a strength layer to give foam clay something to sit on as part of a prop or costume or you can sculpt a piece on top of a form for reference. If you cover the paper tape with cellophane or packaging tape, removing the clay should be super easy.

Great!!!! Thank you! One more question….using the foam clay on this, how would I get it off? When dry?

If you coated the paper tape with something that's plasticy or smooth like packaging tape (sometimes called celo or clear tape), or even putting plastic wrap on the paper tape the foam clay won't stick to it at all once it's dry. You can just peal it off. I did something similar with my Glaceon boots if you want to check out the cosplay video for that to get some ideas on how to sculpt with foam clay but not have it stick to the item underneath.

@@Atheeni you’re the best!! May I be your student jedi master?!☺️

Haha glad to help! Good luck on your project.

I actually did on one of my forms. The problem is there isn't enough air flow to dry out the foam properly. I think next time I'll try again in smaller layers.

Should do, although I'm not sure about how the tape glue will react with heat though. Maybe try a small test piece first to make sure nothing happens in the oven when you try to bake it at the clay temp.

I would suggest to not bake paper. It could burn, happened to wooden toothpicks once...

It is, it's just dependant on how long your model is willing to sit still. You'll also need to make more cuts to get the person free. But this form of body cast is less restrictive than body casting with other materials so it's a better option for someone nervous about the process.

Hitsuzen Productions thank you!

You can but most other tapes will stretch so when you cut them you'll end up deforming the cast a bit.

Hmmm well I wouldn't recommend doing your whole head on your own. If you're really in a pinch you can cover most of your head but leave your face open. That way you just need to free your neck/jaw wich is easier solo. Have you tried checking out a maker space or cosplay community meet up? Maybe someone there can help?

Not really, it's hard to get the form off safely without help.

You can do a similar technique for casting any part of your body :)

Why are you yelling?

You can but it won't hold its form as well.

Atheeni okay! I bought the water color tape after I commented this!

You can if you want but duct tape tends to stretch a bit and will need some sort of stuffing or support to keep it sturdy. I prefer using paper tape for tape casts because it's cheaper and more rigid.

@@Atheeni okay thanks!♡♡

WARPAINTandUnicorns awe I'm sorry to hear that. Did you try leaving your eyes uncovered? I find that helps. Also duct tape is a little more restrictive that paper tape since it's more insulating and stretches so can be pulled too tight.

Yeah, this was 8 years ago and the next time I did a plaster tape cast of just my face by myself I left one eyehole. lol I've never felt like that before in small spaces so the fact it happened with a head tape casting for the first time was a shock. I must have kicked in my flight or fight instincts. lol

Completely not related but what Power Bank did you recommend at the Anime North cosplay lighting panel again?

WARPAINTandUnicorns oh man yessss... I tried doing a body cast with the plaster tape and all 3 time I got super nauseous and had to rip it off :( only ever got like half way. Casting body parts is hard.

WARPAINTandUnicorns it was a bunch of old cellphone batteries together that my friend rigged up. I'll double check with him now and get back to you in a bit.

Yup you can absolutely use it for that. The more layers you put on the harder it becomes. You can also get this type of tape with reinforced strings to help it from tearing if you need. The layers of paper tape will end up the same as the glue and cardboard they use to make dress forms commercially.

@@Atheeniin wig making it needs to be as close to exact measurements. Will the many layers begin to change the clients dimensions?

Yay! It's super useful for wig crafting and making headgear. Can't wait to see your results.

Oh interesting idea! Use a hair dryer to speed up the drying of the paste. Hopefully it will work out!

Ooo that's a great idea! Thanks for the tip!

If you leave it by itself then maybe about 3-5 hours depending on humidity and temperature. If you want to speed it up just use a hair dryer. You can fully cure it in about 45mins to an hour with a hair dryer and 4 layers of tape.

I’m gonna do mine in sections, meaning a dotted line so we don’t have to cut it. Should still turn out close enough

Nice, ya that should totally work.

Yup you totally could if you want to. I just had no need for it since the paper tape is really sturdy and rigid.

if you are still on this kind of activity, you can cast the exact head size by injecting expensive foam or plaster in the head you've just created. Just remember to apply black soap before plaster if you want to be able to re-use your head cast.

Any packaging supply or art store has it. Staples, Currys, Michael's, Packaging World, Whitebird. You name it. It's just non reinforced water activated packaging tape often used for watercolour or packaging boxes.

Awesome glad it helped!

@@Atheeni Do you think the paper mache process would work well with styrofoam heads?

@@WolfthatRocks it should work fine, just you might dent the styrofoam trying to to remove the paper mache with scissors. It might be better to use a craft knife to cut the pieces and also don't forget to wrap the head in plastic so the mache doesn't stick to the styrofoam.

@@Atheeni Thanks for the advice. :)

Never tried it. Not sure if the closed cavity will let it cure well.

If you're not super careful you'll get a bit of the glue on you but it doesn't make the glue super liquid. It is the same as an envelope or a stamp.

Glad you found it helpful!

It was helpful indeed, it's great for future reference and by far the easiest way to make a head cast. I thank you for making this video.

Maybe you could do the left and right half separately, then tape the two sides together.