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LMC: How do you go about creating a likeness?

HA: First, I study the individual’s likeness, then read whatever is available on the person’s personality, whether he is to be in character, such as a movie role, or the time of his life he is to be portrayed in. I try to obtain as many pictures available and close in expression.

If there is a profile picture, I will enlarge that to the measurements of his height, cut out a template and use that as a guide. I rough out the profile and then proceed to also rough  in the likeness from the front, using dividers and calipers to keep me within the bounds of average human measurements. I then proceed to tighten up the likeness, using smaller tools. When it is close, I use a tool with guitar string wire to further blend the forms and then Stengalize the piece with a smooth loop tool.

LMC: What do you think is the biggest challenge creating a likeness?

HA:  That would be creating a likeness in an emotional expression, such as joy, sadness, or hate.

LMC: Are there common mistakes you see other’s make when doing a likeness?

HA:  Yes, they often make up forms for lack of in depth research into the individual’s likeness.

Also they tend to mix up forms from various photos which show different expressions.

For instance, in trying to make a scowl, they will sculpt the eyes squinted from one picture and raise the brows as shown in another. Pretty hard to do. That is a very fine line to walk, using various photographs and making them work. Most often, you will not find a set of photos showing the head in profile, three quarters, or full front with the same expression.

LMC: How has your career evolved over the years?

HA: Well, from the sixties to the early eighties, I did nothing but make wax models. Eighties through early 90’s I did wax models and film effects. Early 90’s to present, wax models, some film work, latex mask designing, bronze miniature busts and figurines, to larger than life bronze memorials, creating with my son, thematic images for the Walt Disney Company and now, larger than life bronze portraiture. Who knows where I will go from here.

LMC: How have you evolved as an artist from your beginnings?

HA: Well, as almost every other artist’s experience, I have gotten better as an artist or sculptor due to the fact that I have created over 2000 wax models so far and have art directed many other pieces by other artists and sculptors in film and other company businesses.

I am still evolving as a sculptor with many experiences to come.

LMC: Talk about Wolf’s Head productions. What work do you do there? Why did you create the business?

HA:  Wolf’s Head was the dream child of Delbert Winans and myself. It is a separate company aside from Alvarez Wax Models. I am the V.P and Art Director. Delbert and I had this idea to promote the iconic images of the Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy films in the ultimate fine art form, which to us, is bronze. We started out with Disney items, of which we have sold several editions , and now have a line ready to go with them, to individuals of classic horror. We also had Universal license to create a lot of their icons, but we were too optimistic about the wants of serious collectors and the prices were not in the budget of the general collecting public. We still have hope of one day reviving those images. A possibility will be to do them in resin. We’ll see.

LMC: Can you give an overview of how a bronze model is created?

HA: You start out with the sculpture, mold it, send the mold to the foundry where they cast a wax positive, clean it up and add “gating tubes” to it. They then go through an eight day process of making a “waste” mold over it. This is done by dipping the wax piece into a creamy investment plaster with various additives, then dipping into a super fine silicate sand. It is allowed to dry for a day and then the process is duplicated the next several days until a standard thickness is developed on the wax. Then plaster mold is baked and the wax is melted out. The mold, being hot, is now ready for the bronze to be cast into it.

Once this has been done, it is allowed to cool for several hours, before the investment plaster is vibrated and knocked off. The bronze piece has all the gating tubes cut off and then it is sand blasted to get rid of the remaining investment plaster. The bronze piece is now “chased” removing seams and redetailing the joined areas. It has a final silicate-bead

Blasting and then has a chemical induced Patina applied. It is then mounted to a marble or wood base and the piece is finished.

LMC: How did you get involved creating latex masks?

HA: Well that is a little story in its self. One day I get this call and the guy says his name is Steve Haberman and he wanted to know if I have old mannequin heads that he could buy.   He stated that he looked in the Long Beach Phone book, in the yellow pages, under mannequins, and there was Alvarez wax Models. I asked him what he was gonna use them for and he stated  he had this monster mask collection and wanted to put them on the mannequin heads, to display them. I stated, OK, but you’ll have to come on down to look at them, to see which ones you can use. He practically yelled, Great!  I asked where he lived and he said Long Beach, so I said come on down, and you can look through what I have. A little while later, there is a knock on the door, I open it, he says who he is, we shake hands, I invite him in, and his eyes BULGE as he steps through the doorway.  

Steve did not realize that we produced full size “Wax Models”, as he was more familiar with the term; “wax figures”. HE SAYS,  “WOW’’!! Wax Figures” !! I LOVE WAX FIGURES! I now get a flood of questions, How long you been here? I didn’t know there was a wax studio in Long Beach! How long you been doing it and on and on. I proceed to give him a tour and he is blown away! I couldn’t kick him out if I wanted too! On top of this, I had started my move into the effects world , working with Rob Bottin, (Bow-teen) and he had asked me to store his creature props from the film, “The Thing”, in my studio.

Steve saw this and went, YOU WORKED ON THE THING???? I said yup! A little bit. He was gaga over the props. I think I became famous just for having those in my studio!

Just joking! We became instant friends. Steve asked if he could bring some friends down for a visit and I asked how many, as I was nervous opening up my studio to visitors. I had not done so up to this time. He said a dozen or so. I gulped and said ok.

I can’t remember everyone, but David Lady came, I think Laura also, Guy Thorpe, John Calpin, Dante Renta, Ron Magid, I believe Rob Tharp came too, but anyway, meeting David Lady was the beginning of a long friendship and business association. Steve was asked to inquire if I would be interested in doing a series of masks for collectors which led to me talking with David about his business and pretty soon we were creating latex masks. I just picked up information from David and other people on the “how to” and since it was a related field, things just fell in place. I was commissioned by Jim Lawrence and several other collectors to do a bust of Pumpkinhead, another commission for a mask of Metropolis Maria for Dante Renta. We did the Metropolis Maria piece and then Jim Lawrence, who was associated with Morris Costumes introduced us to Ed Edmunds of Distortions, Inc. We started with the huge full size Alien , then a series of different Pumpkinheads and then the Predator, until eventually we were creating a line of masks for David Lady’s business and Licensed film products for Morris Costumes, with a few of our own designs being thrown in. We also had Death Studios producing a custom line.

LMC: What has been your favorite latex mask you’ve created?

HA: The 50/50 head of Arnold as the shot up T2 piece and the snarling Pumpkinhead Bust.

LMC: Talk about those early days of latex mask making? How do they differ from today’s techniques?

HA: Well, mask making, in my opinion, goes back to Don Post Sr.  His line of masks, great for that time frame, were cast very thin, hair was glued on and the paint schemes were very flat, opaque, and not very realistic looking. The method for painting was a use of Rubber cement, thinned down and colored and very toxic. The designs were created for fast removal from the molds, meaning limited or no undercuts. Those masks were created strictly for wearing.

  Today, we do a lot of experimenting. We try different plasters, trying to get the best detail and longevity out of the molds. We try making them thicker so we could get more absorption, thus being able to cast thicker latex skins. We try different latex’s. We also create designs with more undercuts, knowing that it will be difficult to pull out the skins, but give a more dynamic piece. we have started putting more realistic paint schemes on our pieces. Painting methods now vary, where different materials are used according to the use or purpose of the mask. Hair is being inserted into the latex to give the mask a more realistic look. Plastic and glass eyes are also being used to create that realness.

Masks are also now being created for a category that is strictly meant for Display. The interiors are now foamed, to help retain the shape and to make them last longer. Latex masks  are multimedia pieces now. Besides being used in film, worn and collected by the public, they are also used as animated props in haunted house venues. Masks and masking have indeed, come a long way.

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