Ice that doesn't melt...
I got the idea to use the "cracked ice" lighting panel for Shiva's wrist blades when accompaning my parent's on one of their "fix-it" missions to Home Depot a couple of months ago. But I knew I couldn't use that for the chest and face, because's it's too sharp and stiff. (It is plastic, afterall.) So, I had to use a little ingenuity to create the ice spanning the left half of Shiva's torso and face.
The problem was, not only did it need to be flexible, but also needed to retain it's shape while still having enough give to fit me. The first thing that came to mind was hot-glue. That way I could just pour it into a big blob and then carve it into ice shapes. Then I remembered how difficult large amounts of hot-glue are to work with, and that I'm not much of a sculptor...
Latex was out of the question, as I'm allergic to it, and I didn't think wax could hold up to the strain of all-day wear. I considered using cellophane for about 15 seconds before I decided that I wouldn't be able to handle the crinkling noise.
Then I remembered silicone. (Yes, like the stuff they made fake-boobs out of.) I had used it before to attach a filter in my fish's tank, so I knew it was non-toxic. It's also very flexible and rubbery, but maintains it's shape perfectly. Best of all, it LOOKS like ice if you don't smooth it down.
Genuine Faux-Katie
After I decided on a material, I then ran into the next problem. Silicon, although odorless and non-toxic when dry, emits very powerful acidic vapors while it's curing. It's also a skin irritant, and can cause blindness if it gets in your eyes. But since I needed it to conform like a second skin, I needed to put it directly onto my face and body. So I went on eBay and found myself a stunt double!
Do you have any idea how expensive mannequins are?! Coupled with the fact that I needed to find one with my measurements, this proved to be quite to search!
One Hit Wonder
In order to attach the ice to me I needed to use spirit gum. For those of you that haven't worked with this stuff before, it can really hold on tight if you don't have sprit gum remover. I did have the remover, but some of the ice was still torn when I took off the costume. I guess I'll just need to make fresh ice next year!
