Video Tag
Every video tagged “clay sculpting” in the library — a focused slice of the Halloween archive.
31 videos
In this installment of Distortions Unlimited's Monster Lab series, Ed Edmunds walks through the first stage of building a custom Halloween mask: sculpting the design in clay. He covers tool selection, clay choices, and core sculpting techniques used to shape a monster face before molding. This is Part 1 of a multi-part mask-making process focused on the foundational sculpt.
In this 33-minute episode of Monster Lab, industry veteran Ed Edmunds of Distortions Unlimited walks through the process of creating a plaster mold from a clay-sculpted zombie mask — a critical step between sculpting and final latex casting. The tutorial is part of a structured multi-episode series designed to teach professional mask-making skills to DIY creators. Viewers see how a finished clay sculpture is transformed into a reusable mold ready for latex pulling. The episode sits within a broader arc that includes a prior sculpting video and an upcoming painting tutorial.
In this Monster Lab installment, Mikey Rotella demonstrates how to sculpt realistic teeth in water-based clay while working on a character at Distortions Unlimited. The walkthrough focuses on technique that carries over to masks, props, puppets, and SFX builds. It's a studio-based look at the foundational sculpting skills behind professional creature work.
In this installment of Distortions Unlimited's Monster Lab series, sculptor Tom Cassidy demonstrates how to build up convincing scales in clay. He frames the techniques as broadly applicable to dragons, lizards, snakes, alligators, dinosaurs, and other creatures, working through them on a Pterosaur mask sculpt destined for a museum. The focus is on transferable sculpting principles rather than a single finished piece.
The Distortions Unlimited team races a tight deadline to finish a massive clay sculpt of a giant Kong-style gorilla head ahead of the Transworld Halloween Show. Sculptor Ed battles the clay cracking and drying as he sprays and wets it to keep the surface workable. The finished giant gorilla is intended as a photo-op centerpiece at the company's Transworld booth.
Distortions Unlimited offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the early stages of building a massive animatronic gorilla head, with the team racing to apply over 2,500 pounds of clay onto a large metal armature in a single day. The build is driven by a tight deadline tied to the Transworld Halloween Show, where the finished piece is intended to serve as a photo opportunity at the Distortions Unlimited booth. The video showcases the sheer scale and team effort required for professional-grade animatronic fabrication at this level.
Stiltbeast Studios kicks off a multi-part series with this first installment focused on sculpting a realistic brain using water-based clay. The video walks viewers through the early stages of the sculpt, with subsequent parts covering the completed sculpture and the molding process. It reflects the studio's professional-level approach to creature and effects work.
Industry veteran Ed Edmunds of Distortions Unlimited walks viewers through sculpting a custom-fit zombie mask from clay as part of the Monster Lab instructional series. The tutorial covers building an armature, working with clay, and applying sculpting techniques to create a form-fitting, moveable latex mask. The video is part of a multi-part series that will continue with mold-making, painting, and full costume assembly. The techniques taught are transferable beyond zombies and can be applied to sculpting virtually any character.
In this entry of Distortions Unlimited's Monster Lab series, sculptor Mikey Rotella walks through choosing and using sculpting tools for creature and mask work. Filmed in the studio, the roughly 8-minute tutorial focuses on the basics of working in water-based clay and which tools suit different stages of a sculpt. It's a foundational look at the craft behind professional Halloween creatures and masks.
Stiltbeast Studios walks viewers through the process of sculpting a zombie half mask using water-based clay. The session covers the hands-on techniques involved in building a wearable prosthetic-style mask with creature and undead character. At over two and a half hours, this is an in-depth, real-time sculpting demonstration suited to serious artists looking to refine their craft.
This tutorial walks through building a replica of the iconic Death's Head Hawk Moth from Silence of the Lambs using traditional latex mask-making techniques. The creator sculpts the moth in clay, creates a plaster mold, and then casts the final piece in liquid latex. Techniques were drawn from hands-on workshop experience, making this a practical demonstration of accessible prop fabrication. The finished piece functions as a striking horror specimen or display prop.
Distortions Unlimited races against the clock to complete a massive gorilla head clay sculpture weighing between 4,000 and 5,000 pounds, built over a metal armature fabricated by their crew. The sculpture must be finished before a professional mold maker arrives on site, and keeping the clay from cracking under drying conditions is an active challenge. The finished piece is destined to serve as a photo opportunity at the Distortions Unlimited booth at the Transworld Halloween Show.
In this extended director's cut of Monster Lab, Ed Edmunds and Tom Cassidy of Distortions Unlimited walk through sculpting a baby mutant creature called Mutinee, inspired by their Mutant animatronic. The tutorial covers the full clay process, from bulking out the form to blocking large anatomy, refining details, and finishing the piece. It's a hands-on look at professional creature-sculpting workflow using WED clay and a range of sculpting tools.
Stiltbeast Studios hosts an extended sculpting session focused on creating a Wednesday-inspired character piece, presented in a bingo challenge format. Allen Hopps guides viewers through the sculpting process in what appears to be a long-form live or recorded workshop running over three hours. The video targets haunted attraction builders and mask makers looking to develop professional-level character sculpts. The bingo format suggests an interactive or community-driven element to the creative session.
Haunt Former walks viewers through an accessible, low-cost process for sculpting a custom Halloween mask from clay, aimed at both kids and adults. The short, four-minute tutorial emphasizes creativity and affordability over complex techniques. It fits within the channel's broader focus on DIY Halloween prop and costume builds.
In this episode of the Monster Lab tutorial series, veteran sculptor Tom Cassidy of Distortions Unlimited shares practical tips for tackling large-scale clay sculptures, covering armature construction, anatomical considerations, and tool selection. A high-speed sculpting demo gives viewers a real-world look at his workflow in action. The episode is part of an ongoing series aimed at helping DIY enthusiasts build professional-quality Halloween props and masks. Distortions Unlimited is a well-known professional prop and costume house, lending the instruction credibility and depth.
Allen Hopps of Stiltbeast Studios demonstrates how to fabricate a large set of professional-quality sculpting loop tools and rakes using everyday inexpensive materials. By repurposing wire whisk tines and coping saw blades bonded with steel epoxy putty, builders can produce more than twenty tools for a fraction of the cost of buying them individually. The resulting tools are suitable for both clay and paper mache sculpting in prop and mask making contexts.
Ed Edmunds, founder of the legendary Halloween prop and animatronics company Distortions Unlimited, demonstrates gremlin monster sculpting in this short-form clip from the Monster Lab instructional series. The video offers a condensed glimpse into professional-level creature sculpting techniques developed over decades in the industry. It serves as a teaser for the full-length Monster Lab tutorials available on the channel, which cover the complete mask-making pipeline from sculpt to finished prop.
This two-hour session from Stiltbeast Studios features a live sculpting demonstration of an orc character using water-based clay. The creator works through the process of building out creature features and orc-specific anatomy in real time. It serves as both an educational resource and an engaging hangout-style broadcast for fans of creature design and prosthetic-style work.
Distortions Unlimited founder Ed Edmunds demonstrates how to sculpt a Wolfman mask from WED clay, offering a look into professional-level creature mask creation. The tutorial is drawn from the channel's Mask Maker kit series, which covers sculpting, painting, and mold-making for a range of creature designs. Viewers get hands-on insight into the shaping and detailing techniques used to bring a classic monster to life in clay.
Distortions Unlimited documents the professional creation of a giant Kong animatronic, starting from a hand-sculpted clay original and progressing through fiberglass mold making and foam-filled latex skin production. The build showcases the high-end fabrication pipeline used by industry professionals to produce large-scale creature animatronics for haunts and theme parks. The result is a massive, detailed gorilla figure suitable for high-impact haunted attraction or theme park installations.
Ed Edmunds of Distortions Unlimited sculpts a new alien mascot character live for Monster Day 2019, the annual monster-themed community festival held in Greeley, Colorado. The piece continues a tradition of creating a unique creature mascot each year, following previous characters the Greeley Gremlin and Chewbe. This short video captures the sculpting process and invites viewers to suggest a name for the new alien. Distortions Unlimited is a professional Halloween manufacturer known for animatronics, props, masks, and costumes.
This quick tip video from Stiltbeast Studios covers how to keep a water-based or WED clay sculpture from drying out between work sessions. The method involves lightly wetting the sculpt, draping it with a damp towel or paper towel, and sealing the whole piece in a plastic bag to exclude air. At just three minutes, it delivers a focused, practical technique that any prop or mask maker can immediately apply.
This rapid-fire one-minute tutorial from Stiltbeast Studios shows how to create a small skull pin using basic moldmaking techniques. A skull is sculpted in water-based clay, then a flexible mold is formed using 100% silicone caulk catalyzed with dish soapy water. Resin is poured into the finished mold to produce the final wearable piece. A link to a longer, more detailed companion video is provided for those wanting step-by-step guidance.
