For a while now we've know we needed to get more modelled shots of our products but what with one thing and another, doing a live shoot has been put off. We decided to find an alternative that didn't mean doing hair and makeup every time we created something new, would look good and enable us to list straight away.
The solution came via a friend on Etsy who showed us their mannequin head which they had bought cheaply and decorated. A bit of research turned up a selection for about five pounds apiece, male and female, so we ordered one of each.
As you can see, it was obviously polystyrene, had seams showing and generally not very glam. So, we used a homemade paste of flour, water and sugar to glue strips of white tissue, gradually building up the layers until we had a light texture we liked and had covered any unsightly bits. To protect it further we then painted it with acrylic in a creamy colour which toughened it further and made it wipe clean (essential when taking photos in the kitchen!)
Our original product shots looked like this- very nice and everything but a bit hard to tell how it would look on.
Now, they look like this- not only do they now show how the mask fits but by happy accident, the creamy colour of the heads has solved the white balance issues we were having, where the background sheet, which is white, would come up yellow or blue depending on the light source.
So, for all those jewellers/hat knitters out there who don't have anyone they can bribe to model for them, happy pasting and painting :)
Karen and Rich
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