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Behind the Mask with Bob from Mask Murderers

HorrorBid Goes Behind the Mask with Bob from Mask Murderers

Question #1: How did you get started in the buness of mask making?

Well, I owned a collectable store, & one day I ordered in some cinema secrets masks, and I thought they looked really cool, my brother & I have been making little films at the time & thought wouldn’t it be neat to be able to make our own characters. I started searching online in the summer of 2002 about how to make mask’s, I found this one te so I looked a little further into this whole latex thing, I called up Arnold at
href="http://www.monstermakers.com">http://www.monstermakers.com amazing guy who helped me out from day one & still to this day I order from him. So I got this rigid polyfoam bust from monster makers & some clay that was as hard as a rock, I had no idea how to use it, it came in a 5 pound block & man being a beginner I did not know you could just heat it up in the microwave, anyway, I started putting this clay on this yellow lifecast & just went from there & for the record that 5 pound hard as a rock clay is still my favorite oil based clay to this day. Starting when I did, I don’t think I was ever really accepted in to the mask community with opened arms as so many are now, I see new people popping up left & right & most seem to be quite welcomed but I guess the time when
href="http://www.maskmurderers.com">http://www.maskmurderers.com arrived on the scene it just was not a good time, a lot of people just turned there heads on us, maybe because we were new & trying to break into the buness or maybe we were just crap who knows & I really don’t blame them now, when I look back at some of my old stuff, wow I just don’t know who that artist is any longer at least I try to forget. So there we are with a new webte & I still had my collectable store at the time. I noticed something, I found myself at home more then at the store, yes I was playing with my clay while I had people in the store working for me. So as time passed I closed the store up & ventured into masks a little more. I stop & look at a lot of these new companies coming out charging $100 to $500 for a mask, which is pretty much standard nowadays but when I started the very first mask I sold I received $18 for & you no what? I was happy with that $18 more so then I am now with a $500 sale because it just made me so happy when I first started, when we were a nobody company that someone would actually want a product made by my hands, it was not about money back then & that was nice, nowadays things have changed of course as things do in life, bills, car, different shit that life throws at you that we need money for but back then just knowing someone wanted that mask was awesome! So that $18 was the start of it all, that was pretty much what made me stop & say hey maybe we can turn this into something & we did.

Question #2: Please describe in detail what lead to your pason for the horror genre and or the Halloween holiday? Also, if you have any fond childhood memories or experiences that may have sparked your love for the hobby?

I hate horror, it is an awful thing, blood & violence, I just hate it! Seriously though when I was a kid I could not stand it, I would watch a movie then have nightmares, hell Gremlins scared me, I remember going to a friends house for a birthday party & we watched Friday part 8 & that was mid afternoon, I still went home & had nightmares before I could fall asleep, all I could picture when I closed my eyes was the damn Hockey mask LOL, it was so bad I did not even like playing that Friday the 13th Nintendo game, yeah I did not like horror. I think as I grew up I started to understand that it is just art & that the blood was fake & the creatures were not real, I guess that kind of ruined the scary factor for me though, kind of like learning there is no Santa, that sucks. Sometimes it is better not knowing then understanding everything, to a person who does not make masks or sculpt creatures, horror movies are very bothersome but to artists who make this stuff we just look at it & try to figure out how they pulled off that effect or we say damn that was some good make up. After learning that it was not real, I think it just grew on me, I began to like the characters & the make up. I don’t think there was a spark; I think the love for the genre grew over time. I started out as being afraid as a kid to growing up & making scary things, life is weird isn’t it LOL.

Question #3: Who or whom was the biggest influence in your life and how did that effect who you are today?

I don’t really no, I never stopped to think about it to much, All the artists that are out there just doing there thing, they are the true influences, people such as Stan Winston, Rick Baker, KNB FX GROUP, Tom Savini etc, even people just starting out influence me, I watch people progress & get better so that means I have to step up & that is an inspiration, watching others grow as artists as you grow yourself.

Question #4: What do you do in your spare time when you are not making masks or doing something work related.I don’t have much spare time, I work all the time but when I do take a second to breath, I watch films either with my girlfriend or if she’s not around by myself, scary, funny, drama, it does not matter as long as it entertains my never stopping mind, even when trying not to work I am thinking about work, BAD, BAD, BAD, I have to turn that switch off LOL. I enjoy making independent films as well, my brother & I have almost completed a new one entitled JEDIDIAH, it is a TCM FANFILM, we should hopefully have all the post production done soon. I really don’t do a ton of things bedes work, when you are a mask maker you are taking on a BIG responbility.

Question #5: What was your first sculpt and or mask making experience? Were you a natural or did it take time to hone your skills? How much have you learned nce then?

I think Third Degree Burns was my very first full head mask, yeah those were the days I wish I could forget LOL I won’t say I am a natural, it took years of practice & I am still learning new things everyday. In this buness you can never know it all, everyday is a learning experience. I was actually quite good at drawing pictures when I was younger but I have not picked up a pencil in awhile so I thought sculpting would be easy being that I could duplicate a picture I saw, not the case with me, taking a picture & bringing it to life with clay took a lot of practice & I try to sculpt everyday just so I can keep learning new things.

Question #6: What project have you worked on in the past that you would conder your favorite thus far?

NONE, I can tell you one thing, I am never happy, I think I am, and then I take a long look at something I have done & say yeah this needs to be changed. That’s just how it is, I think you can look at another person’s art & say wow that is amazing but for myself I can never stop & say that about my own stuff, I don’t really no why.

Question #7: How has being a husband, father, or being in a relationship affected your work and are they supportive of what you do?

My girlfriend is very supportive of what I do, hell making scary things for a living you better have someone that understands you & what you are doing, sometimes people don’t see the art in it, they just see blood & scary stuff but latex masks are art! No matter how much someone may hate them or are afraid of them, there is a lot of work involved & I think the people around you should stop to see that. My girlfriend loves horror & kind of understands me LOL so I am lucky!

Question #8: What projects have you accomplished in your career that you feel really cemented your legacy in the buness. Was there a point where you took a step back and said, “Wow, how am I going to get all these orders filled”?

My legacy? I don’t think being a known artist will ever hit home, I just do what I love & if people appreciate what I do then that is all I need. I do think a turning point is when I did the Head Skinner veron 1, that really went over well & lead to 5 more LOL, hey it happens, some artists such as myself are never happy with there work, a true artist anyway. So we do things sometimes more then once to improve on what we think needs improving.

Yeah there has been times where I am just like oh man, I will never get these all done or please I do not want to hair another mask, sometimes you can go crazy, you need to step back every once & awhile & work on something different to keep you sane, at least that is the way it is for myself. I do have my brother that is always there to help, he is my right hand man, he started MMFX with me but is not quite as involved as I am, I am the artist & I guess that is the way he likes it, I would love for him to be like Hey, I can paint those for you but he doesn’t, all the products that leave my studio are painted by myself, I can get him to base coat every now & again but yeah he helps me out by filling molds, seaming masks etc.

Question #9: What were some other low points in your career when you had to take time to reflect and ask yourself if this buness isn’t right for you?

Everyday I stop & think to myself if this buness is right & the clay just keeps calling, I have a dere for it, a hunger to only getting better, there has been many low points, I don’t really want to specify but you have to weigh the good with the bad & most the time it breaks about even. I don’t ever think I will stop creating, be it for low budget films, for myself, for the fans, I will always create.

Questio#10: What upcoming project if any can you share with us? And what are your plans for the upcoming year?

There’s always something new, I have some nice goodies in store for the boys & girls of the horror genre, some limited Edition pieces, I am also sculpting a few pieces for Darkde Studios this year, I’m excited about that! I am also collaborating on some pieces with fellow artists on some cool display pieces. I am non stop, a workaholic if you will, so there will always be something new coming your way from MMFX.

Thanks for reading this little interview & I hope this brought you a little closer to who I am as an artist & as person, I want everyone to know that I am always thankful & appreciate everyone’s continued support threw the years.

Take care & stay creative, Bob!

I gotta say when it comes to masks?Bob is the master , and his paintwork at least to me , is second to none.He hit the realism factor every time!!! Great interview.