Latex Paint Question

[IbDaToNeGuY ●]

Ok so I just got a blank mask in today and went out to the craft store and picked up some liquitex spray paint to do the base coat . Now my question is , is it supossed to crack when the mask is flexed because this is doing just that and I don\'t understand why if it\'s latex paint ?

[crazydog500 ●]

I\'m not 100% if it will work but i would try it out on a small area and let it dry and see how it turns out. Even though it\'s a latex paint it\'s all about what\'s in it and how it is made.

[IbDaToNeGuY ●]

Ok i\'ll try that . I\'ve already covered the whole mask and it\'s dried but just cracks all over . So should I remove all of it and start over with another method ? I can\'t sponge it on as the only orange latex paint i\'ve seen in the tubes is like a neon color and that won\'t look right .

[D-bach ●]

the spray paint doesnt have enough latex in it, so your getting cracks.. i would suggest mixing your own and sponging or brushing it on..If you want to dull down your orange color add a tiny bit of black or dark gray to it..

[Earl ●]

D is right. Just get you acrylic paint and liquid latex and mix it about 30% paint to the latex and sponge it on. I had cracking from the liquitex in the past. I got 99% alcohol and wiped the mask down and the liquitex came right off.

[Malice ●]

The reason your liquitex paint is not bonding is because it just a acrylic paint, it is not made to flex with the latex. The liquitex that comes in the tube will also not work.
The paint mixture described above (Acrylic Paint/Liquid latex) may work, but...
The only issue you may have now is, depending on how old the blank cast is, you may have an issue with the Acrylic Paint/Latex mixture bonding to the older latex. If it was a fresh casting, then you would have no problem, but if it is not, you may have some issues with the paint sticking.
I would suggest doing this:
Wipe off the entire mask, make sure you clean off all the older liquitex paint that was cracking. I would recommend using 99% alcohol to clean it, if you can\'t find any of that, 91% alcohol should work okay and that should be easy to find at your local pharmacy.
Once the mask is completely clean, wipe it down with White Vinegar. The acidic nature of the vinegar will actually open up the pores of the latex and help your paint mix (acrylic paint/latex) grip the blank mask.
After the entire mask is been wiped down well with vinegar, you can wipe the excess vinegar off, and sponge on your first layer of paint. The latex is going to smell just as a heads up, but that will go away.
After your base coat dries, you can do all your other painting, just make sure your paint mix is PRIMARILY made up of latex... 30% paint-70% latex is a good ratio... you DO NOT want more paint than latex otherwise (even with the vinegar method) it will probably crack/peel.

This is just one of the MANY methods of painting a latex mask. There are tons of them. I think this will be the easiest for your situation. I am not guaranteeing that it will work... latex is funny sometimes and will act weird, so if you want, just test it out on a small part of the mask... like the inside, before you sponge a layer of paint over the whole thing.

Hope this helps.
-Jake