Cheers Brad, Steve and Richie!
Brad, i guess the Portrait is more than enough for anyone making masks. And isn't it rewarding to both design, cut and use the masks?
Very nice work. Arma are producing some gems and you're putting a fine polish on them. One of the more satisfying modeling steps is peeling off the mask to reveal the results. Yours are perfect. I have considered one of the mask cutters. What would you say the learning curve is on them?
Steve
There's a bit of learning, of course, but it's not impossible, by any means, to design something useable the very first time. I could probably write a longer piece on mask design, but here are a few things to think about.
1. The machine has its limitations. You will have to work around those. I can make fairly consistent cuts as thin as 0.3 mm, but there are variations here so I usually make more masks and use the best ones.
2. The software is quite intuitive and can do most things needed. As will all programmes it helps to sit down and play with it. It's free and can be downloaded from
https://www.silhouetteamerica.com/. Try a little, ask questions.
3. Use good masking material. My go to material is UltraMask from Artool. And in some cases, like here, sheets of masking tape from Tamiya. Vinyl is usually better.
4. Masks can be designed in different ways and stages, but a simple mask consists of e.g. a letter and a box around it. You can move this with the help of a transfer tape placed on top.
5. I am more than happy to answer any and all questions that might arise.
/Fredrik