To work up a mask properly you need the feeling of having the actual actor's face in your hands so as to develop appropriate contours on the mask. For this purpose you need to take a 'living death-mask'.

Requirements: A large tub of vaseline or cream aqueous, a soft toilet roll, packets of plaster bandage and a bag of plaster of Paris:a large jug of water, a washing-up bowl full of sand or sawdust, a round-bottomed mixing-bowl for the plaster;a small paint brush.

For normal mask-making purposes you only need to model from the top of the forehead to the underside of the chin.