ok, i wrote this for Clare a little while ago, but i will post it here as well, because everyone should know the joys of casting! its a wonderful process.


YOU WILL NEED:

VASALINE

LOTS OF TOWELS THAT YOURE NOT PARTICULARLY ATTACHED TO

SCISSORS

PLASTER WRAP BANDAGES

A PATIENT MODEL WHO LIKES TO GET A LITTLE DIRTY

aaaannnnddd... a BOWL OF WARM WATER




[to start! decide what part of the body you are casting, example, back? front torso? face? belly? boobies?? then.

ok. so you need vasaline.. i cant stress the vasaline part enough, SLATHER IT ON. uhm you need a bowl of warm water, and a patient model. i found out you can get plaster clothes at art supplies stores. or a drug store. but theyre cheaper form an art store. or if youre super cleaver.. it might be worth it to find a medical supplies store? but thats hard.. then cut the sheets into 2 inch strips. 2'x6 inches is easiest for backs, but depending you might want to work bigger or smaller...

ok.. so when youve got the selected apendage slathered up. dip the plaster cloth in warm water, let some water drip off, and then smooth it on to the skin, working from top to bottom.
you can pretty much just apply on top of damp layers,.. you want about 3 layers. the more you smooth it... the more like plaster and the less like cloth it will look like.. when i did a back it took about 40 minutes?

then youll know its ready to pop off if you can lift at the edges and it keeps its shape and doesnt bend. you need to let it dry over night before you do anything to it. ie. gess and paint it, or sand it, or varnish it.

if you want to texture it (smooth it out or make it sculpture-esque and chunky) then use liquid plaster .. and the i use white glue around the edges..if you want to trim it, then glue the frayed bits down..



theres lots of steps.. but theyre super fun once you get it donw... i would suggest starting with somthing small like a face for practice before you try something big.

*** if you are casting someones face, it is ok to go over the eys.. AS LONG AS YOU COVER THE EYES WITH A STRIP OF CLOTH*** .. plastering over mouths is fine. as long as they can keep it closed...and never plaster over someones nostrils. . thats just not nice.



i love making casts... theres somthing so sensal about it.. but also morbid.. and historic.. and then theyre bandages? so its very comforting, and reassuring. i find cast making kind of like cementing ideas. its kind of like preserving an absract emotion/feeling.. its like a memory you can hold... ..