Face and hand casting using Alginate

Face and hand casting using Alginate

Mix Alginate, powder into bucket and add water mix fast

Alginate

Alginate will be pink at first and turn white as it dries

Apply Alginate to face area, it can dry in seconds so move fas

Add plaster to support the mask

Hessian scrim

Use thin layers of plaster & Hessian

Remove mask

Place the cast on a table

Mix plaster

Moulding plaster

Mix plaster smooth runny paste

Pour in plaster

Tap edges of the mould to release air bubbles

Leave for a few minutes up to 10, carefully remove the mould.

File of bits of unwanted plaster

Face and hand casts

Hand cast with Alginate still to remove

Information based on my notes made from Tracy Lilley casting tutor for this workshop.

Equipment preparation:

Possible suppliers to try -

http://www.flints.co.uk/welcome.html

http://www.tiranti.co.uk/index.asp

Preparation materials: Alginate, moulding plaster, bowls, Hessian scrim, Vaseline, plastic bags, plaster bandage, towels, tissue paper, sponges, gloves, tools, bubble wrap.

Prepare and cover clothes with a plastic bin liner

Cover hair with a muslin scrim

Vaseline facial hair to prevent hair sticking to the Alginate

Mix Alginate, powder into bucket and add water mix fast, very fast with fingers till resembles whipped cream.

Alginate will be pink at first and turn white as it dries

Apply Alginate to face area, it can dry in seconds so move fast, take care not to cover the nose ask you model to let you know if they are uncomfortable by raising there hand. Keep checking throughout application, mask can be easily and quickly removed at any stage if model is uncomfortable.

Alginate can be applied in two stages, this will give you more time, start in the nose area first as this can be the tricky area

Model can smile or have any expression if they wish, they will need to hold that for some time while the Alginate sets.

Once Alginate is set, it only takes a few minutes, add plaster to support the mask use thin layers of plaster & Hessian.

Wait a couple of minutes and remove mask carefully, ask model to screw up face as it is removed

Place the cast on a table; build up sides with clay to hold plaster if necessary, clean edges

Mix plaster (moulding plaster) put water in a bowl, then add handfuls of plaster and mix to a smooth runny paste

Pour in plaster, slow and coat edges, try to avoid creating air bubbles, tap edges of the mould to release air bubbles. If casting a hand pour a small amount of plaster into the fingers, coat the edges first, then pour in the rest of the mix.

Leave for a few minutes up to 10, carefully remove the mould.

File of bits of unwanted plaster

Face and hand casting using Alginate by Chris Follows, Tracy Lilley is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.