Life casting is not easy, but it is not rocket science either. Knowledge of the materials, the process and the application is essential, but you will not get the hang unless go ahead and give it a stab.
Life casting is a wonderful art that has captured the imagination of many an artist. While experienced and accomplished artists seem to easily create spellbinding life casts without breaking a sweat, fact of the matter is that making body molds and life casts is quite a complicated and painstaking process. It calls for working with care and precision while paying attention to minute details. Knowledge of the various materials, their properties and other factors is also essential. And the artist has to be particularly alert as he/she will be working on live models and cannot afford to harm/trouble them in any manner.
However, this does not mean that novices cannot try their hand at life casting! Following is what a beginner needs to know/do:
- Different materials and supplies are required for making the body mold and life cast. Alginate is a natural material and can be safely used on the model; skin-safe silicone rubber is also a good option. A release agent has to be applied first and the mold has to be reinforced with a shell mold of plaster bandages.
- You have to acquire the know-how about the various processes like how to properly mix the mold making material, apply it on the model, demold the body mold, pour the casting material, finish the life cast and so on. This can be learnt from instruction guides, tutorials or attending live workshops. Small tips and tricks from expert artists – like making the face mold with the model lying down, using soft water for mixing alginate and twitching the body to remove the mold - can make a world of difference.
- Prepping the model is a crucial step of the life casting process. The model has to be informed about what lies in store, how to hold the pose, warning signs and so on.
- You will never feel you are completely ready, so just go ahead and jump in. Do not be afraid to get your feet wet as theoretical information can only go so far. And there will definitely be loads of mistakes on the way. Try and try and you will definitely succeed very soon. In fact, both experience and perfection comes from trying.
- Life casting is a messy job. Be prepared to get your hands dirty. Once you get the hang of the process, you will start enjoying it and even become proficient at it very soon.
In general, there are different materials and varied techniques for mold making and casting. Body casting and life casting follow most of the same principles, but it gets complicated by the fact that you are working on a real person and not an inanimate object. This is why many artists prefer to start with regular mold making/casting and then move to life casting!
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