Life Casting

 

Lifecasting is an essential technique to learn as it is the basis for creating any type of prosthetic that will perfectly fit your model's face. If a lifecast is not created perfectly the entire sculpt and moulding process will be hindered as the final pieces will not fit the model's face perfectly. Creating custom fit prosthetics for a model's face ensures that the final result will look professional and effective as there will not be excess material in the wrong areas of the face. Before creating any lifecasts, I researched many different books to give me infomation and extra tips to see how various artists create their casts in order for me to see which methods and materials would best suit the type of cast that needed to be created for this project. 

 

 

Musgrove.J, Make-up, Hair and Costume for Film and Television highlights a very important point that to create a lifecast the applicator must be experienced in having the material applied to themselves in order to feel confidence and to understand how the model is feeling at each stage in the process. The first material that is applied to the face is alginate. Alginate is used to make highly detailed impressions of the surface to which it is applied. It has a fast setting time of around three minutes, therefore it is important to have everything set and ready before application. Alginate will not hold its shape without support as, when set it form into a jelly-like substance and could easily rip and tear. Therefore it is neccessary to create a plaster shell around the outside of the cast. To create this shell generally plaster bandages are used, however plaster with muslin or cheesecloth or burlap can be used to create a harder, stronger shell. The shell is crucial to the lifecast as it will hold the shape of the face and support the alginate during the setting of the plaster in the mould itself. (Debreceni.T, Special Makeup Effects for Stage and Screen) 

 

An important aspect of lifecasting a person is to remember to take measurements of their face as it provides accurate reference for once the plaster positive has been created. This makes sure that if the plaster has come out deformed it is possible to tell before getting too far into the process and having to begin again. The measurements to take of the head are shown in the photo below, these give a good outline of the model's head size and the structure of their face. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step By Step Guide to create a Lifecast

 

1. Prepare all the materials - Alginate, Plaster Bandages (Cut to Size), Plaster Powder, Water, Latex Gloves, Petroleum Jelly, Craft Sticks, Plastic buckets and cups and Bin Bags. 

2. Prepare your model - Sit in a comfortable upright position, place bin bag over their clothes to protect from any excess material that falls, put petroleum jelly onto any areas of the face with hairs (Eyebrows, Eyelashes, Beards, Moustaches and Edges of the Hairline).

3. Mix the Alginate and Cold Water together making sure that the mixture is well combined.

4. Apply the alginate to the face, starting at the top of the head, smoothing it downwards, push the alginate into the eye sockets to make sure there are no trapped air bubbles. Do the same with the mouth edges making sure to remove any potential air bubbles. Smooth the alginate around the face as far as needed. All the time making sure the nose is clear so that the model can breathe. 

5. Once the alginate has set and become a soft jelly-like substance you can begin to apply the plaster bandages or plaster and burlap. 

6. Dip the bandages into water and remove any excess then smooth onto the face, beginning on the forehead, working downwards. Make sure that all the surface area is covered except the nose area. Once the face is covered in smoothed out flat pieces, one long rope of bandage should be applied around the edge to make sure everything is held together. 

7. Once dry, get model to place their hands on the cast and make large facial expressions. Meanwhile ease the edges away from their face, the cast should slide off quite easily. 

8. After helping the model clean up, use another plaster bandage to cover the nose area of the cast, once dried place a small amount of clay or tissue in the nasal holes, this will block the plaster from going between the alginate and plaster layers. 

9. Begin to create the plaster cast immediately as the alginate will dry up without a wet towel placed on it. Using a brush apply mould release or vaseline to the plaster edges to stop the plaster mixture from locking the mould. 

10. Mix up a batch of plaster (place the desired amount of water in a bowl and then pour the powder until it creates a small mound in the centre).Pour this into the mould making  sure that it goes into the eyes, nose and mouth without air bubbles. 

11. Allow the plaster to set and then carefully turn over and the cast should slip away giving an impression of the models face. 

 

  Tokyo SFX Makeup Workshop, (2006) A complete Guide to Special Effect Makeup, London, Titan Books (Pg 72)

  Debreceni.T.  (2009) Special Makeup Effects for Stage and Screen: Making and Applying Prosthetics. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Focal Press          (Pg78-91)

  Delamar.P (2003) The complete Make-up Artist - Working in Film, Fashion, Television and Theatre, 2nd edn, London: Thompson (Pg209-212)