Hello all. A while ago I was contemplating and discussing doing a life casting class but due to Covid restrictions it wasn’t going to be feasible. Now that things are a little more relaxed I figure it is a good time. I have gone over to Reynold’s Advanced Materials and spoken to them to put together a kit and an estimate of how much this class would cost per person. It will come out to around $30 per person to do a cast of a hand, around $45 for a face, and about $120 for a full head cowl if purchased in the lowest quantity. These prices might end up being lower if there is enough interest to buy in bulk, but expect to pay around these prices for the class.
We will be making a reusable mold from body safe silicone and plaster bandages, which will allow you to make castings of your body parts in a variety of materials such as resin, wax, silicone, and polyurethane foam. These make great Halloween props, and also the perfect base for sculpting custom prosthetic make-up effects that will fit you perfectly.
This is a two person project so you will want to bring a friend or two to help brush silicone onto you (they are free). It is also very messy. This is sticky, goopy stuff. It will completely come off skin and hair once cured without any hair pulling, but may stain clothes. I plan on getting painter’s tarps for whatever room we do this in, and probably trash bags for ponchos for the “subjects”. The process also takes around an hour to 90 minutes before the mold is finished and can be removed. Bearing this in mind I am thinking that we will start with hands only to ensure that nobody commits to a bit more than they were expecting with a face or full head cowl.
I am planning to do a full write up including demonstration photos from the first few classes so that this class can be something other instructors can pick up if they are interested. With Reynold’s Advanced Materials just up the road it should be very easy to get materials needed on demand and not have to store a bunch at the space if we don’t want to.
If you are seriously interested, let me know. I definitely want to get the ball rolling on this so we can get a few groups through in time to make stuff for Halloween. @Team_Creative_Arts @dryad2b let me know what else needs to be done to make this happen.
