Further research into using silicone and alginate to life cast. Here the costs of both materials are compared and silicone can be 10x more expensive than alginate. However, alginate will shrink, compared to the silicone you do not need to cast a positive immediately. You can also use the negative several times.

The keys should pop out of the holes which helps to secure it
Use duct tape to keep the two pieces together
Tearing it works best so it sits back together perfectly
Fill in the pony tail hole with faster setting silicone
Use the alginate to fill in the nostril holes, put this on the inside and trim. Fill aroud the outside with silicone
The hairline tends to rub off with the silicone so try to re paint it in so that is able to transfer back onto the plaster
Fill the back hole where the pony tail was with plaster
Paint all the bandage with nivea
Put the two shells back together

Aliginate-the most popular and most commonly available. The key feature to the alginate is slow setting, it should give about 6-10minutes working time
Silicone- a more recent development. Life form from mould life (neils favourite)
Plaster bandage- should be quick setting plaster
Buckets, bowls, containers-clean
Bald cap
Adhesive for bald cap
Remover for bald cap
Combs, hair brushes, hair spray so that you can slick the hair down ready for a bald cap
Vaseline and nivea to act as a release agent
Clean warm water to wash your hands
Superglue
Waterbased paint

LIFE CASTING WITH SILICONE AND ALGINATE

Great to have a good chair, with a straight back and arm rest so that it provides stability and support for your model
Brush the hair backwards
Put the bald cap on front to back
Do you need the ears? Snip a hole where the ear is. Make sure the hole is very small to start with.
Silicone medical adhesive, telesis 5 to stick it down. Allow a small amount for tension
Glue one side and then the next side
Glue from the forehead and trim away the bald cap
10 mil in front of his hairline
Paint on the line of the hairline
Line around the area you want to cast
Ask your model to sit up right
Alginate tends to stick to the latex cap so Nivea cream is used where the plaster bandage may go onto the skin to act as a barrier

DVD NOTES

Alginate and plaster bandage

Prepare all the bandage, medium large and small pieces ready for when you need them
Check the instructions how to use the alginate
He has a little extra water just in case, this is because for life casting you need much more fluid, maybe just 10% more water than what is recommended
Start by working around the nose, making sure the nostrils are clear. Start with a thin layer.
Use an assistant with a cotton bud to make sure the nostrils are clear
Use a blob of alginate into the corner of the eye and spread out
Start from the top of the head and make your way down
Use one hand to apply and one hand to hold the alginate
Always have one person in front of the nose

He uses cotton wool over the alginate, peels it off so that you are left with small fibres, this acts as a mechanical bond between the alginate and plaster
Double the plaster bandage and double it again so it is 4 thicknesses. Make sure it is not dripping wet
The first bandage is the frame around the head
Make sure there are no air gaps between the alginate and the plaster bandage. If there were a gap left the plaster would not be supporting the alginate. The alginate can therefore distort
At all times speak to your model and let them know what you are doing
Explain in detail what you are going to be doing- show them some images of a head cast process
Put a rib around to add extra strength
Tap with a pencil you will hear a higher note when it is set
Ask model to move their face when removing

Leave it supported and left to dry
Block up the nostril hole with super glue to prevent it from distorting, then push alginate through the nostril
This is then covered with plaster bandage to create a water tight seal
Trim off excess from your cast
Super glue your alginate to your plaster bandage

Casting the whole head in alginate
Same concept-working with three people
Everyone needs to know where they are working
Uses cotton wool again to create a mechanical bond- but none at the back of the head to be able to move the shell
Leave a gap between the front and the back with the plaster bandage
Put Vaseline on the front half. Do not over lap the bandage. 2 bandage layers
Keep contact with your model

Casting the whole head in alginate

Pull the back bandage off and use a blunt dental spatula to cut a hole in the back of the alginate
Make a t cut and split down either side
Put the back on after removing from model
Use duct tape to keep it together
Make sure the alginate sits nicely in the plaster mould
Secure around the nostrils with super glue and alginate
Make a wall around the ends of the cast
The plaster is quite thin so that it can pick up all the detail of the cast. Push into the ears, keep pushing into each ear allowing it to dry slightly
Add couple of inches in depth for each pour, be careful for air bubbles
Level off the base and leave it to set
Opening the cast-peel the centre section carefully. Peel off all the bandage
Take the alginate off carefully, cut each part away in sections rather than taking it off as a whole piece
Spatula for cleaning up the cast and removing any air bubbles

Applying the bald cap:

Key materials

Removing the alginate & filling with plaster

they are usually a 20-30 shore hardness
it is a senstive silicone, aloe vera may interfere with the silicones curing process
With the life form silicone you can use no realse agent as it does not pull the hair
Make keys with a piece of material attached to it, allow the fabric to go over the keys
15 keys used on a full head cast. Make sure these are prepared before you begin
Use nivea where the skin will be exposed
Start with the bandage around the ear and at the back to create more support

Mix one batch using the slow setting silicone
The second batch will be slightly faster setting
Use 3 people to help mix each batch
Once the keys are attached, apply the bandage to the front of the face. Using nivea on the piece behind
Once the plaster bandage is cured the cast is gently removed

This is the most accurate cast you can get
Protective overalls taped around the neck
Smear across or down over the eyes so that you dont lift the eyes
Add extra silicone around the edges
Standard set- second layer all over
Placement of keys: some at the bottom, some around the edge, paste them down into the silicone (none around the sides)
Plaster bandage the face from front to back at the same time. keeping the band free
Keep the key at the top free
Apply the nivea in the gap on the front of the shell, then fill in the gap without overlapping
Remove the bandage
Cut the split at the back, to begin a tear. You can then tear with your hands

be gentle with the ear, ease it out

Life casting in silicone

Mixing and applying the silicone

Casting the entire head in silicone

Preparing the cast

Stan Winston: How to life cast head, hands and teeth

As this is the first time I will be carrying out a full head cast I wanted to ensure I researched all of the available resources on how to do it. Each area of my research will give me slightly different methods, to which I will have to evaluate which would be best to use

Using vinyl or plastic cap as a bald cap as latex will interefere with silicone
Telesis is used to stick down the cap (thinned down with a thinner ) a brush is dipped into the thinner first then then dipped into the glue
Cut a hole for the pony tail to come through
it is important to keep your model at ease as they will not be able to hear or see
With a vinyl cap you can take a brush of acetone and melt it away to blend into the skin
For a life cast, your edges on a bald cap do not need to be pristine, you can sand down any fine lines
Have your bald cap up to the hair line
Do a glue test on your model just in case they may be allergic to vinyl or the adhesive
Wrap ponytail in foil
The bald cap was very delicate so repairing is necessary
Mix alginate to a peanut butter consistency, they start behind the ear

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Filling behind the ear to remove undercuts

Repairing the bald cap so no hair is exposed

If the bald cap is very thin it is fine if it goes down the head, the blend doesn’t have to be perfect as you can sand this down
Start on the back of the ear, this takes out the negative space behind the ear which is easier carved away later
The alginate will create a little plug, so you can get all the detail of the ear
This technique removes the undercut of the ear. However, if your makeup has a specific design for ears it is best to cast them separately

Trace the hairline, so you know where the skin is.
Powder the edges to remove any tackiness from the adhesive
Release by applying onto lashes and eyebrows
Important that everything is set up before you start
Make the keys- helps the plaster bandage lock into the silicone
The keys make sure the silicone locks into the plaster shell
Regular set first to get the detail, and then the second set
A&B weighed equally
Let them know they can be removed at anytime
Make sure the head is up right and the chin is up
Make sure it is thoroughly mixed
Start at the top and go down
Watch the drips under the chin
Leave the nose for last
Be careful not to pull on it too much whilst it is curing
Brushing it too much is going to lift it
It needs to set slightly, before the next layer of silicone
Keys down the back and down the sides
The second layer may be heavy and drag he first layer which is why you need to wait a few minutes for the first layer to set
Alginate is great but you only get one use out of it
Silicone- you eliminate a mould making stage
You can use the silicone for various pieces, cast other parts out of it, cast your wig block out of it
‘Safety batch’ in case you need it. Silicone is great as you can keep adding to it
Best to leave it as smooth as possible to fit into the mother mould

Plaster bandage with warm water
4 layers altogether
Make sure all the contours hit the keys
Press into the contours of the keys
An inch flange is built
Put a release between the plaster
It is good to have long bandages for the flange, medium and small to build up strength in the nose area
Hold the model up whilst waiting for the plaster to set, to help release some of the pressure
Mark where the mid line is so you know how it will line up again
Put your hand underneath when cutting, to protect your model
Ask the model to move their face
Put the piece together and lock in the keys
Use adhesive remover to remove the bald cap

You need to patch the holes (nostril, pony tail)
You can refill the silicone several times, which is why it is better than silicone. (Multiple positives)
It wont shrink it wont dry out so there is no rush
Ears are the most problamatic

Filling the head

Let the plaster cream up a little for the next layer (two layers)
The make the cast hollow (harder to do and more time consuming), this makes the piece lighter, and you will be able to float the pieces off if you choose to alcote (-a liquid tin foil substitute, used in dentistry and advanced prosthetics)
If you make it solid its going to be heavy and it will expand a little more, so we need to keep the expansion to a minimum
Be careful when doing multiple layers of plaster
If the first layer is completely set and you put a second layer behind it, the second layer will expand and crack the first layer
Mix the first layer and then the second as two separate mixes

Paint stick with a brush, painted from the puddle in the centre up into the sides. This is useful, as you can’t get your hand down into the neck.
The plaster is going to get thicker and thicker which you can continue to smooth out
The neck hole will be getting smaller and smaller
Take your time (use cold water)

The final cast complete

HEAD CASTING IN PRACTICE

Wrapping the hair

it was quite difficult to wrap the models hair as it was very short and layered. We sectioned it into two halves and used several grips to grip it flat.

Wrapping the hair

Bald cap application

The bald cap was slightly too small for the model, and also ripped at one side. This was easily repaired with a section cut out from the back and stuck on with tape. Where tape was used we applied a layer of nivea to act as a release

Bald cap application

Preparing the plaster bandages

3 layers of plaster bandage was added to the back of the head. Support strips were added at the back of the head and round the centre. After watching the Stan Winston tutorial, I have learnt the flange needs to be around 2inches thick

Nivea added as a release agent

Alginate stage

I kept guard of the nostrils and sculpted the alginate around the jaw area

Alginate stage

Adding support to bandage

Waiting for plaster to harden

Debreceni, T. (2013) Special makeup effects for stage and screen: Making and applying Prosthetics. 2nd edn. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.

Materials Needed:

Lifecasting in industry

Reflection:

After researching several ways of head casting I feel much more confident to continue with my own head cast. I will ensure to be organised with my list of materials, and my preperation before my model arrives. I will communicate the procedure with him before so he is fully aware of what will happen Due to budget, I feel it is neccessary to stick to using alginate as my casting material as it is considerably cheaper.

EMMA FREEMAN

SPECIALIST PRACTICE