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Face Casting 

Second Attempt 

The Process

Alginate is a material often used by dentists to make moulds of teeth. When wet, it is a soft pliable material which sets quickly to create a cast. It is safe to use on skin and in the mouth. To being, the alginate needs to be mixed up, to do this we used equal parts alginate and water. We used plastic cups, so started with two of each. This was put into a bowl and mixed thoroughly. If the alginate is too firm/watery you can add more water/alginate to correct this but you need to be careful as the alginate can set quickly. 

 

Firstly, vaseline is applied to all the areas of hair that is going to be covered by the alginate as it can rip the hairs out. Secondly the alginate is poured over the entire face, so it is very important to communicate with your model and let them know what is going to happen as it can be an alien experience. We started over the forehead and around the nose last so that we could keep the nostrils clear for longer. You have to work quickly over the face before it sets. Once the alginate is complete, it needs to be left for a few minutes to set thoroughly. Plasterbandages are then run through water and placed over the alginate, this acts as an outershell to the cast. This is so that when the cast is filled with plaster/plasterline the alginate mould does not move as it can warp and lose its shape. Once the bandages have completely set (around 10minutes) the alginate can be removed by asking the model to move their face.

My first face cast did not go to plan. I wanted to place my alginate far back of the head incase I needed to sculpt further back; this lost me some time with covering the face with alginate. I also wanted the jaws to be casted and needed to ensure my assistant covered these. Once the alginate had set it became too heavy around the jaw and started to come away from the face losing the shape of the jaw. I filled the face anyway to see if it would work. Unfortunately, the jaw was slightly distorted; I needed the shape of the jaw so I decided to face cast again, to get a perfect shape of the jaw. 

I came more prepared and organised for the second cast. I had all my materials ready, Vaseline, cut bandages, water cups and I used a bald cap on my models hair to get a clearer shape to his head. I also informed my assistant of the areas that needed to be covered. The alginate was mixed thoroughly for a while which helped the consistency of the mixture and it became easier to apply to the face.

 

Cleaning up the face cast

 

  • Shave bits off but don't over do it

  • use a cross hatch pattern so you do not flatten it

  • use dental tools to carve away air bubbles

  • use sand paper to smooth it out 

  • spritz with water

  • screws are put into a board, plaster bandage is wrapped around them so that the cast can be well supported with plaster

Neil Gorton used dental tools and sand paper to smooth out the face cast and remove any unwanted blobs

 

As the nostrils are left open, they are often mishapen or are messy. Before pouring the plaster clay needs to be put into the nostrils to stop it from spilling. I had to resculpt mine in as some plaster had leaked. 

 

Shave away any noticeable hairs and smooth over that with sand paper, Measure your models head and the cast to make sure all the proportions are correct. Smooth over with water for a final smooth appearance

I cleaned up my face cast using the methods learnt during this Neil Gorton DVD. I had to fill in an area in the eyebrow, it seemed as though I had used too much Vaseline in this area that did not fill properly. I also sanded down my nose too much, the nostril chipped off but luckily I made up some more plaster and salvaged the nose. In order to create a more robust core to sculpt on, I vac-formed my plaster cast and fibreglassed into this.  I drilled holes in the centre of the face for the air to go through. This made my core light, more robust, and less likely to crumble like the plaster. I pigmented the fiberglass a similar colour to my clay, I wanted to be able to sculpt and see how the overall look of the face would turn out, this way I could take a step back and squint to see the picture as a whole.  I still wanted to be able to see my clay, which is why it is a slightly darker colour than my clay.

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