A question for any artists

[wannabenaked2001]

I have been trying to figure out how to do "body casting", or at least I think that's what it's called. I first noticed this type of art work on Trading Spaces and Changing Rooms, and then saw castings being made of pregnant women.
If I have lost anyone, this is applying cloth strips and plaster of paris on a person, often the chest, letting it set, and then removing it.
I am pretty sure this is not the finished product at this point. I figure this is only a "negative" or mold and it is then coated on the in-side with more plaster that is later removed from the mold as the final product.
I have not yet tried to do this but I wonder if there is something needed to keep the finished product from sticking to the mold.
I have tried to do some research on line, but all I find are "kits".

Anyone know anything about this?
Thanks!

[wannabenaked2001]

I have been trying to figure out how to do "body casting", or at least I think that's what it's called. I first noticed this type of art work on Trading Spaces and Changing Rooms, and then saw castings being made of pregnant women.
If I have lost anyone, this is applying cloth strips and plaster of paris on a person, often the chest, letting it set, and then removing it.
I am pretty sure this is not the finished product at this point. I figure this is only a "negative" or mold and it is then coated on the in-side with more plaster that is later removed from the mold as the final product.
I have not yet tried to do this but I wonder if there is something needed to keep the finished product from sticking to the mold.
I have tried to do some research on line, but all I find are "kits".

Anyone know anything about this?
Thanks!

[David77]

Wannabenaked,
Please type the search words - United Artworks - and when you get their home page, click onto - Techniques of Sculpturing - and then scroll down to - Casting - and then click on "How do you take molds of living people?", and also click on "Can I make a mold of my own face?" Please note the precautions mentioned on the web page against injuring the skin by the plaster becoming hot (and heavy) or the plaster sticking to the skin, etc. You can also read their - Alt.Sculpturing FAQs.
You should also be able to get this web site at http://users.lmi.net/~drewid/

To answer your direct question, Yes, you need what is called a "releasing agent" or also called a "separating medium" between the negative and positive mold, since one batch of plaster normally tends to bond to another, so making a plaster cast in a plaster mold might create a problem.

There are many different mediums to use and I hesitate to list them all because I am afraid some might be harmful to persons. I use a spray can substance made for this purpose which I ordered from Dick Blick's Art Material store but I can not locate it at the moment.

Soaps, particularly neutral oil soaps in heavy paste form, made especially for this purpose, shaving soap in cake form, liquid hair shampoo, green surgical soap, etc. applied vigorously to the mold, has a number of advantages. "It won't clog or blur any of the plaster mold's fine detail; it will react chemically with the mold to produce a waterproof substance (calcium stearate) on it's surface. This prevents bonding with the cast, without actually creating an interfering layer of any discernable thickness". You may be able to find the book (from which I have partially quoted) at the library which is entitled "Figure Sculpture in Wax and Plaster" by Richard McDermott Miller and read page 163 about "Separating Mediums" and how to apply them.

I have not done any body casting but I have done a sculpture by working with strips of burlap dipped in plaster of paris. These wet strips were applied to chicken wire which I had bent to the shape of a life size female form from knee to neck, which I had placed over an armature to hold it upright.

It is important to read about the process and practice with amazing plaster of paris first, BEFORE attempting to work on a live human being. Good luck!