Low Cost Face Casting by Rebecca Burt

If you haven't ever done a life cast before, the prospect is daunting. For many it's the first step towards doing more professional and complex work, and it looks tough. But, in all truth it really isn't. Making a life cast of another person (we don't suggest you try it on yourself) is actually quite easy, and doesn't take long either. We hope that this how-to will help you.


Materials
We've used fairly cheap materials and the cost for our life cast was about $30, most of which is for alginate, but that can fluctuate depending on the quality and amount of materials that you buy.

• Petroleum jelly
• Bald cap (suggested, but not nessecary)
• Alginate
• Plaster bandages
• Plaster
• A paint brush (can be a cheap one)
  

Before You Start
Make certain that your subject is not cloustrophobic! They should feel at ease with their face covered, and should trust you so they aren't scared. You also have to be careful not to make your subject move their face (laugh or frown) while the alginate is setting, if their face moves it will screw up your cast and the positive will come out distorted.


Making the Negative

1. Have your subject clean their face well, and tied back their hair if it's long. Dampening their hair around the face and using a little hair spray or gel will help keep their hair out of the alginate.
2. If you have a bald cap put it on your subject, the alginate won't damage it and it will keep the alginate from sticking to the hiars around your subject's face (it isn't very fun to pick out afterwards). Smear a little petroleum jelly on any of your subject's face hair (eyebrows, lashes, mustash, etc.) you don't need to glob it on, just use enough to kind of grease the hair.
3. Cut the plaster bandages to lengths approximately 2 or 3 times the width, and then the length, of your subject's face and fold them in half or thirds so that they're the right length. Make sure to have a few extra pieces cut and have a few pieces that are only an inch or two to use around the nostrils. With the bandage it's better to over calculate than skimp and end up with a distorted casting.
4. If you feel you need to (or the subject wants it) use pieces of drinking straw in their nose to make sure that you don't block off their breathing. Usually if you're careful you won't need to use straws, but it's always a good precaution, especially for beginners.
5. Mix up your alginate (however the instructions say), you'll probably need 2 to 4 cups depending on the size or your subject's face. The alginate should be about the thickness of tomato paste or runny mashed potatos, so that when you put some on your subject's face it will glop down slowly with most of it sticking. Using cool water will give you a little more time to work before the alginate starts setting up. Don't worry about the alginate sticking to the bowl or the counter, it'll peel off easily when you're done.
6. Start at the forehead, glopping the alginate on your subject's face. Kind of pat it on, don't wipe at it too much or you'll get thin spots. Be carefull to get alginate into the corners of the eyes and mouth so that you don't get air bubbles on your final product. Work it over the entire face, almost to the ears and down the neck a little ways, making sure that you get a pretty thick coat. Check the nose to make sure the alginate is thick enough, it's easy to leave it too thin there and that will cause the nose area to distort or break. When you've done the face put any extra on spots that might be thin (like the forehead, cheeks and nose). If you get a little alginate over your subject's nostril just have them blow it out before it's set.
7. Lean back for awhile and let the alginate set, it doesn't take very long. You know it's set when it is solid and rubbery without being sticky. Now you can start with the plaster bandages.
8. Wet your plaster bandages, again the temperature of the water will change your setting time (colder = slower, warmer = faster). Just dip it in and then bring it out and rub the layers together slightly to saturate it well. Leaving it in the water too long will wash away the plaster. Squeeze the bandage out a little so it isn't sopping wet (but don't wring it dry), and start layering them over the alginate. Make sure that you cover the entire face well with plenty of bandage so that the negative won't bend out of shape too much when you remove it. Be careful around the nose and use one of your thin strips between the nostrils for strength there.
9. Wait for the plaster bandages to set. If will take longer than the alginate but probably no more than 15 min. or so. You could use some of this time to clean up a little of the mess you're making before your subject can see it ; )
10. When the plaster bandages are dry, have your subject lean forward slightly and wiggle their face while your hold the outside. You may have to help them by loosening it off around the edges. It should come off really easily and you'll have your negative done.
11. Now that you have the negative you need to make a positive. Alginate dries out fairly quickly and starts to shrink when it does so you should make the positive as soon as you can.

Making The Positive

1. Take the negative and set it so that it sits flat. Sometimes a box of sand works well to hold it level and still, but just about anything will work, just be careful not to bend or stretch the negative too much.
2. Mix up your plaster. One way to judge how much you'll need is to carefully fill the negative just about full of water and then pour that into your mixing bowl (before you set it up level) then just mix it to the right thickness.
3. Use the paint brush to spread a layer of plaster in the negative. Just kind of glop with it, don't brush at it too much or you will make air bubbles. Be carefull to get into all of the creavesses. This will make air bubbles on the outside layer of your positive less likely. Get down close and blow on the surface of the plaster to get rid of any bubbles that may there.
4. Let that layer set up a little, but not for so long that the rest of the stuff you mixed up starts to thicken up and harden. Carefully pour the rest of the plaster into the negative, pouring as close to the surface as you can to eliminate the chances of air bubbles. Blowing on the surface will get rid of most that appear there.
5. Let the plaster set, long enough so that there's no doubt that the inside areas are hard enough that they won't break when you remove the negative.
6. Carefully work off the negative. Usually you can peel it off well enough that you could make another positive if you wanted to.
7. Voila! You've just finished making a life cast of your subject's face! I suggest leaving it alone over night so that the plaster can fully dry and harden before using it for anything. If you want it to stay fairly clean through whatever you use it for, try spraying it with a coat of clear acrylic spray, then you'll be able to wipe off most of any mess you make.

Facial Life Cast #2

Here is a second life casting project featuring a face-only cast that takes a little higher budget.

Plastic to protect the subjects clothing
Comb, hair spray and/or gel spray bottle of water
Bald cap or plastic wrap
Scissors
Spirit gum or other adhesive such as latex or pros aide
Felt pen
Petroleum jelly
Large rubber bowl containing premeasured alginate
Spatula
Pitcher of premeasured water
Extra pitcher of water just in case
Five or Six pieces of burlap
Two rolls of 4-inch plaster bandage cut into four strips each of 8, 10, and 12 inches and several small pieces for nose
Bucket of warm water with a pinch of salt in it for plaster bandages
Extra 1/4 cup of alginate to fill the nostrils on the life mask
Krazy Glue
Extra brushes. spatulas, and towels

For making the positive:

Makeshift cradle in which to rest the negative (a pan with rags in it will work you just need something to hold the negative up so the tip of the nose will not have pressure on it and cause deformities)
brushes for applying the first two layers of plaster
Small and large rubber bowls for plaster
Plaster
Wooden handle or aluminum rod, 7 inches long and 1 inch (25 mm) in diameter
Two strips of burlap for the ends of the handle
Metal spatula to smooth out the plaster
Surgical knife, plaster rasp; or surform tool to trim the mold

Explain the entire procedure you are about to do to the subject. Make sure they understand that they must breathe through there nose only for the entire process. Also that they must not move there facial muscles a calm relaxed face must be kept. Give the subject a notebook so they can ask any questions if needed during the process. Make sure your subject knows that when you are working around there nose that if alginate covers there nose. Not to panic simply force air out there nose and the alginate will be removed.

Cover subjects clothing with plastic. Use water and hairspray/gel if needed to flatten the subjects hair. If ears are needed in the cast. Cut holes for ears in the bald cap. If ears are not needed glue the bald cap over top of them. It will make removal easier later. Glue the bald cap down with spirit gum make sure there are no wrinkles in the cap. Use a felt tip pen to mark where the hairline is. Use petroleum jelly to lightly coat bald cap and any hair on the face such as eyebrows, eyelashes.

Make sure your subject is seated as comfortabley as possible. Have your subject clothes there eyes and relax there face breathing only out there nose. Begin to mix premeasured alginate and water. The consistency should be that of a thick creme.Work quickly alginate sets up fast. Starting at the top of the forehead apply alginate in a dowdward scooping motion. When you get to the eye area beware of air pockets. Make sure alginate covers entire surface of skin by following the shap of the face with your hands. Now begin to put alginate around the nose.

Work carefully so you do not block the air way of your subject. Remind your subject again that if alginate clogs there breathing to blow air our forcefully through there nose.

When face and neck if needed is completely coverd in alginate. Quickly before alginate dries press burlap into it. Or if it has dried smear denture adhesive onto the alginate then aplly bandages over it. This will help the bandages and the alginate to stick together when remving it from the face. Begin adding bandages. Soak plaster bandages in water for around 5 seconds. Then squeeze out majority of the water. Apply bandages longest pieces being for the sides of the face medium pieces for the forehead etc. Use small pieces of plaster bandage over the nose. Take a tiny piece of bandage and apply between nostrils. Be sure to press the bandages to the shape of the alginate. In completion there should be 4 layers of bandages. Now you must wait for the bandages to dry.

After the bandages are dried you can now begin removal. Have your subject wiggle his facial muscles to loosen the alginate from there skin. Beginining at the top carefull loosen the alginate. It should pop off easily. If it doesn't just carefully work with it and have your subject wiggle his face around more and it will come off.

You need to begin the postive soon. As the negitive sets the alginate starts to dry out and will begin to shrink. You may wish to lay wet paper towels in the negative to prevent shrinkage.

Making The Positive
Lay the negative in the craddle. Mix a small amount of plaster. Tap the container that mixed plater is in or bounce it to release air bubbles. If there are wet paper towels in the negative remove them and use a dry paper towel to remove any water.

Using a soft brush paint a coat of plaster onto the inside of the negative. Get as close to the negative as possible and blow on the plaster. This will help prevent air bubbles Let first coat start to dry. Before it is completely dry add another coat. Blow o plaste to release air bubbles. Do several coats this way.

Mix large amount of plaster. Take wooden handle and wrap plaster soaked pieces of brulap around each end. Place in the mold. Pour plaster around it and under it. Allow a space under the handle big enough that your fingers can wrap around it. Smooth out plaster and and let dry. Monitor the plaster as it dries. The plaster will become hot then cool down. after the plaster starts to cool and before it is cold. Seperate the positive and the negative. Use a surgical knife to remove any lumps or excess plaster.

Full Head Life Casting

You will need:

super glue
celastic
acetone
extra water, alginate and bandages

Apply bald cap and then apply petroleum jelly to bald cap and hair as in the life casting instructions. Put cotton in the subjects ears. Use modling wax behind ears to help reduce undercuts. Apply petroleum jelly to ears inside and out. Apply alginate to entire head. Make alginate particuarly thick over the ears and taper it off on the sides.

When alginate is set. Apply plaster bandages to the front of the head. Make a straight line over the head and curve around the ears. The bandages at the center line must be at least 1/2 inch think and very smooth like a wall. Put petroleum jelly on the plaster bandages edge. Apply plaster bandages to back of head meeting the front bandages everwhere except the ears. Curve around the ears again. No bandages should be over the ear area.

Before seperating bandages make a mark on each side of the head. This will be used later to help line it back up properly. When bandages are dry carefully remove the back half. Using scissors very carefully split the alginate up the back. Now you can gently remove the entire life cast. The ears will be a bit tough to get loose. But with a little work will come loose. Do not remove the front bandages.

Mix a small amount of alginate and fill nostril holes. carefull not to deform the nose with to much algiante. Glue the alginate you cut back together with super glue. Place back plaster bandage shell on making sure the lines you made earlier line up. Soak celatic in acetone. Cover ear area with celastic. Take a strip of celastic and cover seams. Then wrap celastic around the forehead and chin area. Mix plaster and pour into negative. Slosh it around to coat entire inside. Pour more plaster in. When dry cut celatic straps seperate the halves and remove the alginate.