Life Casting

When the term 'life casting' is used, some may believe this only applies to casting straight from the human figure, however taking a mould from anything that is or was alive also applies. A cast of a flower, fruit or fish could also be categorised as a 'life cast'.

The subject will determine the type of mould that will need to be employed. In some instances a rubber mould may be impractical, whereas an investment mould may be more suitable. We are happy to advise you, if required.

In our workshop we can do all types of life casting, from the torso, head, hands & feet, animals & fauna. We are working with the Aspinal Foundation, documenting the various feet or hands of their animals for example. Please see our partnership programme, for more information.

Casting The Human Figure
The materials used for this job need to set quickly & be safe when applied to the skin.

Plaster
We use an array of casting plasters & plaster bandage. These traditional materials have been used for hundreds of years to create full or part figure casts.

Alginate
A derivative of sea weed, Alginate comes in the form of a powder. When mixed with water, it sets into a jelly which is ideal for taking perfect impressions of hands & feet. That fact that one can create seamless moulds & its ability to capture fine detail makes for a perfect cast.

Body Double
Most rubbers would take too long to set & are harmful to the model. However 'body double' is a safe & great way to cast a head, or in fact the entire torso if you wanted the finest of details to be captured. It sets very quickly which makes it an ideal material to use on the skin and the mould can be used many times for many different materials.

Once the mould has been made, we can cast in many mediums from plasters, plastics & bronze.

If you would like us to provide you with a quote for some work, please fill in this form & email it to us.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you would like to have a look at the profile of our teaching & technical staff here as well as Meltdowns’, we are putting together a profile archive for you. If you would like to attend one of our courses relevant to this process, please do have a look at our current programme. Finally, have a read, if you are interested in using the workshop yourself.