How To Cast a Face in Plaster

Making castings of things is a lot of fun, and casting a face is fun PLUS all the weirdness of having something looking like you lying around, hard, cold, and unmoving. Creepy! On a recent Build Day we cast Bilal's and Josh's faces, and this Instructable explains how.

There are 3 general body molding techniques: pat-on, dip-into, and pour-around. They're pretty self-explanatory. For a face you need to use the pat-on method, which is more annoying but allows you to make the all-important nostril holes.

Step 1 Prepare your work area

You're going to make a mess. Know this and prepare in advance. Lay down a drop cloth if you have one, or ensure that all nearby porous surfaces are covered with plastic or newspaper. Gather all your materials together as it will be difficult to get, say, another bucket when your hands are covered in alginate.

You will need:

• alginate, the stuff dentists use to cast your teeth. There are a couple different brands, we used Dermagel brand from Douglas & Sturgess.
• three measuring cups of at least one quart capacity: one for the alginate, one for the plaster powder, and one for the water (don't get any of these materials mixed together at all until you are ready to use them)
• a bucket to mix the alginate in
• some plaster-impregnated cheesecloth, again from Douglas & Sturgess
• a couple of bowls for water, one for each helper
• two measuring cup
• a big bucket to mix the plaster in
• something to mix the powdered plaster with; a power drill mixer attachment is ideal but a metal whisk will do
• paper towels
• something to rest the mold in while you pour; a cardboard box with a towel or some packing material in it works well
• a brave volunteer! wearing an old t-shirt that can get tossed out afterwards (the castee will get very gloopy but the casters won't usually ruin their clothing)

Before getting started, cut some of the plaster-impregnated cheesecloth into strips, about an inch or two wide and three or four inches long. You need about 2-3 times as many as are in the picture. Also cut some much smaller pieces, an inch or two by a quarter inch, to use in the nostril area.

Comments

[thomasready]

You got to be kidding us you really want people to burn, I once tried this to make a mode of my Woodie damn that hurt. Woodie never been the sane!!! just saying.

[antboy]

Hey, how about a light dusting of baby-powder/chalk/powdered-sugar during step 2? Why just the eyebrows anyway? GREASE IT UP I SAY! Your whole face. There would be no "dark 'spots'" ; it would be evenly-contaminated by the vaseline or whatever...
Also, how can we make a food-safe mold for buntcakes and jellO so we can eat our own faces? There are silicone pans at the pampered chef...

[stringstretcher]

You can, in fact purchase silicone mould making materials that are approved for use in the food industry. That would allow you to eat your face. Check at www.smooth-on.com for their selection of materials.

[Lorddrake]

how much alginate was required to make the casts? Trying to figure out what size container i would need for the casts that I want to do.

[Bitsi]

I had one of these done for me somewhat differently at an arts fair (oh, about 30+ years ago). Here are some distinctions that that craftsman made -- 1) positioned me prone on my back on a table. 2) did the vaseline bit on my hairline and face. 3)inserted straws in my nostrils so that I was assured that I would not suffocate 4) poured simple plaster of paris over my entire face (causing a moment of panic when it covered my mouth and nose) and removed it when it got warm 5) used a cardboard frame around my face to keep the plaster out of my hair and ears. The resulting plaster mold lasted a good 20 years and was used often to make halloween masks and wall sculptures. :-)

[dcarroll3]

With respect - if anybody is reading, please do not follow this advice.

Plaster has a rapid chemical reaction when it sets, heating up - Chemical burns to your face are not fun. It's what Alginate was designed for.

See the BBC link above for good reasons why you shouldn't use plaster for this job.

[MoRoToRiUm]

Back when I did a series of clay faces as a concentration piece, I skipped a bunch of steps. Lets just say it involves straws up my nose, Vaseline, and plaster straight onto the face. Worked just as good, but faster (for those even more daring :-).

[Markp.com]

Putting plaster direct on your face is one of the most stupid things you can do!

As mentioned in the article, it heats up drastically! See this BBC article about a poor girl who lost most of fingers when using plaster direct on to skin!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6485481.stm

[inkstainedheart]

You're much braver than I am! I'll only let alginate touch my face.

[timdomul]

there are something you can do better, like drop the plaster over the water instead of the water over the plaster, and mix it up with your hands like you mixed the alginate and you will have less bubbles, and if you put some food wrapper plastic around the forehead will protect the person's hair from the plaster and alginate.

Great job!!

[PCPkillz]

Thank you so much for posting this. I've been wondering how to do this for the last 2 years, as I wanted to do a "family portrait" for my mother, who has been blind since long before I was born. She will absolutely love this.

[how_may_i_help_you]

wow that is smart

[mwwdesign]

Brilliant idea

[vicsouders]

Not bad, one suggestion though. During step number nine embed some thick gauge wire into the plaster to form a handle to assist with de-molding. I generally use coat-hanger, about 16 inches long and folded in half, bent to form a loop with large nut twisted onto each end (as an extra precaution to prevent the wire from pulling out of the plaster). By doing this the plaster positive usually comes out of the alginate negative cleaner and I’m often able to pour two plaster positives from the same negative. Enjoy!

[rachel]

That's a great idea, I'll use it next casting I do.

[the_keiser]

best and most detailed how to of life casting I've seen, that you don't have to pay for ;) great work. I'm a caster too and this post is great. love it. keep it up.

[Kiteman]

It looks like Josh found the whole thing more relaxing that Bilal.

[T3h_Muffinator]

Hehehe - I don't know about that. You should have been there ;)

My hair was tied up in ways I didn't know it could be tied up. The hair ohhhh, the hair.

[lamedust]

I had been trying to do the one eyebrow up face... Failed though ; P

[The Mad Pancake]

could this be used to make masks like from mission impossible 3?

[Sunkicked]

Theoretically you should be able to use the plastered bust as a sort of cast for a latex mask. That could be interesting for Halloween parties. You and your date swap faces for a day. :-)

[cowscankill]

Nice work again, Rachal! I know this is the wrong place, but I also finished my full set of cardboard armor :D

[lamedust]

Dude, pic 13 in step five should be how I always look. I should get a mask like that, so hott. Also... AN EMBED FEATURE?!? Oooh! -bg

[jessyratfink]

Yay! Now my boyfriend can understand what you guys were doing that day. I had been trying to explain the whole process to him. Good job, lady! :D I'm happy I have all the pictures and videos from this day - the ones of Josh in pigtails are just too good.

[gmjhowe]

haha! great work! and also some great tips for casting in general!