Classical Bust - Mold Making and Cold Casting

[@andrewley-greaves6418]

That is adding value to humble materials.

[@jfollender]

Thanks for this video - great content. I’m wondering if I should fire my clay sculpture first - does that complicate the mold making process?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

No need to fire. Also, after firing, your sculpture will shrunk in size. I believe this is not what you want.

[@Simplyarlenealvarez]

Great work. Wow. Did you only use 1 kit of the Rebound 25 silicone? Was it enough?

[@grahamlang9344]

Does this exact process work with oil based modeling clay? Wondering if the silicone would react different with modeling clay.

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Make sure that your clay does not contain sulphur, which inhibits silicone hardening. Otherwise, oil based clay is good for the job

[@jarticul]

Thank you so much for this. I have a question 🙏🏾 Can this same hollow casting technique be used for a full figure? If yes; how can that be possible if there is hardly an open buttom to see how they are spread. Lastly, How do we evenly distribute the casting materials for a full figure?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Yes and yes

[@remeisarat]

When you finish with the silicone mold, should you let it cure before doing the hard plaster mold? And if you don’t have modeling clay to separate the two hard mold halves, is there another material you can use? Thank you!

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Yes, the silicone mold has to ready for the hard mold. You can apply plaster bandages on top of liquid silicone. Check out this video to see the answer to your second question - lifedrawing.academy/life-drawing-academy-news/how-to-sculpt-portrait

[@jesslyncici6128]

is the head life size? if i were to make an armature for a sculpture this size, how tall would you recommend the middle stand to be

[@MohsenEsmaeili-sf7ze]

do you guys teach how to make base of the sculpture?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

In this course, we teach how to make sculptures from beginning to the end - lifedrawing.academy/correspondence-course

[@khynnanrodrigues6726]

So good job. 👏👏👏👏

[@DreamwalkerTenesha]

I wonder if the plaster is heavier. It would be cool to color the plaster

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Yes, it is heavier because the casted wall is thicker. And yes, you can tone the plaster model

[@ryh69PL]

Did You use 1 kit Rebound 25?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Yes, one kit is more than enough for this size head sculpture. Here's another video you may like - lifedrawing.academy/life-drawing-academy-news/how-to-sculpt-portrait

[@RebeccaH-ym1iq]

How dry is the clay sculpture before doing the mold making? Thank you!

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Silicone will stick to a firm surface, but there is no need to wait till the sculpture is bone-dry.

[@MiamiBiostatistics]

Master class. Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Glad you liked it!

[@JohnK-ih5kj]

Do you fire the sculpture in the kiln before or after you make the mold or not at all?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Thanks for asking. This is WED clay, which cannot be fired. If you use another clay, there is no need to fire, unless you want to. Keep in mind that after firing, the sculpture will shrink in size, which you do not want for a mold.

[@devanzummallen5677]

If I may ask, do you recall what silicone pigment you used for changing the color of your mold?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Just search for "silicone paint". Any color would do for coloring a mold

[@chantommy2735]

is the touch feel cold (like metal) or warm (like plastic), using this method ?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Cold casting means that all materials are casted cold without melting

[@LonxKong]

It'll feel warm like plastic. As the very thin layer of metal powder won't conduct heat as effectivly as real cast metal.

[@RebeccaH-ym1iq]

How dry is the clay sculpture before doing the mold making?

[@jfollender]

How many copies / sculptures can you make with this silicone mold before it loses integrity? Thx

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Thanks for asking. It depends on silicone, mould shape, plaster and release agent. You can make hundreds if not thousands of cold cast copies before good quality mould would break, providing that you do not stretch it extensively during remoulding and do not use abrasive materials such as concrete, for example.

[@alexandermcleod2712]

could i fill in the plaster sculpute with plaster of paris to make it solid?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Of course, you can. It will make the bust heavier though

[@barndoorbangers4364]

What's the difference between resin plaster and gypsum plaster?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Think of resin as some durable plastic and gypsum as some kind of chalk

[@barndoorbangers4364]

@@DrawingArtAcademy I guess what my question should be is, why use two completely different materials? What's the purpose/reason for the combination? Thanks!

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

High quality material forms the outer surface of the sculpture, but because this layer is thin, cheap plaster is used to build up the thickness inside. This simply save the cost.

[@barndoorbangers4364]

@@DrawingArtAcademy I see thanks!

[@kristinagrotz8931]

wow ❤ great work

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Thanks a lot 😊

[@DreamwalkerTenesha]

I would love to see how you sculpted the base of the sculpture. I always struggle with that part. It seems you just used clay for the entire thing.

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

This sculpture was done entirely with cheap WED clay. However, this one is different - kzbin.info/www/bejne/qoWweGd9lturrsk - because wax clay is expensive the base was done in plaster.

[@moonchildceramic]

Can I use this mold technique with slip? For ceramics?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Yes, absolutely

[@fluffy_chickadee]

No you definitely can't. Silicone won't suck the moisture out of the slip. Plaster casts are used for ceramic slip

[@grahamlang9344]

Do you have to wait the full 6 hours I’m between coats of silicone?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

You can apply the next coat of silicone as soon as the previous is touch-dry. If you wait for too long, two layers won't properly stick to each other. You are welcome!

[@ryannadler2617]

Do you recall approximately how much silicone and resin was used for this?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

No, I do not remember. But how it would help you unless you make an exact replica of this bust? Every model would require a bit different amount of silicone and resin. Just use a common sense and a bit of calculation.

[@ryannadler2617]

@@DrawingArtAcademy I'm thinking about making a similarly sized piece soon and wanted an approximate real world example so I could start budgeting for materials cost

[@h7opolo]

weigh your sculpture, and convert the clay material's density to volume by dividing the sculpture weight by its density. This will be the volume for the amount of casting material, resin in the case of this video. For the silicone mold calculation, approximate the surface area of the sculpture to a regular geometric shape with proportions, i.e. height, width, and depth, matching the maximum values of the sculpture. In the case of the video, perhaps a cylinder's surface area would be a wise choice, in which case the volume of silicone would be greater than 2*Pi*radius*height*desired silicone thickness.

[@lizaalbalady8536]

thank you so much🇸🇦

[@shaz3351]

Could i fill this mold with hot candle wax?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Yes, you can if you want to turn a sculpture into a candle

[@normanzurich2781]

You are an Artist 😍😝👅👅👅💋💋💋

[@Robotmaster-mt3sp]

Are the rings required?

[@JoseFlores-dr8io]

I think they are for proper placement of rubber mold back to the plaster shell to prep for casting. Not sure

[@WeAreAllAnimals-j8k]

You are amazing

[@joshuayoung9824]

Do you guys also teach how to carve a sculpture out of marble?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Although I worked with marble, this is not something that we teach

[@tracybranham8648]

How much would it cost for someone to do a head cast of myself? To hold my ashes when I pass on?

[@IonaOgilvy-Stuart-nn4cs]

Did anyone ever reply to you about this?

[@pabloG3d]

how much do those hollow casts weigh?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Very little because the walls are just 3...4 mm thick

[@regiumcroatiumrexbh6003]

How much?

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

It is not for sale. You can make one yourself

[@regiumcroatiumrexbh6003]

@@DrawingArtAcademy i don't have the molde, sooo help

[@chichange9164]

Can I get in touch with you. My husband is an artist

[@DrawingArtAcademy]

Sure, you can get in touch with us at any time here lifedrawing.academy/contact-us

[@Answersthequestion]

Why can't you carv it out of granite or marble or stone like thay did in the past like the carved statue called the fisherman's net. Now that would be more like something you think we could do easily as thay did back then. And thay carved these status out of marble and stone and granite in the millions. Probably more like billions. We are not the most intelligent species in this place. 😢