Perhaps you’re a water clay lover and want to use WED (for Walter Elias Disney) clay or other water-based clay for your sculpting. Just beware of the pros and cons before starting so that you don’t wind up screaming bloody murder when your clay dries out and cracks into chunks or is so wet it […]

If you are intending to cast silicone appliances for your makeup.. . well, anything that has come into contact with the sulfur-infused clay will pre­vent silicone from curing. I’ve heard rumors that it’s not even a good idea to say the word sulfur around uncured silicone! I hope I haven’t upset the sul­fur clay aficionados […]

I’ve already mentioned that I think it’s a good idea to get into the habit of never using clay with sulfur in it, whether you’re using silicone for your appliances ornot, for the simple fact that sulfur will inhibit the cure of just about every type of silicone.

There is no set number or type of tools to use for sculpting your makeup. That, I imagine, is pretty obvious. What might not be obvious are the tools themselves. They could be expensive store-bought tools; they might be home­made jobs or even found objects. I’m sure Jordu Schell and Mark Alfrey have sculpted entire […]

Putting that first piece of clay onto a lifecast to create something new is a great feeling. But first, there is a bit of cast preparation to do. I will presume that your lifecast positive has been cleaned up—minor imperfections repaired and edges smoothed and rid of any roughness. Often it is necessary to brush […]

Like a great many kids, Mark was fascinated with the stop – motion animation of King Kong (1976), but he switched gears with the arrival of the 1980s genre of horror films. “I was a big George Romero fan and I thought Tom Savini’s work was great! I always loved magic and that was the […]

You might not need all the materials listed here, but they are all commonly used in the procedures discussed in this chapter: Chavant® Le Beau Touche oil clay Rotating sculpture stand Ultracal positive Misc. sculpting tools: wood and metal Freeman sheet wax Misc. small brushes Cat or dog hair brush Lighter fluid, mineral spirits, Naphtha, […]

This has been a lengthy chapter with lots of information to retain. Fortunately there is considerable repetition and redundancy within the chapter. So you should now be familiar with: ■ How to safely make good dental impressions ■ Lifecasting using alginate vs. lifecasting with skin-safe platinum-cure silicone ■ The safety risks involved with lifecasting ■ […]

Creating a front and back standing body form is not as difficult as it sounds. It can be achieved with the subject clothed or unclothed, with little difference in the end result. Much will depend on your model’s level of modesty and what is required for the final product. Any clothing the model wears must […]