What is Life Casting?

Life casting is when you make a mold of a body part . It’s like making a copy of a hand, foot, or even a face! We call this the negative mold. We can put plaster into this mold and make something that looks real.

Why Do People Make Life Casts?

There are many reasons to do life casting.

• Art: People make art with life casting. They make statues that look like people.
• Memories: Some people want to keep a memory. Like a baby’s small hand, or a mother’s big belly when she is going to have a baby. We call these keepsake castings.
• Movies: Life casting is used in movies. To make pretend body parts that also look real!
• Therapy: Some people use it to help make them feel better about themselves.

What Do You Need for Life Casting?

You need some things to make a life cast.

• Alginate: This is like jelly. It is safe for your skin . It gets hard fast.
• Silicone Rubber: This is strong and bendy.
• Plaster/gypsum. This is like chalk. It can makes a strong cast .
• Release Agents: This will keep the alginate from sticking to skin.

Some good brands are:

• Smooth-On
• EnvironMolds
• Alja-Safe
• Topsil Silicone

How to Make a Life Cast in 5 Steps

Here is how you do it and not hurt the skin on your body.

1. Put something on your skin, Vaseline, so the mold does not stick.
2. Mix the alginate or silicone.
3. Put it on your hand, foot, or other body part.
4. Wait for it to get hard. Be very still at this time.
5. Take the mold off. Now you have a negative mold!

Be Careful: Do not put it up a nose. If you do, it might cause a problem. Use Vaseline if you have lots of hair.

Stay Safe!

Life casting can be safe, but be careful.

• Some things can make your skin red.
• Be fast. If you use alginate, be fast, It sets fast³.
• Do not cover your nose or mouth, because you need to breathe.

Do it Yourself or Get Help?

You can do it yourself. Or you can get help.

• DIY kits: These cost about 50to50 to 50to200 .
• Get Professional Services This can be $300 or more .

If you want a big cast, get help.

Questions and Answers

Here are some questions people ask.

• How long does it last?: Plaster can last for many years. Silicone lasts for a few years.
• Can I do a face?: Yes, but do not cover your nose.
• Is it safe for my baby?: Yes. If you pick the right stuff.
• Can I use it again?: No, alginate is only used one time.
• What is the cheapest?: Plaster is the cheapest

Cool Things to Make

You can make cool things with life casting!

• A cast of a mom’s belly when she is going to have a baby.
• Hands of two people holding each other.
• A paw of your dog or cat.
• Beautiful statues.

Some people who make cool things:

• Colin Christian
• Body Casting Workshops

Where to Buy Things

Here is where you can buy life casting stuff.

• Smooth-On
• Topsil Silicone
• Blick Art Stores
• Michaels

Movie Magic

Movies use life casting a lot! Weta Workshop makes scary, and exciting real looking body parts for movies.

• Lord of the Rings used it.
• Star Wars used it.

Movie people use silicone. It looks like real skin ⁵.

Art is Great

Madame Tussauds and BodyWorlds use life casting. They make statues that look real. They make statues of famous people.

Life casting helps them save time. It is faster than making it by hand ⁶.

For Babies

Many mothers use BabyClones to make a cast of a baby’s hands, and feet⁷. It is a nice memory.

How Many People Use life casting?

Conclusion

Life casting is cool. You can use it for many things. You can make art. You can make memories. Always be safe!