Tips for successfully creating a face cast/mould with a longish beard?
in General
G'day all!
I'm just getting into this stuff as a hobby and wanted to begin by making some silicon masks via sculpting onto my own head cast. The only issue is I have a beard...I've seen this tutorial using a product called, "Alja-Safe" and "duoMatrix NEO" and covering facial hair with "Cholesterol Hair Conditioner" (never heard of that before)...
My two questions are:
1.) Has anyone had any success casting faces with beards? Any advice other than shave it off?
2.) Do you folks rate those products? Are there better products out there now? (the vid seems pretty ancient)
Thank you for your time!
I'm just getting into this stuff as a hobby and wanted to begin by making some silicon masks via sculpting onto my own head cast. The only issue is I have a beard...I've seen this tutorial using a product called, "Alja-Safe" and "duoMatrix NEO" and covering facial hair with "Cholesterol Hair Conditioner" (never heard of that before)...
My two questions are:
1.) Has anyone had any success casting faces with beards? Any advice other than shave it off?
2.) Do you folks rate those products? Are there better products out there now? (the vid seems pretty ancient)
Thank you for your time!
0
Comments
While that video is quite old (and wow, that music!) Alja-Safe is a great material for low-cost lifecasting. There are more expensive alternatives like platinum silicone lifecasting silicones, which have the benefit of letting you make more castings from the mold, but if you are on a budget and only need a single casting alginate is a solid option.
Lifecasting subjects with beards can be a challenge, but it's not that difficult if you properly slick down the beard with a conditioner or other medium. The real challenge is in prepping the final casting if you need to carve away the beard.
The products mentioned in that video are all good options!
We also have a course in lifecasting that shows working with alginate as well as silicone. It's a bit more in-depth and has some great tips. https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/tutorials/how-to-life-cast-character-creation-tutorial
/Chris