Thanks for this detailed video. I learned this process in college, but we used Vaseline instead of clay slip and also applied thin layer of Vaseline to the inside of mold and it released much easier than this. Even if there are other ways of plaster casting, it's still a valid way... Cheap too!
Obviously Silicone, Polyurethanes and resins can be used for different reasons, but this is a traditional method and a good skill to master. One thing I would suggest for those who wish to try it, is to use a beta or softer plaster for the waste mould and an alpha (harder) plaster for the cast. Some alpha plasters can have a different tint to them and help differentiate between mould and cast. Also be careful adding each layer to the mould. If the second or third coat is too thick it can heat up and cause the thinner layer beneath it to crack.
My old art teacher used concrete for the cast. It already has a different colour and it's more durable than the plaster so you don't have to worry as much about breking the sculpture. Concrete usually has a rougher texture though.
Really good video. I teach sculpture and we use a similar process. Comments are correct about other molds like silicon or latex being better and reusable but that process is exponentially longer because of drying time and the number of coats for a successful mold. In a classroom situation, or if you don't need copies this is the most efficient way to go. The one detail I might add is to add a little color or dye to the mold to help differentiate from the plaster used for casting. Thanks!
I sculpt very well with paper mache i also paint ,but I want to be your student in this field. What does it take for you to mentor me despite the distance
1. make sure the clay is not to dry so you can take the plaster off the positive, 2 Make sure the clay is a bit humid on the surface,not to much , so the plaster doesnt create bubbles on the surface, 3, Put pigment on the first laier of plaster so you know later when you are opening the cast you are close to the positive. 4 Sprinkle the first two laiers of plaster with your fingers and hand without touching the surface of the clay, using the brush can ruin the many details of the modelation. When mixing the plaster keep your hand in the bucket taking your hand out and in might add more oxigen to the mix creating bubbles. Before casting the positive sprinkle with a bit of water the negative so it releases the surface tension and it doesnt create bubbles.
Oof that's rough. I had a great teahcer forunately. I ended up sculpting with almost no tools because he taught us how to use our hands. He also through a students palette on his painting completely deleting the landscape which forced the student to turn his work into an abstract piece. Great guy. Allowed us to smoke in the classroom.
Greate video! I'm a non-practicing former sculpture student. But now I had to take dirty-mold of my teenage daughter's sculpture project. I liked your mold opening practice with butter-knives! During the process I also came up with using a wooden clothespin to open it. When you open the wooden clothespin then you have a nice diagonal tapping to separate the mold.
But if you made your mold thicker and used giant elastic mold bands instead of plaster as glue, you could remove your molds without destroying them and make multiples of your sculpture... 😥
That was a very detailed and well explained video. I have a question though, would it be possible to make a mold of a fired piece? I was wondering if that could be a way to not have to destroy the original sculpture. Of course, after drying and firing the size would be smaller, but if you don't mind or you were to do the original piece slightly larger to make up for the volume loss... could that be an option? Thank you!
Would this type of mold hold up for making copies of silicone masks? Trying to determine if I should use epoxy resin with fiberglass powder or find a less toxic alternative like this
In school we did the same thing, but poured cement into the plaster waste mold, and the mold was one part, not two. A little easier when students' classtime is short
This is an old traditional sculpture technique. You lose the original clay you modelled very carefully. It is a learning process. Keep learning, finally you will have a lot of skill and confidence.
Really interesting, and reminiscent of stuff done at college, but can't see why you need this to be a waste mold. Apologies for being dim, but why not just stick at the clay sculpture?
We use this method, however we add untangled rope strings in the mold making for strength, we never brake the mold when releasing it as so we can reuse it many times. Also found out that any liquid apple soap worked best for the quick hardening plaster we used.
With a little patience you can also directly model like this style with plaster alone. Build up base shape with armature and hemp, if using iron based support, it MUST be totally sealed from moisture!! The final layers of plaster will stick onto plaster base, and can be worked with spatula when thick enough, then scraped back easily as it is still soft. End result is very much like the effect or style of sculpture shown here, using the textures of medium as part of design.
Hi! Thanks for the video, I see also in the comments a lot of helpful ideas! If someone could help me, I need a bit of advice. I am a painter but recently started to work in clay, I love it and have some projects in mind. Did some bas-relief. My question is: If the clay is dry and I do not have an oven can I make a plaster negative of the work? Or do I need to have the clay wet? What should I use to separate the two of them ...oil soap? Is oil soap just soap made from animal fat? Thank you!
should also mention that I checked some other alternatives but I think plaster ( gypsum) it's the most affordable and I would prefer to try this at first
Great video! Wanted to know..does the final plaster stay solid over time. Does it fall apart and if so, how do you prevent that so that it can withstand time?
Thanks, Michael ! this is such a concise and informative tutorial. Traditional materials and some practice provide for very satistfying results. I have discovered your work and like the contemporary rendering of your themes. Greetings from Zurich
You could also have made a piece mold, made of 3 or 4 sections where there are undercuts. Same process as you show , but much easier to remove rather than chipping it away.
And reusable! I really don’t understand the point of going to all this trouble to create a mold, that is destroyed after the first use, and that destroys the positive,. Especially when you could just do a few more pieces and then be able to preserve the positive and reuse. Also by using clay or plasticine instead of the inserts at the beginning, you wouldn’t have to sand off the seam- you’d avoid a seam. I just watched a beautiful video by the V&A about casting a complicated sculpture with multiple little pieces, it was so clever and satisfying, and probably not all that much more work than this.
Is that a special plaster or just a normal construction plaster ? ...how you make it so liquid ? When I mix plaster with water I get chunks of plaster that are not well hydrated and ruins my composition + it gets very fast thick, I see you managed to make 2 buckets of that and have the perfect consistency ...what is the secret ???
Best to use a scale and weigh out the water as a percentage of the weight of your plaster. For No. 1 Pottery, 69 to 70 % water to dry weight of plaster. Gently sprinkle the plaster to the water (a sieve works great for this), then let the whole thing sit, undisturbed, for two to three minutes . Then stir with your hands.
is it necessary to destroy the mold in the end? if you cast the mold with other material and then gently pull out the sculpture can't you reuse the mold multiple times?
I was thinking of casting with casting clay instead of plaster and then reworking the clay cast before firing, in order to get much more detail and a much smoother finish. Do you have any experience with that, especially portraits?
A very useful invention It is possible to invent an article placed on a quick dry cloth screen To be placed on the face and dries quickly with the same facial wrinkles In order to work on it the face handles and professionally make a perch statue I hope it will be a useful idea
Does anyone know of a good video on how to find the parting lines and undercuts so you know WHERE TO PUT THE SHIMS? I'm sculpting a life size dog standing four square and have never cast before. THANKS!
Is there a barrier applied to the clay prior to painting with plaster? My clay (WED clay) is extremely hard to remove from the plaster mold. Yours almost fell out.
If no one else replied, I use wed, and before molding in plaster I spray the clay and the mold wall with a spray can of krylon crystal clear, a couple coats usually dries within minutes and you'll feel it's kind of smooth, it takes a bit longer to take the plaster cause it'll want to bead up initially but just keep painting and dabbing it on with a brush and when it's cured it'll come out MUCH easier without losing detail.
Thanks Luke. I will try your technique on my next project. I kind of got discouraged after struggling to get the clay out (my first try at this kind of stuff).
I sculpt very well with paper mache i also paint ,but I want to be your student in this field. What does it take for you to mentor me despite the distance.
Does anyone know if it’s possible to mirror one half of a sculp or what ever is intended for casting and mirror that half to make a symmetrical piece ? Any help on that much appreciated
I want to make a statue that is about 12" tall. What is the best kind of plaster to use to make the statue very hard so if knocked over it will not break? Is there such a thing as resin plaster? If so would that be the best? Thank you.
In order of hardness: Ultracal (hardest)>Hydrocal>No.1Pottery> Plaster of Paris. Yes, there is a "resin" plaster that you can make: Duo Matrix G or Forton. Mix the dry hardner powder in with your plaster (important to mix the dry ingredients thoroughly before adding to the liquid) and then gently sieve it into the liquid resin and water solution. Or for stronger pieces, use liquid resin and no water. I use No. 1 Pottery (with hardner at 1/5 of resin weight) sprinkled into a solution that is 70% resin and 30% water. I weigh the dry mixture for at 71 to 72 % consistency. It produces nice results. For the strongest results, mix hydrocal + hardner, then add directly to liquid resin (no added water) and target a 46 % consistency or so.
There was a product called cement fondue, used by our art teachers for this purpose. It has different setting qualities and can be cast easier than standard cements.
I know this is an odd question for such an experienced artist like yourself. Why not just fire the clay sculpture and not make a mold at all? Can you not use metal Armature and firing clay without using a mole?
+Matthew Santoro Pranks it wasn't what I wanted to see. I wanted to see how the mold can be safe...not wasted. I know you can cast the plaster sculpt again but it makes no sense. you already had it once
You could try lost-wax casting. That process has you make two casts, one you can keep and another that gets wasted. Being more complex, there's more opportunity for mistakes and lost detail than other methods, but it allows you to save the first mold and make as many copies as you like.
This method was traditionally used for making an intermediate step for carving into stone or wood. Imagine carving stone while measuring from a clay model: one shard flies off and there goes your model. So they cast it into plaster via this method, and then measured their carving off of that. That's the origin of the plaster cast storage rooms carvers and schools used to have. They would measure a certain point off of a plaster cast, say for instance the nose, and mark it on both the stone and the cast, to keep track of the workings. This is called the indirect carving method. Look up 'pointing machine' on Wikipedia.
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Thanks for this detailed video. I learned this process in college, but we used Vaseline instead of clay slip and also applied thin layer of Vaseline to the inside of mold and it released much easier than this. Even if there are other ways of plaster casting, it's still a valid way... Cheap too!
Vaseline will leave a smooth almost shinny coat to the project. However i agree and only use vaseline when covering mold.
can i get a project writing from you please
Obviously Silicone, Polyurethanes and resins can be used for different reasons, but this is a traditional method and a good skill to master. One thing I would suggest for those who wish to try it, is to use a beta or softer plaster for the waste mould and an alpha (harder) plaster for the cast. Some alpha plasters can have a different tint to them and help differentiate between mould and cast. Also be careful adding each layer to the mould. If the second or third coat is too thick it can heat up and cause the thinner layer beneath it to crack.
is it possible to paint the plaster so i can differentiate better?
@@Narko_Marko just add a colour powder to your mix
My old art teacher used concrete for the cast. It already has a different colour and it's more durable than the plaster so you don't have to worry as much about breking the sculpture. Concrete usually has a rougher texture though.
Really good video. I teach sculpture and we use a similar process. Comments are correct about other molds like silicon or latex being better and reusable but that process is exponentially longer because of drying time and the number of coats for a successful mold. In a classroom situation, or if you don't need copies this is the most efficient way to go. The one detail I might add is to add a little color or dye to the mold to help differentiate from the plaster used for casting. Thanks!
Adam Teraoka would using silicone in a cast like this instead of pouring plaster into it work? I'm trying to make a wearable mask out of it
I sculpt very well with paper mache i also paint ,but I want to be your student in this field. What does it take for you to mentor me despite the distance
If you make a video I would like to see it.
1. make sure the clay is not to dry so you can take the plaster off the positive, 2 Make sure the clay is a bit humid on the surface,not to much , so the plaster doesnt create bubbles on the surface, 3, Put pigment on the first laier of plaster so you know later when you are opening the cast you are close to the positive. 4 Sprinkle the first two laiers of plaster with your fingers and hand without touching the surface of the clay, using the brush can ruin the many details of the modelation. When mixing the plaster keep your hand in the bucket taking your hand out and in might add more oxigen to the mix creating bubbles. Before casting the positive sprinkle with a bit of water the negative so it releases the surface tension and it doesnt create bubbles.
From a professional mold maker point of view, this is a very interesting way of doing things
A lot of people seem to be upset about the fact that the mold goes to waste but I like that in creating the piece it is unique
@CM maybe they mold the face directly
I think it would've been better to make the mold from brush on latex and the build a fiberglass mothermould. It means you can use it hundreds of times
Thank you so much for this video as an university art student none of the staff teach technical skills anymore !!
Oof that's rough. I had a great teahcer forunately. I ended up sculpting with almost no tools because he taught us how to use our hands. He also through a students palette on his painting completely deleting the landscape which forced the student to turn his work into an abstract piece. Great guy. Allowed us to smoke in the classroom.
Greate video! I'm a non-practicing former sculpture student. But now I had to take dirty-mold of my teenage daughter's sculpture project. I liked your mold opening practice with butter-knives! During the process I also came up with using a wooden clothespin to open it. When you open the wooden clothespin then you have a nice diagonal tapping to separate the mold.
I learned it in art class in junior school years ago. We painted the inside of the mold, and the result was way less of a mess.
But if you made your mold thicker and used giant elastic mold bands instead of plaster as glue, you could remove your molds without destroying them and make multiples of your sculpture... 😥
Fantastic quick tutorial, I learned this at art school years ago, but I forgot some details this was very useful, thank you.
What if I wanted to duplicate the statue? How do I make a mold that doesnt get destroyed after one use?
Silicone inner then a plaster mother mold
I would add some powdered pigment to the outside plaster so you can see what should and shouldnt be there
or some food dye! whatever changes the color!
Yes good idea, I think it should of been filled with something that dont make plaster stick to plaster so it comes out like a comdom easy and fast
We use blueing you can by it in a grocery
would it be a good idea to add some food colouring to liquid plaster when filling the cast
then when taking the mold of you could see better
That was a very detailed and well explained video. I have a question though, would it be possible to make a mold of a fired piece? I was wondering if that could be a way to not have to destroy the original sculpture. Of course, after drying and firing the size would be smaller, but if you don't mind or you were to do the original piece slightly larger to make up for the volume loss... could that be an option? Thank you!
Thank you for being direct and getting straight to the point
This is the video I have been searching for, thank you
this is incredible. how do you manage to remove the mold without destroying the plaster inside
Would this type of mold hold up for making copies of silicone masks? Trying to determine if I should use epoxy resin with fiberglass powder or find a less toxic alternative like this
Great video, very easy to understand, and makes the process easy. Btw, why not using a cooked clay model for your model? so you won't spoil it
In school we did the same thing, but poured cement into the plaster waste mold, and the mold was one part, not two. A little easier when students' classtime is short
This is an old traditional sculpture technique. You lose the original clay you modelled very carefully. It is a learning process. Keep learning, finally you will have a lot of skill and confidence.
What is another way of doing it?
Then there is silicone. There is much to be said for tradition. But this process must be pretty stressful with much room for disaster.
Richardo Hanna that was pretty stressful just to watch!
I agree.
The first time was stressful but the end result is always so charming. Sometimes art is about the process
Totally agree
Huh? What was stressful, seemed pretty basic. The chiseling at the end? I suppose, but I bet it’s not that tough
Beautiful. Any videos on plaster bad relief casting and especially painting it with watercolors? Thanks
Really interesting, and reminiscent of stuff done at college, but can't see why you need this to be a waste mold. Apologies for being dim, but why not just stick at the clay sculpture?
We use this method, however we add untangled rope strings in the mold making for strength, we never brake the mold when releasing it as so we can reuse it many times. Also found out that any liquid apple soap worked best for the quick hardening plaster we used.
With a little patience you can also directly model like this style with plaster alone. Build up base shape with armature and hemp, if using iron based support, it MUST be totally sealed from moisture!!
The final layers of plaster will stick onto plaster base, and can be worked with spatula when thick enough, then scraped back easily as it is still soft. End result is very much like the effect or style of sculpture shown here, using the textures of medium as part of design.
I didn’t realize casting was a one off endeavor. Thanks for the explication
Hi! Thanks for the video, I see also in the comments a lot of helpful ideas! If someone could help me, I need a bit of advice. I am a painter but recently started to work in clay, I love it and have some projects in mind. Did some bas-relief. My question is: If the clay is dry and I do not have an oven can I make a plaster negative of the work? Or do I need to have the clay wet? What should I use to separate the two of them ...oil soap? Is oil soap just soap made from animal fat? Thank you!
should also mention that I checked some other alternatives but I think plaster ( gypsum) it's the most affordable and I would prefer to try this at first
Do you soak the mold in water in between each application of Murphy oil Soap?
Bluv, good job at explaining i had something i was working on and stuck for a week thank you 😊
Great video! Wanted to know..does the final plaster stay solid over time. Does it fall apart and if so, how do you prevent that so that it can withstand time?
Such a brilliant video. Thanks a lot
Hello....excellent. Can I use glycerine or any kind of oil rather than oil soap?
Thanks, Michael ! this is such a concise and informative tutorial. Traditional materials and some practice provide for very satistfying results. I have discovered your work and like the contemporary rendering of your themes. Greetings from Zurich
Very good video, shows in short the whole process. tank you
You could also have made a piece mold, made of 3 or 4 sections where there are undercuts. Same process as you show , but much easier to remove rather than chipping it away.
And reusable! I really don’t understand the point of going to all this trouble to create a mold, that is destroyed after the first use, and that destroys the positive,. Especially when you could just do a few more pieces and then be able to preserve the positive and reuse. Also by using clay or plasticine instead of the inserts at the beginning, you wouldn’t have to sand off the seam- you’d avoid a seam.
I just watched a beautiful video by the V&A about casting a complicated sculpture with multiple little pieces, it was so clever and satisfying, and probably not all that much more work than this.
Can someone tell me why he soaks the mold in water?
the plaster mold can warp if its drying out quickly
This video is gold, huge thank you, also i look like your twin
Is that a special plaster or just a normal construction plaster ? ...how you make it so liquid ? When I mix plaster with water I get chunks of plaster that are not well hydrated and ruins my composition + it gets very fast thick, I see you managed to make 2 buckets of that and have the perfect consistency ...what is the secret ???
normal construction plaster, the trick is to pour it as if is rain until the plaster set on the edge like a little island.
Best to use a scale and weigh out the water as a percentage of the weight of your plaster. For No. 1 Pottery, 69 to 70 % water to dry weight of plaster. Gently sprinkle the plaster to the water (a sieve works great for this), then let the whole thing sit, undisturbed, for two to three minutes . Then stir with your hands.
is it necessary to destroy the mold in the end? if you cast the mold with other material and then gently pull out the sculpture can't you reuse the mold multiple times?
Can I do this but fill it with silicone to make a mask?
so with this technique you only have to be able to remove the sculpture properly, the cast doesnt have to be removable without breaking?
What you pouring inside
Is that an oil clay or a plasticine used for the original sculpt?
water based clay
Your an amazing artist!! Very good job!!! :)
Why do you destroy the outer mold ??? .......is there no way to save it and make more heads ???
What a headache and soul crushing
Hi I’m trying to learn how to do these.. fascinating. What did y seal the molds with? Drywall?
very intresting. thank you to share you'r experience.
感恩您，以雕刻示範和啟發混凝土的「模板系統」和「分模線」。
I was thinking of casting with casting clay instead of plaster and then reworking the clay cast before firing, in order to get much more detail and a much smoother finish. Do you have any experience with that, especially portraits?
i did the same thing as my final project, but im getting difficult in writing the project thesis, any help please
Could this work with spray foam
does the clay sculpture have to be wet to indent the shims?
what material to use fo a reuseable mold?
Thanks, it was a very good lesson.
Make a reinforced silicone mold and use it over and over again.
I have a very complay form. Will this technique still work?
Why you molding an unfinished sculpt?
Herculite is a great alternative to standard plaster..it sets rock hard
What is the tool called at 9:26 mark? Thank you
A very useful invention
It is possible to invent an article placed on a quick dry cloth screen
To be placed on the face and dries quickly with the same facial wrinkles
In order to work on it the face handles and professionally make a perch statue
I hope it will be a useful idea
Awesome fnd? This one my art's channel?
I would also suggest watching some monster makers mold and cast👍
Muito brabo, vlw pelas dicas
Does anyone know of a good video on how to find the parting lines and undercuts so you know WHERE TO PUT THE SHIMS? I'm sculpting a life size dog standing four square and have never cast before. THANKS!
Can you do the whole process the same except use concrete as the final pour?
Chris this is what I want to know as well
Yes you can fill the plaster mould with concrete
looks really hard to identify the mold from cast. ;(
Is there a barrier applied to the clay prior to painting with plaster? My clay (WED clay) is extremely hard to remove from the plaster mold. Yours almost fell out.
If no one else replied, I use wed, and before molding in plaster I spray the clay and the mold wall with a spray can of krylon crystal clear, a couple coats usually dries within minutes and you'll feel it's kind of smooth, it takes a bit longer to take the plaster cause it'll want to bead up initially but just keep painting and dabbing it on with a brush and when it's cured it'll come out MUCH easier without losing detail.
Thanks Luke. I will try your technique on my next project. I kind of got discouraged after struggling to get the clay out (my first try at this kind of stuff).
Anyone know if you can rinse the finished piece in water afterwards? Does this hurt the plaster....?
I sculpt very well with paper mache i also paint ,but I want to be your student in this field. What does it take for you to mentor me despite the distance.
Nice video. However, I don't understand why you would to make a mould to break it after its first use...🤔
thank you, thank you so much
Does anyone know if it’s possible to mirror one half of a sculp or what ever is intended for casting and mirror that half to make a symmetrical piece ?
Any help on that much appreciated
Did u used any separator between Stamps
I wanna drink that plaster. It looks so creamy 😂
This was wonderful, thank you!
im a fibrous plasterer and you can only use this once and then have to dispose it better using silicone rubber
I want to make a statue that is about 12" tall. What is the best kind of plaster to use to make the statue very hard so if knocked over it will not break? Is there such a thing as resin plaster? If so would that be the best? Thank you.
In order of hardness: Ultracal (hardest)>Hydrocal>No.1Pottery> Plaster of Paris. Yes, there is a "resin" plaster that you can make: Duo Matrix G or Forton. Mix the dry hardner powder in with your plaster (important to mix the dry ingredients thoroughly before adding to the liquid) and then gently sieve it into the liquid resin and water solution. Or for stronger pieces, use liquid resin and no water. I use No. 1 Pottery (with hardner at 1/5 of resin weight) sprinkled into a solution that is 70% resin and 30% water. I weigh the dry mixture for at 71 to 72 % consistency. It produces nice results. For the strongest results, mix hydrocal + hardner, then add directly to liquid resin (no added water) and target a 46 % consistency or so.
Thanks for this video !!!!!
Fantastic.
truly brilliant
Thank you
please i need project thesis of this work
Fantastic
no le puedes llamar replica a algo que ya no existe...
how can we differentiate whether its plaster or mold while we cut open?
you can try adding color dye to your mold
please can someone help me with my final project thesis, i did the same thing here. i'm from Ghana
🤗Thank you so much for this video 💓
Why you destroy de mold? Can't you reuse it later?
No
Can cement be used for this kind of mold?
There was a product called cement fondue, used by our art teachers for this purpose. It has different setting qualities and can be cast easier than standard cements.
I remember using cement fondue in our molds at school. We painted in inside the mold with a brush and reinforced it with fiberglass.
Could you pour cement into this mould? Would it have the same effect as the plaster?
+Tonya du Toit In my experience yes. Just try not to chip the cement when removing the plaster mold as he said in the video.
Can u use plaster wraps instead
thanks bro
with this kind of sculpture I would have just made it out of plaster to start with
Beautiful
I know this is an odd question for such an experienced artist like yourself. Why not just fire the clay sculpture and not make a mold at all? Can you not use metal Armature and firing clay without using a mole?
plaster molds are typically used for casting bronze. he may want to save and reuse the clay as well.
This is a great video. Thank you!
Is not there something call mold release ???
what if you need several copies......you broke the mold. It is supposed to be used for other copies too.
That's why it's called a "waste" mold. If anything, you could cast the plaster sculpt again.
+Matthew Santoro Pranks it wasn't what I wanted to see. I wanted to see how the mold can be safe...not wasted. I know you can cast the plaster sculpt again but it makes no sense. you already had it once
kacatriku Yeah, I see. It's definitely not the best way to do it.
You could try lost-wax casting. That process has you make two casts, one you can keep and another that gets wasted. Being more complex, there's more opportunity for mistakes and lost detail than other methods, but it allows you to save the first mold and make as many copies as you like.
This method was traditionally used for making an intermediate step for carving into stone or wood. Imagine carving stone while measuring from a clay model: one shard flies off and there goes your model. So they cast it into plaster via this method, and then measured their carving off of that. That's the origin of the plaster cast storage rooms carvers and schools used to have.
They would measure a certain point off of a plaster cast, say for instance the nose, and mark it on both the stone and the cast, to keep track of the workings. This is called the indirect carving method. Look up 'pointing machine' on Wikipedia.