# female body casting



## TheGothicPrincess (Sep 7, 2007)

I am interested in creating the beloved tombstone, and with that, have been researching body casting online today. I am seriously interested in doing this, the question I have, I would like to cast a small female body for this project. After the project was completed, the arms, legs, neck, face and feet would only be showing. 

I am trying to go for a similar look to this.










Interested to hear your thoughts...

Anyone else did any body casting? I have more questions..


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## Deathtouch (Nov 19, 2004)

Not to be a pervert. Ok, I am but don't forgot to show pictures. I wouldn't believe you that you made this prop if you didn't show a half naked lady during the castings.


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## TheGothicPrincess (Sep 7, 2007)

You will get to see an ankle )


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## squatdaddy (Oct 17, 2006)

Body casting is not the way to go with this project... WAY to expensive for a one-off project... chicken wire, fiberglass and perhaps some modified maniquin pieces... first off the position of the body is way to complicated for someone who has never done body casting, second it is not cost realistic to do it this way unless it is for a production run...


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## TheGothicPrincess (Sep 7, 2007)

squatdaddy said:


> Body casting is not the way to go with this project... WAY to expensive for a one-off project... chicken wire, fiberglass and perhaps some modified maniquin pieces... first off the position of the body is way to complicated for someone who has never done body casting, second it is not cost realistic to do it this way unless it is for a production run...



674.95 is the cost from one website, so squatdaddy I agree. The main items I really want to immulate are the arms, face and feet of a statue. 

Any suggestions on how to get the porcelain look of a statue using foam, or is there another type of material I should be looking at?

Here is another photo.


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## Deathtouch (Nov 19, 2004)

Maybe put a little liquid latex on it and paint it that way.


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## TheGothicPrincess (Sep 7, 2007)

Ok so a whole body out of styrofoam, hum, that may be tricky.... Especially when I am not an expert carver... 

Now I am thinking that I out to try looking at mannequin body parts..


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## slightlymad (May 8, 2006)

Ah only DT

I would do a duct tape double


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## Lurks in the shadows (Mar 12, 2005)

Just lifecast the body parts that will show, do the hidden parts with chicken-wire and mache.


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## squatdaddy (Oct 17, 2006)

mannequin pieces can be cut apart and re-assembled using gorilla glue and bondo, it can be sanded and painted for that ivory look


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## Homestead Haunt (Jun 15, 2006)

Terra has a how to on "Beloved" you might take a look at.....

Halloween Forum - Terra's Albums


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## scarysistersara (Aug 10, 2008)

I saw something similar to this at DESIGNTOSCANO.com- it comes in two sizes, If you live in Illinois - near Elkgrove Village, they have a warehouse sale coming up in the next couple of months. It's worth going to the prices are very reasonable.


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## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

GothicPrincess,

Let me see if I can break this down.

1. You are hoping to recreate the mourning angel monument from the picture you posted. You say you want to cast small female parts. What scale are you considering? Are you hoping for a small woman? Small child?

2. You are wondering what medium to use and how to finish the piece so that it will look like sculpted marble.

If I were going to build this, I would use a combination of styrofoam (for the sub-structure and block portions) and plaster for the casted body parts. To get a smaller scale, I would actually use either my 5 year old or 12 year old daughter's arms and feet. I would just make a quick negative and then pour in plaster for the new positive. For the statuary clothing, I would use either MonsterMud or GP Resin.

To finish the piece, I would give the entire piece a really good basecoat of exterior white primer/sealer. Then I would go to a home improvement store and get an appropraite faux marble kit. There are a lot of different onces to choose from depending on what kind of marble look you want. You might also check a theatre site or two and see what they say about faux marble painting.

I would then finish the whole piece with a coat or two of gloss or near-gloss clear finish. This will enhance the look of the marble and give the piece a smoother looking finish.


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## TheGothicPrincess (Sep 7, 2007)

TK421 said:


> GothicPrincess,
> 
> Let me see if I can break this down.
> 
> ...



I am taking the Beloved tombstone and working off of it, creating my own version. The two will be far from identical. I have been working with Terra on the Angel wings. I would like to get the impression of the crying angel statue bending over my tombstone. 

I have a friend who has a 16 year old daughter who I might ask to model for the statue. I was thinking of casting her arms, feet, face and neck for the project. 

Money being tight, I might actually use another form for these body parts. 


I already have the wedding dress, styrofoam head and a half mannequin body I used last year for this project, now I would like to step it up a notch. 

I went to the cemetery yesterday and took a good look at the details and skin on our angel statues. The marble look after all these years, is what I would really like to copy. Think lady turned to stone. 

I have done the marbling technique before and not sure if that is the way I want to go yet... 

keep the discussion going...


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## Deathtouch (Nov 19, 2004)

I would hate to see you shy away from doing this naked chick thing. A naked chick is a terrible thing to waste. I have heard that the lady that just got booted off Dancing with the stars is looking for a gig. I bet she would do this for free. LOL And I would be willing to take pictures to help out. I am looking out for you, you know. LOL


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## squatdaddy (Oct 17, 2006)

no matter how you look at it, casting body parts is a cost and one that will creep up quickly... any of your direct skin mold making compounds offered by smooth-on or polytek are expensive, then trying to cast them once you have a negative mother mold (don't forget the re-enforcement jacket mold) is to get a good cast the first shot (especially if using something destructive like alginate) a good pour is as much an art technique as it is a science... if you don't do it consistantly and money is an issue, I am still not sold casting any body part is the way to go... just my 2 cents


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## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

You say money is a decision maker. I completely understand, but I also know different people have different concepts of what is too expensive. One might not want to spend more than $50-75 on this, where as someone else might consider $200-$250 as a good budget for a prop of this scale. Someone else may want tp spend even more!

Anyway, There are so many tricks you can use, I can't even keep them all straight in my head. First, check local stores and Craigslist to see about cheap manneguins, or manneguin parts such as feet and hands that are for free or for sale cheap. This is a great way to get props. You can also check antique and salvage shops -- you never know what you are going to find. This may help with the human aspects of the piece.

Another alterative is to see if you have a statuary manufacturer in your area. I know if a place about 10 miles from me that builds concrete statuary for parks, gardens, etc. If you ask them, they may be able to help a lot. You may be able to get free, or really cheap, "bad pours" from them. This is a statue that didn't fill properly, or broke during casting. Again, you may also be able to pick up pieces of statues for free. A hand or foot that broke off.

If you're really determined, you can ask a statuary shop to make you a plaster cast version of concrete statue. This may cost several hundred dollars, and weight a lot depending on how large the mold is, but you would be getting an authentic, one-piece monument.


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## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

Again, if I were committing myself to this project, I would be looking to save money where ever possible. To that end, I would be looking at thrift shops and Craigslist to see what I could find for hands, feet and face. The rest of the body I would build out of lightweight material, so that the end prop will be relatively easy to move. I think I would build a framework out of 2x4s and chicken wire to give me the shape. I would then add the body parts I was able to find and MM or resin the dress on. 

Also, I don't think I would use an actual dress, it's large and difficult to work with as a single piece. I think I would use fabric, possibly some clearance material from a fabric store or a couple of cheap flat sheets from a thrift store.


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## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

I get the sense you are very attached to the inspiration pic you began this thread with, but here are some other pics I found that show varients on your theme. They also show a variety of finished looks that might help.


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## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

This is very similar to the one above, but a with dark marble. Also, in this version the wings are more attached to the torso. This may help the structural support.


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## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

This version is nice because it is smaller (less block marble) and really features the angel. Again, the wings are attached more, which should help with strength.


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## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

This one is great for the detail and, I feel, it really has that "turned to stone" look you are hoping for. I really like the detail that is brought out in the head and hair.


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## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

And finally, this collage is just handy. Shows a lot of angles - which I always find helpful when building 3D pieces. I know this isn't the form you are hoping to recreate, but I just wanted to include it.

I do think it's a pretty good example of the bare arms you are hoping for, and with the face buried in her arm, it would eliminate some of the hardship of detail.


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## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

This is a tutorial I found which might help. At least there are some good suggestions.

*The Bird Girl - Making a PVC and Chicken Wire Statue*


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## TheGothicPrincess (Sep 7, 2007)

This is am image of the wings that I am reproducing onto styrofoam. 

Really would like to have the female's face turning towards the camera, with a very sad look. 

Does anyone know of a local store that sells casting supplies. I would like to try the face out first, if nothing else then I have that much experience and also it could be incorporated into my foam head. 

Thanks so much for the pictures, there was a few that I didn't have, so now they are added to my collection. 

Here are a few more pictures that I have in my collection, I am working with. 

I really like the softness of the face. I could really achieve this look with fleck stone spray paint.


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## TheGothicPrincess (Sep 7, 2007)

Keep coming with the feedback, because this is really help me. Thank goodness I am still in the early stages of this project because you guys and gals are giving me some great ideas.


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## TheGothicPrincess (Sep 7, 2007)

Here is a photo of a mannequin. I won't upload the photo here click on the following link. FULL BODY FEMALE MANNEQUIN MAGNETIC ARMS + STAND NR

I like the look of the smoothness of the mannequin. Now if I can find one that bends.

Natalie Female Mannequin - MannequinStore.com


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## TheGothicPrincess (Sep 7, 2007)

Flexible Mannequins from Mannequinland

for the prices of these flexible mannequins I could go back to the idea of life casting. 

Ok I am going on my lunch break to see if I can't talk to some of the local stores to see if they are getting rid of any mannequin parts.


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## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

Those mannequins are really expensive. I think you would do a lot better just making the body frame out of chicken wire. That way, you could sculpt exactly how you want to body to rest on the tombstone.

Heck, it would even be cheaper to go buy some styrofoam blocks and carve out your basic shape with an electric knife. 

The detail will be in the face and hands. That's what people will be drawn to and that is what will need to look the cleanest. The torso shape will be covered with the dress, so it can be a little roughter.


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## Lurks in the shadows (Mar 12, 2005)

As was mentioned earlier, the details of the face and hands are what gets focused on. I think you will be very happy with only casting the face and hands. As for the cost, unless you are a very good sculptor, you can't get such perfect details for less. Since the face and hands are focal point of the piece, what really gives feeling to it, it is very reasonable to spend the most on those particular parts. No generic mass produced face will convey the feelings you want expressed. It's all in the details. The true expense of life-casting is that once you've done a few faces and hands, you want to move up to larger projects!

You asked about where to get supplies, while not local to you, I recommend FX Warehouse.
I've never had any troubles ordering from Thea, she has excellent customer relations and will answer any questions you may have, even about products she doesn't sell. Lifecast, Belly & Bodycasting: FX Warehouse
Right now she has imperial body-gel on sale for $6.00 a pound, limit 5 lbs. (about halfway down the page.) but 5 lbs. is plenty for a face-cast and hands, to a couple inches down the wrists. Imperial body-gel is very good alginate, it's easy to work with and quite strong.

You should use plaster bandages to make the outer supporting shell, or mother mold. At least for the face-cast. You may want to use a box mold for the arms/hands, but that will use a lot more alginate. These are rather nicely priced. Plaster bandages plaster gauze, Plaster of Paris Specialist Gypsona

As far as to what material to make the actual cast of, Plaster of Paris is about the worst thing you can use. It is just too fragile. I recommend using a product such as Ultra-cal 30, dental stone or LiquiStone. LiquiStone Gypsum Cement This is a far better alternative to PoP, and unlike UC30 or dental stone, it is easy to sand and work with hand tools. Something to keep in mind as you will have to fit the pieces and affix them together.

All of this reminds me... I need to order some supplies myself!

A lot of people think life-casting is some arcane art, don't be afraid to try it, it's really not that difficult. If you shop around, (avoid those high priced lifecasting kits!) you'll find it's the cheapest way to perfectly recreate a human form.
If you do decide to try casting feel free to ask any questions. There are many members here who know what they're doing.

P.S.: $675 for materials to do a full body cast is ridiculous! I can do a whole body for half that! Unless you want a reusable mold, that price is far too high. I'd charge that much or more to do a full body cast for somebody, but that includes labor and profit!
I guess-timate you can do your hands and face for less than $75 shipping included. I'd charge $150-$200 to do a face from the ears forward, and a pair of hands to a couple inches down the wrists.


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## squatdaddy (Oct 17, 2006)

There has been some great advise here but I would still shy away from life casting if it was me in your position.... lets put it to you this way, I have worked along hollywood artist, in fact some screen-named ones and I have worked along everyday people and even the hollywood types every once in a while have issue with face casting... I have done it and yes it is an experience that all should try, probably true but it isn't without it's frustrations and risks. Alginate is a one use material whether you get it right or not (and with negative voids that easily are overlooked by first timers) it is easy to destroy. Bald caps, hemp, gauze, ultracal (I would not suggest plaster-of-paris) a willing model that isn't afraid of having their head encased for 20 minutes or more... knowing how to separate a jacket mold once your actor is entombed in it and knowing the working time of the alginate before it starts to shrink are just some of the fun... then there is the pour... clean up and patch work are guaranteed on the positive... sometimes days worth of clean-up work to just make it look reasonable,(negative voids become huge globs of excess material, alginate can warp features...etc...) then you destroy the pores the alginate captures once you do any kind of patching which is OK but then you have half pore texture, half smooth your-own-version texture. Plaster or ultracal, hydrocal or any other cement mixtures are heavy, then you have attachment issues.... Bottom line you are taking a chance by purchasing all the materials that you will have to get it right the first time (success will vary) only to produce a heavy finished product that technically will be hard to work with and attach to your foam prop... get a prop head either from a beauty supply store or order on line... you will be happier... been at this stuff a looooong time....
just my thoughts...


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## TheGothicPrincess (Sep 7, 2007)

See guys this is the reason I come here and post for advice. Someone here has tried, failed or succeeded before. 

I can't think of any other forum where you get immediate response to your problem.

Ok I said that I would post pictures of my things, well couldn't get that done last night, because we were without power until after midnight here, from the severe weather that passed through. So I will get that uploaded as soon as we get back from camping this weekend. 

I did have a local business to donate one leg, one elbow and 1 hand (2 fingers are broken). So I have something to work with there... 

Still dremeling away on my tombstone.. I may get done my 2012.


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## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

Squatdaddy - that is good advice. I have cast a couple of heads using algenate, and it is tough. There are some ways you can repair any loss of pore texture, but it is time-consuming. Plus, for a novice, I think it's just too expensive to purchase the necessary materials - I have had the good luck of being theatre funded - and it's still pricy.

I agree the face should not be cast. A $5 styro head will do wonders. You can even use a bit of clay or mache pulp to build up features and create a more sympathetic expression.

My thought was casting the hands. Hands are pretty easy to cast (you can even do the layered wax and vasoline method). Casting the hands will allow for an anotomically correct hand that looks pretty good. Also, if you cast the hands, you are getting the pose you want, something that is a lot harder to find in a mannequin hand. There are a lot of hand casting kits available, too. Keepsake kits, kits from Michaels and/or Joanne fabrics, etc.


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## Scatterbrains (Nov 16, 2008)

granted, they usally come designed as mens....but can't you just paint over those rubber arms and hands that are sold as Halloween props?


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## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

Honestly, I would just carve them out of styrofoam, but everyone has their own artistic limits. If you're not confident with your sculpting abilities, prefab alternatives are good. Casting is good. getting a friend to carve something for you is good. Whatever you can do.


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## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

Went to a local store yesterday "Display & Costume" and they had great female hands for $10 a pair. They come up to the wrist and you get a left and right hand. Something like that would work to the statue, and it would save a lot of time.


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## Lurks in the shadows (Mar 12, 2005)

I've never had half the problems lifecasting that you mention Squatdaddy, and I too have been doing this for years. Avoiding large voids is easy, (that's kinda the whole point of lifecasting) and those small bubbles that do slip by are easily filled and textured with an orange peel stamp. Maybe a half-hour to an hour of clean-up is all I've ever had to do. If my cast was so bad it would take days to fix, I'd refund their money and send them to someone who knew how to do a lifecast! I'm sorry to hear that you've had such a rough time casting, it sounds like it's really turned you off to the whole thing. But, since I can't sculpt to save my life, I find it an easy method for reproducing an exactly perfect expression.

I guess what I'm saying is that while it sounds like you've run into about every pitfall there is in lifecasting, not everybody will have your bad luck. It really isn't all that difficult to get a good cast, and most all of the problems have fairly easy fixes.

All Gothic needs is a face, not the entire head, the weight won't be much. It can be poly-glued to a wig head with the face trimmed away, smooth the seam and finished in a faux marble.

An ears forward face cast is a great first-timer project. You won't even need to apply a bald cap, or worry about a freaked out victim, you won't be encasing their head. The mother will just be a plaster bandage shell, nothing to worry about there, nothing to separate. You end up with an open one piece mold, that's about the simplest there is to cast from.

I've just never seen a mass produced inexpensive head that looked decent. I don't think you'll ever find one with a sorrowfull expression.

Gothic, It all depends on how much detail you want, how much effort you are willing to put into it, how much you can spend on it, your ability and confidence, and if you will be satisfied with the final results. Face it, we don't put all of this into our props for others approval, we do it for ourselves.
If you have much of the face hidden, go with a $5 wig head and latex paint, use the pose to convey the sorrow and anguish. That would be a far easier and cheaper method than casting.


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## kprimm (Apr 3, 2009)

As far as painting the marble look. The new How to haunt your house book has a cool cheap way to get the painted marble look.


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