Prosthetics - Life Casting!

When starting the process of creating prosthetics, it is common practice to start by making a life cast, depending on where the piece will go. This allows the prosthetic to be sculpted directly onto the area, meaning it will fit perfectly. This can be used for pieces for the nose, brow bone, hands etc. 

                                                           Figure 1 - Life Casting Video (Brown, J. 2020)

As shown in figure 2, a bald cap is applied first. "A bald cap is an appliance used to mask a wearer's hair and create the illusion that they are bald." (Fx.fandom, n.d). This is to protect the model's hair, and it also allows for a full head cast to be done if needed. The artist needs to ensure a patch test has been done beforehand, however, as many bald caps are made from latex, and are applied using either spirit gum or prosaide, and many people can be allergic to these products. An alternate method of prepping the model would be to use a vinyl bald cap (although these can be more costly) or cling wrap can be used instead. The downside to this is it will create a lot of uneven texture on the cast, which will need to be cleaned up later on. 

As seen below, blue grease paint has been used to map out where the model's eyebrows and hairline is, which will transfer to the cast. Petroleum jelly has also been applied to these areas as well as the eyelashes to aid removal of the alginate.

Figure 2 - Life Casting prep with bald cap (Brown, J. 2020)

Life casting alginate is very commonly used as it picks up a lot of detail. "Alginate, also called alginic acid, is a compound found within the cell walls of brown algae. It is considered extremely safe as it is most naturally extracted from the cells as a polysaccharide." (Dalchem, n.d). It is also very cost effective, as it is one of the cheaper options. Life casting alginate would serve well on low budget productions. Alginate comes in different setting options, generally ranging from 3-5 minutes or 7-9 minutes setting times. This is an excellent option, as it gives people new to the craft the choice of having more time to work with the product, but it also lets experts choose a slower setting time if, for example, they're working on a hot day (as the environment temperature can make the alginate set quicker), and vice versa. 

In figure 3, the 3-5 minute alginate was used, as it means the model isn't sat for a lengthy time, meaning it is a more comfortable experience for them, and it is more efficient for the artist.

Figure 3 - Life Casting Alginate (Brown, J. 2020)

Figure 4 - Life Casting Alginate (Brown, J. 2020)

Modroc is applied once this has set to create a hard shell to support the alginate. "Modroc (or mod roc) is another name for plaster impregnated bandage." (Paula Briggs, n.d). It supports the alginate to keep its shape, as it can tear easily due to it being a rubbery material.

Figure 5 - Life Cast Modroc (Brown, J. 2020)

Figure 6 - Life Cast Modroc (Brown, J. 2020)

The negative mould of the face has now been taken. The cast can now be taken off, any holes can be plugged, and it can be filled with plaster to create the positive.

Figure 7 - Plaster Life Cast (Brown, J. 2020)

As mentioned before in this blog, it is possible to life cast different parts of the body. The design includes some pointy, prosthetic ears, so therefore, a cast was taken of the model's ears. This process was very similar to casting the face. The difference being that a plastic cup was used around the ear to isolate the alginate, so that it didn't run everywhere, and some cotton wool was placed just inside the ear to protect them. The model also had their head tilted to the side. There was also no need for a bald cap, as a layer of cling wrap could be used to protect the hair. This was found to be much simpler than face casting, as it requires the alginate to be poured straight into the cup over the ear and leave it to set. There's also no need for modroc as it is supported by the cup, and plaster can be poured straight in afterwards.

Figure 8 - Ear Cast (Brown, J. 2020)

Another way to create a life cast however, is to use life casting silicone. This is much more expensive to do, however there are many benefits to using this method over alginate. One of them being that silicone is a lot stronger than alginate, it is less likely to tear. Silicone casts can also be used multiple times, whereas alginate can only be used once, as it gets broken apart when taking out the plaster positive (Streeton, J. 2014). An example of this being done, is Anne Hathaway in 'The Witches'(2020). 

                  Figure 9 - Silicone Life Cast example (Tell E Vision, 2020)

A second example is Zoe Saldana from 'Guardian's of the Galaxy' (2014) for the character 'Gamora'.

Figure 10 - Silicone Life Cast example 2 (Saldana, Z. 2015)

This is a great insight into what different ways there are to do this process. It shows that even if you struggle with one method, there are plenty of other ways to try and gain skills with. 

-Jess

References:

• Bald Cap. (no date) Available from https://fx.fandom.com/wiki/Bald_cap [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Briggs, P. (no date) How to use modroc. Available from https://www.accessart.org.uk/how-to-use-modroc/#:~:text=Modroc%20(or%20mod%20roc)%20is,and%20then%20model%20with%20it. [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Streeton, J. (2014) Available from https://jackstreetonsp.wordpress.com/2014/10/18/lifecasting-with-silicones-alginates/#:~:text=Silicone%20works%20very%20similarly%20to,that%20is%20a%20thick%20paste.&text=Another%20major%20advantage%20of%20using,and%20will%20last%20for%20years. [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• What is alginate? (N.d) Available from https://dalchem.com.au/how-to/what-is-alginate [Accessed 09/10/2020].

Bibliography:

• Alginate (no date) Available from https://www.mouldlife.net/alginate-5014-p.asp [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Baker, C. (2018) The basics of lifecasting with alginate. Available from https://accu-cast.us/blog/the-basics-of-lifecasting-with-alginate/ [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Baxter, J. (2017) Nightmares in the makeup chair trailer has Robert Englund back in Freddy Krueger makeup. Available from https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/nightmares-in-the-makeup-chair-trailer-has-robert-englund-back-in-freddy-krueger-makeup/ [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Brooks, N. (2013) Advanced mouldmaking and casting. Marlborough, Crowood. 
• Debreceni, T. (2013) Special Makeup Effects for Stage and Screen: Making and Applying Prosthetics. Oxfordshire, Taylor & Francis.
• DIY Agar-moulage for life casting (no date) Available from https://www.artmolds.com/blog/diy-agar-moulage-for-life-casting.html [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• FilmArtsy. (2017) Karen Gillan Transformation to Nebula - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 Behind the scenes - 2017. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj0ncN2A9pY&ab_channel=FilmArtsy [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Floorwalker, M. (2019) How Karen Gillan transformed into Nebula. Available from https://www.looper.com/157176/how-karen-gillan-transformed-into-nebula/ [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Lifecasting alginate (no date) Available from https://www.neillsmaterials.co.uk/product/lifecasting-alginate/ [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Lifecasting defined: A beginner's guide to casting in plaster. (no date) Available from http://www.newtomakeupeffects.com/lifecasting-defined/ [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Lifecasting materials. (no date) Available from https://www.benam.co.uk/products/lifecasting [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Life from life casting silicone. (no date) Available from https://www.mouldlife.net/life-form-life-casting-silicone-4995-p.asp [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Looper. (2018) How Zoe Saldana Transforms into Gamora. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFid2otZi6I&ab_channel=Looper [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Looper. (2020) How Karen Gillan Transformed into Nebula. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db3q0UFUyUs&ab_channel=Looper [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Moulage (no date) Available from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moulage [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Kehoe, V. (1991) Special Make-up Effects. Florida, CRC Press.
• Kirsten, A. (2014) The most complex makeup look in 'Guardians of the Galaxy' took more than 4 hours and a shaved head. Available from https://www.businessinsider.com/guardians-of-the-galaxy-karen-gillan-makeup-2014-8?r=US&IR=T [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Zia, K.M., Zuber, M. and Ali, M. eds. (2017) Algae based polymers, blends, and composites: chemistry, biotechnology and materials science. Edinburgh, Elsevier.

Figures:

• Figure 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - Brown, J. (2020) York College.
• Figure 9 - Tell E Vision. (2020) Anne Hathaway makeup for The Witches Movie | Behind the scenes. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rFs0o7X6CY&ab_channel=TellEVision [Accessed 09/10/2020].
• Figure 10 - Saldana, Z. (2015) Ready for another one? Available from https://twitter.com/zoesaldana/status/669508703129722880 [Accessed 09/10/2020].