Makeup Artistry - Jess Brown

Now that a silicone mould has been made and prepped, the next step is to create the polyurethane positive/core for the snap mould. "Polyurethane is a plastic material, which exists in various forms. It can be tailored to either be rigid or flexible". (polyurethanes, no date). According to Dalchem, polyurethane is made of two components, those being urethane and polymers. These polymers are bonded together by urethane groups which then creates a versatile solution that can take many different forms. (Dalchem, no date).   Polyurethane has many different uses, such as insulation of fridges and freezers, car parts, mattresses, tyres and even shoe soles. (Polyurethanes, no date).  The polyurethane used was Axson F40 polyurethane resin. This resin has a quick setting time, a low shrinkage rate (meaning it won't shrink as it sets) and high abrasion resistance. (Neillsmaterials, no date). A catalyst is required for this, so isocyanate F40 was used, as per manufacturer's instr...

Snap moulds (also called conformed moulds, contoured moulds or squash moulds) are used to create a 3D prosthetic. They consist of a negative mould of the sculpt/piece, and a positive life cast that squash together. They can be made out of plaster, however these can easily break and chip, so a polyurethane mould will be created. Polyurethane is also lighter and more resistant than plaster, although it can be costly. As said by Todd Debreceni, "conforming moulds are becoming more commonly used in prosthetic application due to the ease and precision of the application process". (Debreceni, T. 2019). He goes on to say that this type of mould may not be suitable for all appliances, but he recommends them for smaller pieces.  As these are used to create individual prosthetics, they only need to be around the size of that piece. For example, if a nose prosthetic is being created, the mould only needs to be of the nose. This is accomplished in the first step using the master mould. A...

After the silicone mould has been made, the next step is to create a fibreglass jacket. This will support the mould and help it keep its shape when it is being used.  Figure 1 - Fibreglass jacket (Brown, J. 2020) Fibreglass is a reinforced plastic material that is embedded with glass fibres. Fibreglass is supplied as a flattened sheet called strand matt, which comes in different grades (or thickness) from 300g to 600g. When this is combined with resin, it creates a very strong, durable composite. (Fibreglassdirect, 2017). This process is also known as laminating.  Fibreglass can be used for an array of different things, not just in prosthetics. For example, it is used widely in the automotive industry, in cooling towers, mining, the chemical industry and more. The properties of fibreglass makes it useful in all these areas. It is a good electrical insulator, it is incombustible, doesn't rot, has low thermal conductivity and has high mechanical strength. (Phelps, no date). Fibr...

Master moulds are very useful tools. They are made with the intention of being able to use them numerous times and make countless copies of whatever has been moulded. In this case, a master mould is being made from a life cast. This will allow many casts to be made without having to do the full life casting process again, but also lets you get a cast of just the nose, or the mouth etc. This will be discussed more in detail later on.  Once the life cast has been prepped and the wall and keys have been built, the next step is to apply a spray release agent. The artist used Eject-it spray, also called Supralease CLR (petrolease), which is a very good mould release. This will make it easier to remove the mould from the cast when it is time to do so. After this, it is time to mix the silicone. Silicone (or siloxane) is like a hybrid between a synthetic rubber and a synthetic plastic material. It has many properties, such as being very malleable (depending on its hardness), and is temper...

The Georgian Era started in the 18th century, when Queen Anne (1665-1714) died. She left no male heir to the throne, so it was passed to her nearest Protestant relative, who was living in Northern Germany. That was George of House of Hanover. (Rmg, no date). This era lasted 116 years, as it was reigned by four kings, all called George, and they were all part of the same family. King George IV died in 1830, and was succeeded by his brother, William IV. Despite this, the next era to be named after a Monarch was the Victorian era, which began in 1837. Some may debate that the Georgian era ended in 1837, similarly to the Edwardian era not ending until 1914, despite the fact King Edward VII died in 1910.  Figure 1 - The King Georges (Khordipour, B. 2018) This era is known for holding the Rococo period, which lasted from roughly 1730 - 1790, mostly emanating in France and Europe.  The Georgian era was a time period of sexual discovery. Even though it was against the law, m...