lifecast

Anyone in Las Vegas know how and is willing to do a lifecast?
Will pay for materials and time.
Or if you have a reference to someone who can do it.

My next step is to call art supply stores and ask if they know anyone who does this.

After searching the internet and phone book the only reference i found was a 2 year old listing in a prop supply house, that is inactive.
I am trying to make a full head cast and a face/forhead cast in order to get vaccformed masks to make templates for the Darth Maul tattoo's.
Thanks.
Tom.
BH-9096

Here's a good tutorial for body casting. I thought about doing this until I realized how much it would cost.

http://www.studiocreations.com/howto/stormtrooper/index.html

I have various instructional DVD's from Mark Alfrey, which I will part with, the problem is that they are on hold.

For a basic lifecast (full head) you will need alginate and plaster bandages (and some basic materials such as mixing containers, spatulas, garbage bag).

For a full headcast you will also need a baldcap.

I once made a lifecast of my face just for fun and let my brother doing it. He had NO skills on making a lifecast before and even he managed to do that.

I told him how to mix the alginate (there are fixed ratios on how you have to mix it with water, but you can do it by eye. It just needs a nice paste consistency with no lumps. Best way is to mix with a driller and a mixing rod attached to it).

We prepared the bucket with warm water, precut the strips of plaster and I protected my torso with a garbage bag.

I then protected my eyebrows with a littel vaseline and told him to smear on the alginate firmly, not taking too much time.

After the alginate was set all he had to do was to dip the plaster bandages in the warm water, slightly squeez some water out and apply it to the alginate in order to achieve a mother mold.

After everything was set (30 minutes) I just made some slight movements with my face and the piece went off clean.

I then mixed a batch of a special gypsum compund from smooth on (can't remember the name but it was firmer then normal gypsum), poured it in and made a slush cast.

Then I removed the mother mold made out of plaster bandages, ripped away the aliginate (because it's not usable a second time) and voila:

The piece came out really great!

For a frontal face cast (until the ears start) almost anyone can do that if you have a friend who is patient enough.

For a full head cast you need to divide the mother mold in two sections, so this is a little mor difficult and has to be done by someone who is a bit experienced in doing lifecasts.

Hope this helps...

Just look for "brickintheyard" on youtube, they have some awesome sample tutorials as well.

Cheers

Smoothon also has a life cast video, and sells the materials.

Thanks, all info helps, was hoping someone had a reference since a full head cast is a little tricky and i would prefer to have to only do it once.
But i will check out the videos and looks like i am going to have to start doing more research.