What a wonderful project!

I don't have an answer for you but a question.

How did you get your teenagers to sit still that long?

I would love to do this as a Christmas present for the parents of the kids that live next door that I dearly love. The kids that is.

I know I have seen instructions on the web somewhere and I will try to find them for you. In the meantime, would you mind sharing the method you used for the plaster casts?

Thanks!

Amanda

thesixbarrelmudsling, I really hope someone comes along with some answers. I am in the middle of a similiar project. I used the plaster strips like they make casts out of and did my 2 kids faces.

I figured I would use clay for my positive since the inside is rough so I could smooth it out. Air dryable clay did not work. It shrinks and cracks. I used the colored modeling clay that never dries for kids and it has worked great. Only problem is I dont know how to prep it to make a mold.

Good luck with yours

Carey

Amanda
It wasn't easy getting them to lay still. I paid them;)
We cut slits in large trash bags where their faces stuck out only to the hairline and under the chin to the neck. We did a very very loose duct tape around the neck. Only to keep the bag from flapping and the POP from getting in their hair. They looked like drunken frat boys on a prank! I laid a king sized flat sheet on the floor. We smeared a generous coat of vaseline on all exposed skin to protect it and as a release agent. Hairy parts are very important. Right before we applied the POP we vaselined the eye area and and put a short straw in each nostril. Working as a team teen #2 quickly mixed the medium-thinnish POP and poured it on the face as I spread it smooth. We were not neat about this. Time was of the essence! While this was happening kid #3 mixed a thicker batch. We poured it on top of the first and cleaned up the edges. We waited only until there was a warmth to the touch (POP burns skin if not careful!) then gently lifted it off and set it in a bowl for support. It came out great. Immediately teen #1 was ushered into the bathroom and washed thoroughly. We did it as a team for safety and speed. Each teen mixed and helped the others which gave me time to make sure there were no bubbles or complications. I have photos if you want to see. It was great fun!

I got a reply telling me I could do a silicone mold like Marley's tutorial does for leaves. I am going to try it this week. I'll let you all know.

Here are my photos. Look in the POP faces to see this topic.
http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l63/TheSixBarrellMudSlinger/

Here is a link that might be useful: POP Faces

I have taken "life-casts" many times and have lots of stories about it (like the kids who thought they could pull their leg out of hard plaster like a boot. It did not work, we had to chisel them out.) Be VERY careful using plaster on skin, you can get some nasty burns and skin reactions from that. There is a product called alginate that is used almost exclusively for life casting. It is the same stuff the dentist puts in your mouth for teeth molds. You can get alginate from your dentist, hobby stores or google "life casting/ moldmaking." It is easy to use and you get a highly detailed mold that you can pour plaster into for the positive. As to what to do now with what you have, I would suggest casting a harder plaster or concrete into the mold you have (this method is called a waste mold.) Because of the lack of flexibility, you will probably only get the one cast from it and you will have to chisel out the positive (very carefully!) It helps if the two materials are different colors, dye the concrete or plaster a different color so that you can see what is cast and what is mold. When you cast, tap it gently so that the air bubbles rise away from the mold's surface and you get a clean casting. The only other alternative is roll an oil-based (taxidermy or craft) clay out in sheets about 1/2 inch thick and press it into the mold, creating a "mask" of the positive and lay it over a rounded form, like a wig stand, but that still won't be permenant. Good luck with it!

I almost forgot, use a release agent between the mold and whatever you cast! Murphy's oil soap, or potters soap is best, vaseline will leave smears in your casting unless you cut it with mineral spirits. If you don't use a release agent you will have a very difficult time separating the mold from the casting.
NN