PLASTER SCULPTURES & PROCESS

2019-2020

Displayed here are a few of the plaster sculptures and processes I have done while first learning how to sculpt, mold, and cast. Though appearing strong, plaster can be incredible fragile. However what it lacks in fortification, it makes up for with its ability to capture the finest of details when used properly.

This piece is titled “Its Not A Phase Mom”, which is a life-cast of my own hands. 

After a mold of my hands were made using Alginate, I poured gypsum cement into the mold and waited 24 hours for it to cure entirely. Once released from the mold, a perfect copy of my hands emerged. It was left out to dry for a few hours to allow any remaining moisture to escape. After drying, I was able to begin painting. Once the paint was dry, I was able to attach the nail polish brush and prop it on wooden blocks to present.

This is an untitled sculpture that was molded and casted the same way as above. 

(There is a noticeable crack in the finished plaster piece. This was when I learned my lesson of NOT using a different brand of gypsum cement when you run out more than halfway through. The two didn’t set and cure the same way, resulting in a weaker bond between the two brands.)

This is the process behind a sculpture that is still in progress. The first picture is my foot resting in a container of Alginate that was mentioned earlier (the mold material best suited for body parts, it’s what dentists use to make molds of your teeth). After a plaster cast is made and cured, it becomes easy to sand down and drill into. This allows for further details to be made within the sculptures if needed.