Photo1. Model stands next to his own full body casting.
Full body lifecasting incorporates all of the techniques demonstrated on this website for hand, feet, torso and face casting. The model is posed and various casts are made of the model's body, which are later married and seamed together to create the full body artwork. Typically, hands, feet, face, breast and the groin area are cast using the alginate & plaster bandage, technique. That is because these body parts offer the greatest detail. Alginate is the perfect choice in this case as it captures all the detail down to the finger prints. The rest of the body such as legs, arms, back, back of the head are molded using plaster bandages since these body parts offer little detail. The plaster bandage method is an excellent way to capture just this body form.
Photo 2. Sarah. This full body casting used the alginate method on the head, front torso, hands and feet and plaster bandages for the rest of the work.
Holes are made in the rear of the torso so that fiber glass strips may be inserted along the seam lines. After that is completed holes are then covered over. Most of the time a full body mold is made on a nude figure as it makes the mold making easier. But there are times when it is necessary to mold a clothed or partially clothed figure. In that case, corn oil is liberally brushed on the clothing to prevent the alginate or plaster bandages from adhering to the fabric.