Closed Mould Making (Penny Delemar)

Modelling the features

- Place a small amount of wet clay onto the part of the face that you wish to change
- begin to put in the details of the face
- sculpt in very thin edges
- remember to add in texture

Casting the Mould

- it is necessary to build a wall around the features
- spread a thin layer of vaseline on the nose and surrounding area inside the wall
- paint on a thin coat of plaster with a brush then pur plaster to cover the piece
- when plaster is dry remove the clay wall and seperate the nose mould from the lifecast
- remove the modelled nose from the interior of the mold

Making the Prosthetic Piece
Painting Method

- the painting method is done with liquid latex
- brush the mould with liquid soap
- pour a little latex into the mould and use a brush to paint the inside if the mould until it is covered. Allow each layer to dry before painting the next
- paint the next layer beyond the edge of the piece
- apply about 15 layers so that the piece will hold its shape, concentrate on the middle  part of the piece so that the edges are thin
- leave to dry about 6 hours, it will become darker in colour.

Slush Method

- slush method uses latex but without painting it in layers
- pour the latex into the mould and sluice it around, tilting it gently so the latex runs everywhere
- build up the thickness in the middle, but leave the edges thin
- leave to dry overnight

Using Plastic

- involves bald cap plastic
- spread a layer of Vaseline inside the mould
- paint in layers of cap plastic, allowing each layer to dry before painting the next
- more layers should be concentrated in the middle part of the nose so that the edges are thin.

Gelatin Method

- seal the mould with vaseline
- heat the gelatin (using same recipe and method as for flat plate mould)  and heat the moulds in oven
- sluice a little of the gelatine around the mould to pick up any surface detail, then pour in more gelatin to fill the mould
- close the mould and leave for two hours or until cold.

It was interesting to learn about the different methods in closed mould making. I chose not to experiment with latex as I don't think a prosthetic where you build up the edges to blend is a as subtle as something where you melt away the edges. However I didn't know you could make a prosthetic piece with just cap plastic, presumably it would be similar to a bald cap. The gelatin method is the same as I have been using for my gelatin and silicone closed mould prosthetics,

Delemar, P (2003) The complete makeup artist, working in film, fashion, television and theatre. 2^nd edition. Berkshire. Thomson