Sculpting, moulding, and casting techniques for prosthetic makeup.

The past week was a busy one!
I spent the week introducing students at the Cameron Jane School of Makeup Design for a unit in their Diploma of Specialist Make-up Services. In this unit they learnt how to sculpt, mould, and life cast for prosthetic makeup.

What an adventure!

This was the girls’ first introduction to the world of wounds, gore and other gross stuff like skin disease. We were all trying not to chuck while we looked at reference images!

Prosthetic Makeup Workshop - Claire Tennant WorkshopFirst off the bat we had a visit from my favourite supplier at Barnes Products.  James walked us though the many and varied products that can be used to sculpt and mould.

We did some practical experiments and made quite a mess. Fun!

We then experimented with a variety of different sculpting materials and tools, and created our own wounds to be applied later.

Once the sculpts were finished, we delved into the world of mould making (my favourite of course!), so the students could learn how to replicate their ‘art works’ .
They all did an amazing job! I was so impressed as to how quickly they took on the new skills and applied them. Everyone created their own mould and casting of their wound like a professional.

Later in the week, we experimented with life casting.Prosthetic Makeup Workshop - Claire Tennant Workshop

We used alginate to make a cast of a hand, and then the newest life casting product on the market OddBod silicone, to take an ear cast for a later project.
Anna, from Barnes and I did a demonstration on one of the girls, then they all had a go at taking a mould from each other.
Again it was a messy day but everyone had a great time.

Once everyone had two ear moulds, we used our newly honed casting skills to make a stone cast of each ear. They all came out brilliantly!

Well done girls!
See you next month when we will be sculpting fairy ear prosthetics for you to keep and use.