The process

What to expect

When you come, we’ll have some tea and a chat. I like to chat a bit before to give people the chance to relax and feel comfortable with me. Then we make an impression of the part of your body that you would like to cast.

For chest casts, I use body-safe silicone. For hand casts of other parts of the body, I use dental alginate.

Body Casts Step 1: Capturing the body

I apply a soft, body-safe silicone to the skin. After the silicone is set, I apply a few layers of plaster bandage to the set silicone. This sets hard and supports the shape of the silicone once removed from the body.

The process is not uncomfortable at all, and the silicone comes off very easily after it has set.  A warm cloth is provided to remove any residual silicone. This part of the process takes about 40 minutes. 

Your involvement is now complete.

Step 2: Making the cast

Using the impression, I make a cast using jesmonite reinforced with fibreglass, which has the same classic look as plaster but is significantly stronger and lighter.

Before applying any finishes, the cast must dry out completely. This takes two days.

Step 3: Finishing

Once the cast is ready, I then finish it. For gilt finishes, this process can sometimes take up to 3 days.

Step 4: Finalising the artwork

The final finishing touches are done to your artwork, and the selected display materials - either to be hung or displayed on a shelf - are attached to the cast. 

Step 5: Shipping

The artwork is carefully packed and shipped to arrive safely at your door.