This week we made a cast of our Cyrano’s face (Patrick David Wheeler).
Our wig and makeup goddess Robin Chenoweth McShaffry from HenhouseFX first protects Patrick’s face, hair, and clothing with plastic and vasoline.
She then uses Alginate an elastic material made from seaweed to make a detailed inner mold of Patrick’s face. She overlays the Alginate with a hard shell of plaster bandages to keep the mold from flexing and deforming as it is filled with plaster.
Next, she supports the mold with a metal tray while she mixes up very liquid Hydrostone plaster (plaster mixed with cement to make it harder) and fills the alginate mold carefully tapping it stirring it to release bubbles. Once the plaster has hardened, Robin then has a perfect cast of Patrick’s face to use to sculpt Cyrano’s nose.
To watch Robin release the cast from Patrick’s face and reveal the detail, you can watch this video of the end of the process from our youtube.
Protecting Patrick's eyebrows and eyelashes with gasoline so they won't catch in the Alginate holding material
Robin Chenoweth McShaffry, Makeup artist extraordinaire, and long time friend working from her beautiful home.
Gluing plastic over Patrick's hair to protect it.
Beginning to cover Patrick's face with Alginate
More Alginate application, working outward towards the edges of the face
The Alginate mold setting up.
Building up a hard outer shell of plaster bandages to keep the Alginate from deforming
Smoothing the plaster bandages down to make sure they hold together.
The final outer shell of Plaster Bandages
The incredibly detailed interior of the Alginate mold.
Patrick David Wheeler's face preserved forever in Hydrostone.