Special Makeup Effects for Stage and Screen, 3rd Edition

3 Lifecasting

Key Points

• ■ Safety
• ■ Materials
• ■ The process
• ■ Lifecasting teeth
• ■ Lifecasting face and neck
• ■ Lifecasting full head and shoulders (bust)
• ■ Lifecasting hands, arms, legs, feet, and ears
• ■ Lifecasting full body, prone

Introduction

Without intending to cause alarm, I begin this chapter with a disclaimer: Lifecasting has the potential to be quite dangerous if done incorrectly. Some of the materials used in lifecasting may encapsulate body hair, enclose or block orifices, cause serious allergic reactions, and create substantial heat that can cause serious burns. That being said, lifecasting is a skill that’s not difficult to learn and, once learned, can be used to create myriad lifecasts of body parts, including full-body lifecasts. ...