[video=youtube;JybFk2TfJ5k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JybFk2TfJ5k[/video] Has anyone tried this? Is it possible to do without assistants by sectioning your body into several sections with seam lines? I tried it once with a friend to put the bandages on me, but she wasn't used to lifecasting and I couldn't really give good suggestions semi-naked and holding a pose. I was thinking the hardest parts to do, solo, are probably the butt area and the upper back area. But if you do a front and back piece in those areas maybe you can get away with it? What do you think?
Also take a look at these tutorials: Clone yourself a fitting assistant. Plaster is a rigid mold material. At the minimum, it is at least a two-person job, plus yourself as a model. Ideally, one person prepares the bandages, and the other person applies them. The model is being encased in a rigid mold material, so she cannot move around very easily. The wet plaster weighs several pounds, so the model doesn't really want to be inside the plaster mold any longer than necessary. (^_^)
The duct tape method I've tried, but duct tape doesn't hold up that well, and glunks up pins. I did some math, and it seems that at the low end, around 5 pounds of dry bandages would be enough for a smaller person's full body coverage (3~4 layers of overlapped bandage). But when you wet it, it becomes a lot heavier, but shouldn't exceed perhaps 10 lb? Which is not a terrible weight to carry distributed all over your body. Medical bandages sets up fast, about 2~4 minutes or 4~8 minutes depending on the type. So ideally two people would be laying down the bandages if you're trying to do your full body in one session. But if you're doing your body in sections (an arm here, half a torso there) is it conceivably possible to do it to yourself? My problem is finding someone who is experienced enough with moldmaking to do this to me. Five pounds of bandages cost about 30~40 dollars, so learning cost for doing something like this accumulates surprisingly fast! Soooo, if anyone here wants *also* wants to make a dress form, let's share the burden and we can do this for each other, yeah?
I have not made a life-size dress form from duct tape, but I have used the duct-tape method described by Threads to make a dress form for a doll, using masking tape. I applied three layers of masking tape over a doll body covered in a layer of plastic. The masking tape dress form held its shape remarkably well when I stuffed it with plastic grocery bags. Masking tape does not have as much gunk on it as duct-tape does. The thing is, even if you used duct-tape, you would be stuffing the duct-tape form with foam after it was finished, right? Once the foam solidifies, you could remove the duct-tape, and just have the life-size foam form which you could then cover with a layer of cloth, such as linen?. I have worked with human models, making life molds, using alginate as the mold material, and then making the mother-mold with plaster bandages. It was a team effort. From that experience, I would venture to say that 5 pounds of plaster bandages for a life-size plaster bandage mold, is a very conservative estimate. In case you are curious, we cast 100% rag paper pulp into the molds. The rag paper was torn into strips, and put into a blender to make the pulp. Additives were combined with the pulp to make colors, sparkles, and so forth. It was a lot of work. It took a lot of time (always allow yourself more time than you think it will take). It used a lot of materials. Each cast was a OOAK. (^_^)
So I should spring for the 20lb package, huh. Thanks for the heads up. When I did duct tape, it really didn't feel very stable. I stuffed with scrap cloth and polyfill last time and the dress form felt apart after a few drapings. Summer temperatures seemed to accelerated the melt down. From how it felt, I think duct tape would deform when the foam is expanding, unless you put plaster over duct tape. What do you think about packing tape as molding material? Or as a last resort, use whatever material to get a rough volume reproduction of the body and then refine and recast? orz
I do not in any way wish to discourage you from experimenting, and trying out your ideas. Sometimes, the best way to find out how to do something is to just go ahead and do it. Keep an open mind, and learn from your mistakes. Certainly, the cost of a few pounds of plaster bandages is much less expensive than paying tuition? I hope you will let the rest of us know how it goes? What to do, and what not to do? I wish you all the best. Perhaps someone else can offer better suggestions? (^_^)
