Create a lifelike clay portrait using a mold.
The earliest sculpted portraits date back to the Egyptians, representing the dead, but throughout history, the portraits were created to render kings, emperors and simple people. Making a clay portrait using the hand-building technique involves experience in ceramics, and even with extensive experience, it is difficult to achieve a realistic portrait. If you have little or no experience, you can still create a detailed portrait using molds you prepare with modeling plaster. Making a clay portrait takes up to a week to complete, because waiting time is involved during the different stages of the procedure.
Instructions
Making the Mold
1. Place the swimming cap on your model's head to protect the model's hair.
2. Divide your model's head in two parts (front and back or left and right) and mark the division line with eyeliner or a marker. Include the ears either in the front or back part. Establish how much of the neck you will cast into plaster. You will first cast the front part of the head.
3. Spread Vaseline on your model's face and neck until the division line to protect the skin. Your model should keep his eyes closed while you prepare the front part of the mold.
4. Cover the front part of the head and neck with medical gauze. Insert two straws in your model's nose and cotton balls into his ears.
5. Mix plaster with water to obtain a consistent paste.
6. Apply the plaster on the gauze to cover the entire front half. The plaster dries within a few hours.
7. Remove the cast when it is dry.
8. Repeat Steps 3 to 7 for the back of the head and neck.
Making the Portrait
9. Allow the plaster molds to set for 48 hours before you make the clay portrait.
10. Firmly press a small amount of clay into one plaster mold. Start in the middle of the mold and use additional lumps of clay to fill the entire mold.
11. Press clay into the other mold.
12. Make a crisscross pattern on the clay in each mold using a needle tool. This ensures the clay adheres better when you join the two molds. Take one mold in each hand and align the molds, with the clay areas facing each other, making sure that the top part of the front of the head corresponds to the top part of the back and not the neck. Firmly press the two molds together for two minutes.
13. Put the mold aside and allow the plaster to absorb some of the water from the clay. This takes at least 10 minutes, but the interval may vary depending on how dry the plaster mold is and the humidity of the atmosphere. Test if you can remove the molds after 10 minutes. You should be able to remove the molds effortlessly; if the clay sticks to the molds, wait five more minutes and try again.
14. Remove the portrait from the mold.
15. Place your portrait on a stand or table. Wet the clay to make it more malleable and use a needle tool to add details such as eyes, ears and hair.
