| First Name: |
Elliott |
| Last Name: |
Mackay |
| Address: |
|
| City: |
Carrollton
|
| State: |
Texas
|
| Zip: |
75007 
|
| Country: |
United States |
| Phone: |
214-693-6208 |
| Fax: |
|
| Professional Status: |
Semi Professional |
| E-Mail: |
Elliott 
|
|
 Silver
|
| Specializing In:
|
|
|
Nude
Art
Glamour
Art Nude
Erotic/Adult
|
Portfolio Development
|
|
|
|
|
| Member Since: | November 17, 2002 |
| Last Updated: | October 29, 2007 |
|
|
| General Information:
|
Some of my work has been shown at:
The Firehouse Gallery (817) 534-3620
4147 Meadowbrook Dr.
Ft. Worth, Tx.
76130
Cricketsong Studio (325) 665-9828
241 Pine St, Suite 2D-C
Abilene, TX. 79601
Behind Closed Doors (972) 248-2500
19009 Preston Rd.
Dallas, TX 75252
LIFECASTING DEFINED:
What is Lifecasting?
Lifecasting is the art form of casting a 3 dimensional mold directly from the human body. There are a myriad of methods and mediums used with results varying from extreme lifelike to abstract.
History of Lifecasting
Lifecasting is one of the oldest art forms known to man and dates back to ancient Egyptian times. It has been used throughout history to produce death masks, babies hands and feet, and full life size sculptures. As old as this art form is, it is a fairly rare practice in todays time. A lot of people have never heard of lifecasting before or have some vague idea of what it is.
Why do Lifecasting?
A lot of people ask why would anyone want a cast or what do you do with your castings? I am always taken back by this question. The reason is, I have never heard this question asked when photography, portraiture or sculpture is involved. Somehow the purpose behind those art forms is more set in peoples minds. My answer is always the same. Why do people have portraits painted, photographs taken or sculpture rendered? For the oldest reason of all
for posteritys sake, to leave something behind when we depart this realm, to leave our mark on the world. Last but not least people do all of these other art forms to capture a moment in time and freeze that moment for all eternity. Lifecasting does this better, in my opinion than the other art form because, photography is but a two dimensional meduim and paintings and sculptures are, regardless of realism, still filtered through the artist's view of the subject. Only lifecasting can make an exact replica of someone in every detail.
Who does it?
All types of people come to get lifecast. Parents bring their children to have their hands of feet cast. Pregnant women like being cast to preserve the miraculous way that their bodies transform in order to support another life form growing inside them. Lovers have themselves cast either together or separately to give as gifts. Bodybuilders who want to show their hard work many years later when their bodies no longer are competition ready.
How is it done?
There are many answers to this one but I will only discuss my methods as I could easily write a volume on the various methods out there. I feel that every person has at least one physical quality that is beautiful. My job as an artist is to find that part(s) and bring it out. I begin by looking at the model to determine what part I want to mold. Once the mold design in decided and agreed upon I go over the procedure with the model in full detail so that they have a good idea of what to expect. Timing is everything in lifecasting and knowing in advance can save a lot of failed molds. The next step is to cover the body part in a thin coat of Vaseline to protect the skin as well as to provide a release agent so that the mold will release. It is imperative that the layer of Vaseline be as thin as possible with no visible streaks as they would show up in the mold. I then make a negative mold of the body part by pouring liquid plaster on it or dipping the body part in a plastic tub filled with liquid plaster. The plaster hardens in approximately 15 to 20 minutes. The plaster negative is then separated from the model. It takes about a month for the negative to completely dry. During this time I clean and prepare the negative for the next stage in the process. Once dry, cleaned and prepared, the negative is filled with a liquid clay substance called slip. As the liquid clay (slip) sits in the dry plaster negative, the plaster absorbs moisture leaving behind a deposit of clay. The longer that the slip is left in the negative the thicker the clay deposit will be. I usually leave the slip in the negative for an hour or two resulting in a cast positive that is about ½ inch thick. Once the clay deposit has reached the desired thickness I pour out the excess slip and let the deposit dry for about a day while still in the negative. The clay deposit shrinks slightly as it begins to dry and subsequently separates itself from the negative. I then pull the clay positive from the plaster negative and allow it to continue drying for about another two weeks. During the first day out of the mold the clay positive has the consistency of stiff leather and can be cleaned fairly easily. Once the clay is completely dry I have the piece fired in a kiln and, depending on the piece, will then either airbrush it or put a glaze on it and fire it again. The end result is an exact replica of the body part cast. I am capable of reproducing extremely fine detail such as all the fine lines in your hand and fingerprints, etc.
This is just one method of creating a cast and there are several ways to do it. If you are interested in creating a cast, please don't hesitate to call. I would be more than happy to discuss the possibilities with you.
Thanks,
Elliott Mackay
214-693-6208
|
|
roticmolds
