venta | When you're stuck like glue...

Well, last night

condign came round and covered me in Vaseline.
Well, technically I covered myself in Vaseline, so the plaster of paris bandages which he was about to cover me in didn't stick.

I now have a full-face plaster mask of myself, which, once dry, I'll be able to papier mache and paint. I'm also temporarily in possession of one of

condign, though it's a bit lumpy as my plaster-application-skills proved to be inferior.

Actually, given how malleable the plaster appears to be, I'm slightly surprised that the masks don't look more like the people they're made on. I'm not sure, for example, that I'd recognise my own as my face if I'd seen it in other circumstances.

Getting plastered is a slightly odd experience, as it involves keeping your face completely still for around half an hour. Which is probably the longest I've shut up in ages :) We managed surprisingly well with gesticulation - though I failed to understand

condign miming "Nobody minds having a space hopper around the house".

Continuing our arts-and-crafts theme, he also tried to teach me a few basics of oriental calligraphy. Which is a lot harder than it looks :( I know none of the characters, but I love the stylised flower and animal paintings... sadly, it looks like I won't be churning out beautiful pictures of bamboo and pandas any time soon. Bloody hobbies that require skill and practice, bah!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hmm, we used to do a similar thing in my DWAS costume making days. I remember 'plastering up' someone to make a full head mask once - his main complaint was the two drinking straws that had to be inserted up the nostrils to ensure an oxygen supply. Then there were the hours of fun that came later... We took a cast from the original cast, to make a bust, and then added plasticene to these until we had sculpted the monsters head. Then you take another cast of the new scary head, and whey-hey - you too can turn into a silurian. Of course, some strange people seem to think that this behaviour is in some way strange.

I like the sound of this mask making. I think I may have to try it soon...

What kind of plaster and bandages do you use?

Well, we used plaster of paris and crepe bandages.

We used some stuff called 'Model Roc' (spelling phonetic, I only heard it said!), which you can buy in art supply shops.

It's like plaster-impregnated webbing; you soak it in water, and slop it on someone's face. Pretty much like the bandages they use to make pot arms an so on, I believe.

Yes indeedy, ModRoc. Lovely stuff. It's the stuff you use to make landscapes for model railways, etc.

So you're welcome to some of it, and I'm happy to assist. (Always needing more moulds.)

It's 7 quid from the art shop on Broad Street. :)

You did your absolute best to make that sound dubious before putting it in a cut, didn't you?

You'd mentioned the subject line, 'Last night I got plastered with Condign' (better as even, 'Last night I got condignly plastered'), which doesn't have half the double-entendre value. Really, you will begin to get me a reputation...

Me ? Dubious ?
Oh, all right then. Maybe you have a point :)

(Would you like me to change it to something less misreadable?)

NO!

Not at all. What's life without some misrepresentation? (Heck, it'll make me seem more interesting.)

And technically speaking, it makes it sound like all of you was covered in vaseline, which I suppose implies that I'm sloppier with plaster than any mortal man should be. Or that you wanted a full body casting, which OK, I suppose I could do, but requires a lot of plaster. But heck, if you're game, I am.

(No, no, I'm not. I've gotten into trouble with statements like that before.)

OK, I take back that statement about not making an all-over bodycast. I saw one while I was in Venice and it was delightfully decorated. Of course, it would require making a mould, then actually making a negative form, then... (I saw it being done in Venice, and it was fun to watch them making the stuck paper cast from the mould, and the decoration was nice, though beyond me.)

T'was funky. :) One day I'll find a volunteer.

I saw Anthony Gormley's statue in Chichester Cathedral crypt. Same technique but all over body cast and seriously weird.
...but it works as sculpture in that location.

When you're stuck like glue...

Playing with latex

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I have quite a lot of the stuff

Ahem

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plaster of paris