Baby hand and foot casting

For newborn and infant castings, a wonderful flexible skin safe material is used to capture detail down to fingerprints, so that the tiny hand or foot of your child can be captured forever. Finishes include: raku, bronze, cold cast bronze, cold cast marble or glass.

Testimonials

"Audra is wonderful with children! Having a lasting life sculpture of your child's hand and foot is something everybody should do, especially since they grow up so fast. Thank you Audra!"

Jason Charles

"As a first-time mom, who had such struggles with having a baby, the experience of getting my baby Gracie's hand and foot cast was incredibly fun for both her and I. Also, now that she is older, I look at those casts and can't believe that her hands and feet were once so small. Audra was completely patient with a very curious Gracie and did a wonderful job. The casting process is extremely interesting and the end result is something I will always treasure. Thank-you Audra for making an awesome memory for us!"

Blessings!

Chanda

Life Cast Process

Life casting is the perfect way to celebrate life! A Life casting is a moment in time that one can touch and view from all angles unlike any photograph or painting. It is a wonderful a way of recording the changes in ones life and body.

A Life casting might be made of a woman during several stages of pregnancy or of a newborns hands and feet. Life casting is a process by which a three-dimensional copy of a living model is created through a two part technique. First, a negative impression or mold is made directly off the model. Next, the impression or mold is filled with material such as plaster, wax, or clay in order to make a positive or finished piece. Additional steps may be necessary depending on what is desired in the finished life cast or sculpted statue. Life casting allows one to create an exact portrait.

The most common artistic life casts are cast from children’s hands and faces, a pregnancy belly, or a torso. Life casting is also commonly used for reference, in the special effects industry, medical use in the creation and fitting of prostheses or dentures, or as a finished artistic statue. Life casts are able to capture incredible realism and detail down to fingerprints. For traditional portrait sculptures by Audra Vaughn a life cast may be taken of the models face for reference at the models request.

History

Life casting is a historic art technique practiced by several ancient

cultures including the Greeks and Egyptian and has been a tradition of nearly all countries and nations at one point in time. In Ancient Egypt after mummification, prayer and sanctification, death masks were created and placed over the face of the deceased. The Egyptians believed that the mask would strengthen and guard the spirit of the deceased from encountering evil and therefore provide safe transport to the afterlife.

Perhaps the most famous casting is a death mask of Tutankhamen, Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty. Many other prominent persons in history have had their likeness captured such as: Emperor Napoleon, Dante, Filippo Brunelleschi, Torquato Tasso, Shakespeare, and Blaise Pascal.

Skin Safe Materials

Alginate is used on the skin in order to make the mold during a life cast. Alginate is a wonderful skin-safe hypoallergenic material that captures amazing detail of the skin. It is soft and flexible and perfect for casting even newborn babies hands or feet. This skin safe material is commonly used in dental offices, as it is safe enough to be used in the mouth. Many spas have adopted a new skin treatment using a similar material for beauty and health treatment for the skin called a seaweed wrap. Other materials used include: cholesterol when casting the hair (a thick conditioner used for hair treatment) and plaster, which is not used on the skin, but gives rigidity to the outer mold.

The experience

The life casting process is a collaborative process between the model and the artist. Nearly any pose can be captured, as long as the model is able to hold the position for 20 minutes (faces or pregnancy belly casting). Most models find the life casting experience enjoyable and relaxing. As the process is similar to a spa treatment in the use of materials and having a relaxed environment, some models have even fallen asleep while being cast. When casting the face, some say, the feeling is comparable to that of a facial.

 

To view the life casting process please click here.

To view recent commissions and editions including testimonials click here.

The above portrait on the left is a Life Cast of a woman's face. The eyes must be cast closed and the hair must be either tied back or lathered with a thick hair conditioner. The effect is very raw but the detail captured is amazing. Upon request, Audra will use a combination of Life Casting and Sculpture which allows expression, movement, and emotion to be achieved, combining the advantages of both art forms. Many people love the exact detail the Life Cast offers but they may want to have the hair sculpted to add volume and dimension (above male portrait), also sculpting the eyes open give much more life to the Casting Creating a True LIFE SCULPTURE

TO VIEW TRADITIONAL PORTRAIT PROCESS CLICK HERE       

TO VIEW LIFE SCULPTURE PROCESS CLICK HERE