cssimeur
New Member
Hello all, I'm seeking some advice regarding doing a full body lifecast. First, I'd like to get my wife done, and eventually myself as well. I'll go into more detail, but the TL;DR version is that we are moving out to the Seattle area, I feel confident in being able to do the appendages myself but would like to have someone with experience to do or help with the torso (neck to top part of legs). One issue for my wife, since she'll be naked, I need to find a woman who can do this.
Here is a little background/reasoning as to why we are looking to get this done and a rundown of some stuff I've tried unsuccessfully.
We go to cons, mostly DragonCon, and have done a variety of costumes, not really at the skill level displayed here, but we have made a few things amateurishly but enthusiastically. We did Number Six (she's at 0:36-0:47 ) and Gaius Baltar; a female Dude (Lebowski) and skinny Walter; I was a bioluminescent jellyfish, a Lego man, a sushi roll; she's done a space alien Barbie, and is knitting the sweater from Big Lebowski for another version of a fem Dude. But now we're interested in expanding our cosplay, and are very interested in getting essentially an almost identical mannequin for measuring and building onto it. I'm pretty comfortable with electronics and easy materials, like cardboard, and she's a decent sewer (seamstress?), but beyond that, we aren't the most capable--yet--builders.
I've used and have not been satisfied with getting a rough stand in--mannequin or dress form, either bought or made. For me, my measurements are too asymmetrical and I'm too thin so that the end result ends up being too wonky. And she's not patient enough to stand around while I fumble my way through trying to measure and remeasure, and remeasure again after that turns out wrong. I'm not even patient enough to stand around for that first measure.
I tried to search the classifieds for a lifecasting service, but I can't really find anything like that. I did send an email to a woman out in Seattle that had pretty reasonable prices for high def torso casts that I found online, but I haven't heard back from her. It looks like she's primarily interested in doing pregnant ladies, so this might be out of her wheelhouse or comfort zone. Anyway, I thought I wanted to get more involved on here anyway, and that this would be a good resource to tap into after I've been fumbling through this on and off for about a year and a half now.
Here are the things I've tried thus far, in case they come to mind as a suggested alternative:
1) Duct tape form [2 different ways, not satisfied w/result--lack of detail and added bulk primarily]
2) Kraft Paper Tape form, ended up w/o enough detail as well as distorting too badly when I tried to give it an internal support
3) Various clay form attempts--there's a reason I have a science background and not art. Total fubar. Utter embarrassment.
4) Smooth-On silicone. Detail was amazing, but I'm incompetent. Having never done anything like it before and also undertaking the project w/o assistance, the final result
Thanks for any advice or direction you can provide.
Here is a little background/reasoning as to why we are looking to get this done and a rundown of some stuff I've tried unsuccessfully.
We go to cons, mostly DragonCon, and have done a variety of costumes, not really at the skill level displayed here, but we have made a few things amateurishly but enthusiastically. We did Number Six (she's at 0:36-0:47 ) and Gaius Baltar; a female Dude (Lebowski) and skinny Walter; I was a bioluminescent jellyfish, a Lego man, a sushi roll; she's done a space alien Barbie, and is knitting the sweater from Big Lebowski for another version of a fem Dude. But now we're interested in expanding our cosplay, and are very interested in getting essentially an almost identical mannequin for measuring and building onto it. I'm pretty comfortable with electronics and easy materials, like cardboard, and she's a decent sewer (seamstress?), but beyond that, we aren't the most capable--yet--builders.
I've used and have not been satisfied with getting a rough stand in--mannequin or dress form, either bought or made. For me, my measurements are too asymmetrical and I'm too thin so that the end result ends up being too wonky. And she's not patient enough to stand around while I fumble my way through trying to measure and remeasure, and remeasure again after that turns out wrong. I'm not even patient enough to stand around for that first measure.
I tried to search the classifieds for a lifecasting service, but I can't really find anything like that. I did send an email to a woman out in Seattle that had pretty reasonable prices for high def torso casts that I found online, but I haven't heard back from her. It looks like she's primarily interested in doing pregnant ladies, so this might be out of her wheelhouse or comfort zone. Anyway, I thought I wanted to get more involved on here anyway, and that this would be a good resource to tap into after I've been fumbling through this on and off for about a year and a half now.
Here are the things I've tried thus far, in case they come to mind as a suggested alternative:
1) Duct tape form [2 different ways, not satisfied w/result--lack of detail and added bulk primarily]
2) Kraft Paper Tape form, ended up w/o enough detail as well as distorting too badly when I tried to give it an internal support
3) Various clay form attempts--there's a reason I have a science background and not art. Total fubar. Utter embarrassment.
4) Smooth-On silicone. Detail was amazing, but I'm incompetent. Having never done anything like it before and also undertaking the project w/o assistance, the final result
Thanks for any advice or direction you can provide.
