OKay, I fess up...it was Danny Wagner, my wife and I that did Danica's molds...Mike has been very professional and allowing me to jump in when I felt like it--if at all.
For the hands, I created temporary "mother" molds out of 4" ABS pipe and we filled that with Prosthetic Grade Cream (Alginate) and Danica slipped her hand into the mix. Once it set, she was able to wriggle her hand out (one easier than the other!) and we simply poured Ultracal 30 into the open mold, inserted a 12" galvanized nipple (no giggling) and let it set. When it set, we pulled the alginate off and had the castings--they haven't been cleaned yet in the picture.
For the body mold, we used fast set (6-8 minute) 6" wide plaster bandages. Danica wore the appropriate undergarment to give her the desired shape, and then Nivea cream was applied liberally as a release (We used Nivea over Vaseline as it's easier to wash off). The plaster bandages were applied vertically directly to the released skin and clothing, smoothed down and built up around her back first. An edge was created with rolled over bandages and then a wood frame was applied for strength. Once set, we moved onto the front half. It pulled off quite easily, though it stuck a little to the cloth bits. The whole application process probably took about 20 minutes.
The body mold will be cleaned and I'll screed a thin layer of white Hydracal over the inside to fill the small holes. Once that sets, I'll seal it with shellac and apply Urethane mold release. I'll be using Tap Plastic's X30 expanding foam to create the body shape. The sculpture for the gold bits will be created on that and molded...materials to be determined. I'll be sending Mike pictures of the process and he can post them if he wishes.
Regarding the rest of the costume, materials and designs are to be determined.
As to Danica...well, as Mike said, she's trooper. She was incredibly easy to work with and she seemed to have fun.
--Don Bies
PS Danny Wagner has been doing make-up professionally for 20 years--he created Aayla Secura and George Lucas' make-up for the prequels, as well as scores of others--and he's a darn fine model maker and sculptor as well. My wife, Anna, has been a professional costume designer for over 20 years...in case anyone was wondering.
