Class notes :                                                                                    

The first time you intend to do a full head cast it is highly  reccomended

to do it with 4 persons ( 3 including the model ). If you decide to do it in

the workshop always let Ben know. Never use straws ( some people  apply straws in the model nose so he/she could breath through that  while applying material on the face)  : it is dangerous and against health and safety regulation! 

There are several ways to do a full head cast, the one shown to us is how our tutor Peter Tindell do it, but later on with some more experience on this practice everybody can develope his/her own method.

The key for a successful lifecast it is  :

- communication between the model and the team ( explain what is going to happen, etc; )

- preparation : always make sure to have enough material ( it is always better to have a bit more than what you think you need ), have a health and safety checklist.

During a full head cast the model can't move, always make sure she/he is alright ( body language ) : the model is the most important person.

Be serious and professional, especially to make your model feel safe and calm.

Moisturize the model's eye lashes ( don't apply too much product on the eyes so you can obtain a very good texture ), eyebrow, hair line, eventual body hair. Peter Tindell reccomend to use nivea moisturizing cream, by his experience he assure it is better than using vaselin. If you are going to use a latex boldcap apply the nivea cream on there as well (as alginate can stick to latex ). Apply some z-coat tape ( safer for the skin than normal tape ) around t-shirt neck bord ( alginate is hard to get off fabrics ). stick the t-shirt bord to the skin with the tape, then a big bean bag to completely cover the model's clothes. Draw the hairline with some aquacolor and a brush. ( use aquacolor so the line can easily transfer on the alginate later on )

Prepare more plaster bandages than what you think you need, provide a big basket to mix the alginate and a bowl of slightly warm water.

Don't use dentist alginate or alginate with flocks, because those materials can make your model feel uncomfortable. Use professional life cast alginate! Usually the full head cast is half made of alginate ( the front ) and the back is made with plaster, as the back don't need as many details/texture, is just more about the volume and the form ( unless your model is bold and you want to preserve some of the details like the neck ). 

Start with the back of the head, so with double fould plaster bandages. Deep it in the water and squeeze the water away, then fold it again.

Tip if the model has loads of hair : you make a hole on the boldcap, wrap the hair in clean film, and work around it.

Make a few layers in order to make the mold strong. Then make a few very thick stripes to to apply , there is no need to cover the whole mold with those. 

If possible don't buy too cheap plaster bandages : they might take very long time to set or they might be not that strong so there is a risk to not mantain a good shape.

Make another layer of bandages to covering the thick plaster stripes.

It is worth to have a bowl of water close to you to sometimes clean your hand and obtain a smooth plaster mold. 

Now is time to do the other half of the full head cast. Apply a bit of nivea cream on the plaster edges so the alginate wont stick to that. You can also apply some cream on fingernails so they don't get sticky.

Mix the alginate and water with hands, again do more than what you need.

Start to apply it on the front head, back of the ears, and on the ears ( don't push it in ) , under the neck, on the eyes then the mouth. Make sure there is plenty on the ears. Leave the nose at last. The alginate Peter Tindell used is a slow mix and is very reccomended so it wont set too quickly and there is more time in order to get a good life cast. Keep pulling alginate away from the nose until it sets!

Now clean up as well as you can, take eccess away from the front and on the plaster with the help of a non-sharped knife.

Now apply plaster bandages on the alginate, apply nivea on the board between alginate and plaster first,. Some people don't cover the ears with plaster,so it's easier to take it off and then they put plaster on it later as a support. 

Push the bandages well against the alginate so there will be not imperfection later on. Try avoiding get the bandage too wet.

Those plaster layers has to be quite strong too.

Don't squeeze the nose area, it will make your model feel uncomfortable.

Create some registration lines, so when you put the two molds back together later you can make sure they are in the correct place.

Once you take the mold off, be aware of the light's impact on the model. 

Once the mold is finally been taken off, apply some superglue on the alginate outside part of the nose, and make sure it becomes solid before you apply plaster bandage on it. Super glue will preserve the nose better.

Prepare some very thick alginate and force it into the nostrol  to mantain the shape of the nose.

Put the two molds together, and seal it with some plaster bandages ( not too many or it will be hard to find the edges when you'll cut it later ).

Put the mold in a big mold so you can fill it with plaster. It doesnt' need to be completely full.