Casting and Creating Modeling Work With EnvironMolds, LLC

Liquid latex rubber is a popular casting material that can be easily used to make hollow rubber articles, flexible props, toys, display articles and even masks. However, things can get confusing when it comes to buying latex rubber.

In fact, art stores stock a wide range of latex casting rubber and all are not formulated in the same manner. Some latex compounds may take a long time to cure while some others may not have the necessary tear strength.


What you need to pick is high-quality latex rubber emulsions like EnvironMolds Premium Latex Casting Rubber. This multi-use liquid rubber can be easily used to make different items like imitation pottery, puppet heads, balls and other toys, props and masks. It is also appropriate for coating foams such as polystyrene, texturing and special effects for theater or video shoots.

This is a fine quality product presented by the esteemed art house of EnvironMolds. It is available in 32 oz, 1 gallon and 2 gallon buckets on www.artmolds.com. Even professional casting artists usually recommend this product for making latex mask as well as flexible props.



In fact, you can play around with this latex rubber as you wish. You can try your hand at making gloves and other thin skin products too. Or just cast them into plaster molds to make any kind of display article you want. The price is very economical and therefore will not be inhibitive.

The leading art supplier, EnvironMolds provides a variety of silicone mold rubbers to suit any kind of mold making activity. This two-part RTV material has emerged as the best choice for various mold types. And there are different varieties to suit different applications, such as:

• MoldRite 25 – This is a very popular variety as it is suitable for most general silicone mold making. It will create traditional silicone molds for figurines, giftware prototype tooling and stereolithography. It has a good shelf life, pot life of 2 hours, 40 minute working time and requires about 6 hours curing before it can be demolded. 

• 5-Minute Mold Putty – This is your choice of silicone rubber for making molds very quickly and easily. You can make good impressions within just 5 minutes even without a mold box. The silicone mold can be cast immediately. It is suitable for food grade applications too.

• SkinRite 10 – This is a soft and translucent silicone rubber that can be used for special effects or to simulate real skin surfaces. All it requires is a little tinting. It is apt for making realistic masks and doll reborning

• LifeRite – If you are looking for a skin safe silicone rubber for making life casts and duplicating body parts, LifeRite is the perfect answer. The body molds will be reusable too. 

•  BakeSil – This food safe silicone is FDA approved and can be easily used to make food molds and baking containers.

Perfect the art of making one part and two part molds to enjoy making silicone molds of almost anything!

Alginates are the mold making material of choice for life casting. This dental impression material is derived from seaweed and is completely safe for the skin.

The only drawback is that even after curing it stays soft and flexible. Therefore, it has to be reinforced with a mother mold that will enable it to hold its shape. Plaster bandages are commonly used for this purpose. Thin strips of plaster are rolled out, wetted and applied over the alginate. The plaster in the bandage dries quickly to form a firm and supportive shell mold.

However, the plaster itself may tend to peel back or curl away at times, especially on large surfaces. This will disengage the alginate and can distort the shape of the body mold.

We can overcome this problem by making locking keys before applying the plaster bandages. Place small acorns or clay molds with undercuts around the alginate mold while it is still mushy. Ensure that you completely cover these protrusions with plaster bandages as you work your way over the alginate. These ‘keys’ will lock the alginate and plaster molds together to form a hard body mold.

The plaster sets quickly and is demolded from the model before beginning the life casting process.
Keep in mind that at no point do you have to ‘unlock’ the two molds. They are used together during the casting.

Life casting artists are generally familiar with the tricks of their trade. They have honed their skills to perfection – from making a mold, demolding and casting to also finishing the final sculpture so that it’s ready to display in all its magnificence.

However, life casting requires an artist to work with a living and breathing model, and alas, many people falter in this aspect. The problem gets compounded as both the quality of your model and his or her cooperation is vital for the success of your life casting project.

Therefore, finding and hiring the right model (and offering proper compensation) is half the battle won. There are various sources for locating models that do not have any inhibitions against life casting. At this stage, remember to protect your interests with an appropriate model release form.

Now comes the task of preparing the model for what lies ahead. New models need to be carefully informed about the life casting procedures and applications. Even experienced ones need to get familiar with your techniques and requirements.

Discuss the pose you have in mind and try it out to ensure that the model is comfortable. There is no harm in trying out different postures before settling on one where the model feels most relaxed. Always remember that the quality of your final life cast completely depends on how comfortable the model feels when you are making a mold!