Some new work

A very sexy butt...I love body casting...

This is fairly easy to do... It does not take years of partice to master the craft. In fact, If given proper instructions, anyone can make a casting like this at the firts attempt. It does not cost a fortune either.  My life casting tutorial shows you every steps... Happy casting

How to cast bronze

If you have made a beautiful life casting, and object of such great quality that it deserves to be made into something more noble and more durable than plaster or resin, you may want to consider casting it in Bronze.

Bronze casting evqoues ideas of a large industrial foundry with heavy equipment and a gang of heavily protected men working in hot and noisy environment.

It does not need to be that way... in fact you can easily cast your saml bronze at home cheaply, safely and to a high degree of quality.

I have written a step by step insruction manual teaching how to cast bronze over a 5 days parctical project. I guarantee than if you follow my instruction you will cast a bronze object. I have adpated the lost wax ceramic shell technique to make it possible in the home backyard.

A Life casting book with a twist

I found this other body casting instruction book "Manuela's manual"

Manuela wrote a very good casting tutorial but instead of using a female torso as an example, she used a vulva... This makes for very interesting reading...

Check it out, (adults only)

Bronze Casting Workshops on Waiheke Island

Bronze casting workshop.
Hands-on, practical creative workshop with Olivier Duhamel on Waiheke Island.

Read details below or visits bodyscape.net.nz 5 days Bronze Casting Workshop $600 Two options: 1- Five consecutive days (Monday to Friday) 2- Two consecutive week ends Course outline: This 5 or 4 day practical workshop teaches the lost wax technique as used by modern art foundries. The process has been adapted and scaled down to make it easily achievable. The workshop demystifies the bronze casting process and is suitable to anyone over the age of 16. Sculptors, ceramicists, glass artists, wood carvers, furniture and classical boat restorers, DIY enthusiasts, art students, craft people, model makers, jewellers and goldsmiths and any creative person wanting to expand their skills and knowledge. No previous experience necessary. At the end of the course, students have made a solid and durable bronze sculpture. Topics: Day one - Wax working. Students are making a small sculpture in wax. - Advantages of wax as a sculpting medium - What is wax? - Safety considerations - Melting wax - Sculpting (Painting, modelling, carving, texturing) - Some models ideas and design criteria at the bottom of this page. Day Two - "Sprueing" The wax sculpture will then prepared for the mold. The basics or wax working are further explored. - Basic principle - Making wax cups - Making wax rods and tubes - Assembling the Mold - Welding wax Day 3 - "Shelling up" The wax structure is encased in a ceramic mold, called “shell”, which is painted in its liquid form in several layers over the wax and then left to dry. Take the afternoon off to visit our wonderful Island (Art galleries, vineyards, beaches, walking tracks and more...) - Mixing the “slurry” (Molochite Flour – Colloidal Silica ) - The importance of drying. - Pre-coat - First coat - Second coat Applying the "slurry" Day Four - Finishing the shell The shell is further build up - Third, fourth and fifth coat Dewaxing. Once the shell is dry, you will use a gas torch to melt the wax out of the shell. This is called “de-waxing” or “burning out”. You will then have an empty negative of your original shape, - Using a strong gas torch - Avoiding fissures - Fixing fissures - Reinforcing the shell Day Five - Baking, melting and finishing. Baking the shell - A simple ceramic blanket furnace - Setting the shell upside down in sand Melting and pouring A simple temporary furnace needs to be built and metal melted inside a crucible before it is poured in the empty shell. This is the most exciting part of the process. Do not be intimidated, the method is both safe and easy. - Constructing a simple furnace - Safety considerations - Adjusting the gas torch - Evaluating metal temperature - Pouring Knocking off and chasing Once the metal has cooled and solidified, the shell can be knocked off to free the newborn bronze sculpture. It will then need to be cleaned and any imperfections smoothed out. This process is called “chasing”. - Knocking off the shell - Cleaning off the ceramic shell - Cutting off "sprues" - Fixing defects "Knocking off" Cleaning the ceramic off the bronze Patina Finally, the new sculpture will be given a surface finish. This is known as patina. - Heat patina - Natural patina - Chemical patina - Final sealing For the week end option, the tutor will finishing the shells (day 3 and 4) on behalf of the students during the week so that the second week end is dedicated to melting the metal and finishing the pieces. Course Roll: Minimum 4 students- Maximum 8 All materials included. No previous experience necessary. Dress appropriately. No particular physical strength required. Watch a video clip of what you will be doing during the workshop. Pricing, bookings and Inquiries: The Bronze casting workshop cost $600 and includes all material as well as a free copy of the "Bronze casting manual" Inquiries to Olivier Duhamel 09 372 7220 or Olivier.Duhamel@bodyscape.net.nz Secure your place now.  A $100 deposit will secure your place now. The balance is due on the first day. Dates: 5 day workshop Monday 19 September to Friday 23 September 2011 Monday 10 October to Friday 14 October 2011 Monday 14 November to Friday 18 November 2011 Monday 12 December to Friday 16 December 2011 Monday 23 January to Friday 27 January 2012 Monday 20 February to Friday 24 February 2012 Monday 19 March to Friday 23 March 2012 Monday 16 April to Friday 20 April 2012 Monday 21 May to Friday 25 May 2012 2 week ends workshop Sat/Sun26-27 November 2011 and Sat/Sun 3-4 December 2011 Sat/Sun3-4 March 2012 and Sat/Sun 10-11 March 2012 Ask me for future dates. What to bring? Simply bring something to eat for lunch (sandwich etc...) and perhaps togs and towel for a swim at the beach. Bring old clothes that you will not fear soiling. Bring a camera to record the action. Discounts: Get a group of 5 friends together and get your own workshop 1/2 price. Gift vouchers: gift vouchers are available for purchase and are valid for 12 months. Location:  Depending on weather and numbers, the workshop is held either at the tutor's studio 49 Church bay road in Oneroa or at the Redshed Art Collectives on Palm beach "The Redshed", Palm beach View Larger Map Ferry timetable: From Downtown Auckland with Fullers From Half Moon bay (Howick) with Sealink Buying 10 trips ticket will save you money. You can easily travel every day from Auckland or decide to stay on the Island for a few days. See accommodation options below. Accommodation: Waiheke Island Resort www.waihekeresort.co.nz Palm Beach Bungalows www.palmbeachbungalows.com Hekerua Lodge www.hekerualodge.co.nz Kina backpackers kinabackpackers.co.nz The Boat Shed www.boatshed.co.nz (5 stars) Delamore Lodge www.delamorelodge.com (5 stars) Many other options: Waiheke Unlimited Or stay with your tutor's family and enjoy traditional french family cooking. ($50 per night per person, including breakfast and dinner.) Testimonials "It was all very clear. We had a good time making new friends. I feel I have learnt enough to cast more bronzes by myself at home" Trudy, the Netherland "It was awesome Olivier. I loved my bronze retreat on Waiheke. Learning new skills, making new friends, having a few beers, swims at the beach... and a beautiful sculpture. A week well invested!" Debbie, Kunuaka “Thank you for the pleasant time I spent with you learning bronze casting techniques. You are a great teacher and good company too. I like my little whale and will display it proudly.” J.Worsell – Auckland Your Tutor: Olivier Duhamel is a figurative sculptor specialising in bronze figurines. Classical and elegant in style, his creations do not convey any particular message, do not attempt any conceptual or symbolist exploration, nor do they search to be innovative at all cost. Olivier Duhamel is rather simply trying to capture the beauty and sensuality of his subject of study. Like few other sculptors, Olivier Duhamel casts his own bronzes in is home foundry. This allows him to maintain full control over the entire creative process. He prides himself on the quality of his craftsmanship. A New Zealander since 1987 French born Olivier Duhamel lives and works on Waiheke Island. He warmly welcomes visitors to his home studio and workshop. His bronze works are sold in galleries across New Zealand and Australia but also in France, Belgium and China. He is the author of "Bronze Casting Manual" and a "Body Casting Manual"

The Body Casting Manual now available for Kindle and more...

The Body Casting Manual is now available for Kindle, Nook, Stanza, Kobo, Sony Reader, Aldiko, Adobe Digital edition and Palm doc.

Download a preview or purchase at

Smashwords

In the next few weeks the manual will also be available from your favorite vendors:

Apple stores, Barnes and Nobles, Diesel Ebook store, Kobo and Sony reader store...

The print version is also available from Amazon.com

Cheers,

Olivier

Buy the "Body Casting Manual"

Body Casting Manual

Bodyscape's "Body Casting Manual" is an easy to follow life casting tutorial explaining how to make a beautiful sculpture of someone's bust...

 ...or any other body part including hands and feet, pregnant belly, head and face, baby’s hands and feet.

Paperback: 58 pages

Published February 9, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1450509363
ISBN-13: 978-1450509367
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches

Order the book for US$17.60
(Plus shipping.)

Shipped to your door by
Createspace
or
buy it from Amazon.com

What does the manual cover?

The first part is a practical step by step casting project using a female torso as an example. The second part gives further instructions on casting other body parts. (Head and face, pregnant belly, hands and feet, bay's hand and feet) and on how to use some other more robust casting materials such as Forton MG. . Most importantly, the manual tells you exactly where to go to buy some of the special materials needed, this will save you much time and guessing.

Overview of the process
What Tools and materials to buy, how much to buy and where to buy it from.
Step by step directions.
Finishing, hanging.
Safety tips
Troubleshooting
Pictures and illustration
Other Projects (hands, face, pregnant belly etc...)
Using Forton MG
Measurements are expressed in both metric and US customary units.

The book also discusses an innovative method to make the mold. We have perfected a technique that allows to build stronger, lighter, cheaper and faster molds. This is an improvement over traditional methods of making a body mold and is unique to Bodyscape.


This is not difficult.

After years of practice body casters develop a know-how that allows them to express themselves in wonderful ways. But anybody, if given proper instructions, can achieve an amazing artwork at their first attempt. Much of the visual impact of the final sculpture is in selecting a seductive pose; let your artistic flair guide you but make sure to read our tips and hints. We will show you the easiest body casting techniques.

Technical Support.

Customers are warmly invited to contact me on info@bodyscape.net.nz with further questions, request for clarification, comments and feedback. I would encourage you to join our life casting discussion board where other members can benefit and contribute to technical body casting questions and share their experience in a open forum format....






 

A revolutionary new method for professional life casters...

An innovative method for body casting….


This method is a vast improvement on the traditional methods for building a mother mold. Most life casters use either plaster gauze bandages or other fabric dipped in fast setting plaster. True and proven methods for sure but read on….

…what if you could build a mother mold that is:

• much lighter that any kind of plaster. (does not put too much pressure of soft tissues and makes it more comfortable for the model.)

• much stronger than plaster bandages, (No distortion when removing the mold or laying it down.)

• much faster to apply. (It is long and difficult to painstakingly apply plaster gauzes or cheese cloth against the alginate. Cut this time in half…)

• is ready to remove from the model almost a soon as finished. (no need to wait for plaster to set.)

• requires no preparation time or effort. (no need to pre-cut lengths of bandages or cheese cloth, mix plaster etc…)

• adhere perfectly to the alginate skin, (No gaps between alginate and mother mold means no dimples or ripples in the final casting, even where the alginate skin is too thin.)

• allows to use only a very thin layer of alginate. (more savings, both in time and money.)

• is extremely cheap. (are we not tired of throwing away plaster gauzes molds and filling up landfills with our cash?)

• is very easy to use. (does not require years of practice to master, get it right the first, every time. )

• does not splashes everywhere as plaster does,

• allows for quick and easy “in the round” molds.

• makes child play of working around nostrils.

• is perfectly safe, organic, non toxic, recyclable and everything friendly. ( and no animals have been harmed either…)



Can you guess?

Interested to know more?

Join me on http://www.bodyscape.net.nz/