Molding Tutorial Part 2

After a long unexpected hiatus, I am finally back and ready to post the second part of this tutorial. Hooray!

Take whatever object you have created out of Sculpey, or some other fairly non porous material, and set it down in the middle of the tin foil covered box you have made that fits it.


I am using the baby skull I created for this example. For the best results, your object should have a large flat side, because after we fill this box up with molding material, we need a way to pull out the object without destroying the mold. In this case, the base of the skull is flat, so that's how I orientated it in the box- flat side down.


Start mixing you mold material. The instructions come on the box of the OOMOO 30, and basically say to mix the two components in equal parts. But please be sure to read the directions fully before doing this, just so you know what to expect from the materials you are mixing.

Thoroughly mix the components, and it should turn out this light purple color...

Now this is the part where things start to get a little messy. Pour the mixture into the box with your object, trying not to displace the object from the center of the box.


It is important the object stays as close to the center of the box as possible so the resulting mold doesn't have weak walls in any part (if the mold is too thin in some parts, it tears more easily and only lasts for a few castings.)

I used a pencil to make sure I hadn't displaced the skull (you are pretty much flying blind at this point in the process without feeling around with a pencil or something.) I did this as soon as the mold was poured as to not disturbed the curing process. Do it quickly so the mold can start to cure. It takes around 6 hours I believe to have a cured mold. Email me or leave comments with any questions you have about my process so far, and I'll try to the best of my knowledge to answer them. Next week I will describe my casting process, so please check back :D

Baby Calaveras are Finally Here- Molding Tutorial Part One

Mold making can look like a scary process before you jump in. I researched mold making compounds online, then went to a few art stores and asked lots of questions. Basically, it took me jumping into the process, cold feet and all, to really start to learn it. All the research just insured I didn't make a huge mess of my kitchen in the process.

First you need your materials. I decided to go with silicone molds because I needed the flexibility based off of what I planned on casting (the skull in the photo.) I chose OOMOO 30 by Smooth-On because the directions were the easiest, and turns out it's great to work with. It has a fast shore A hardness time, and you can remove the original object from the mold after it cures after only 6 hours. Works great for over ancy artists who just want the project started.


You also need some type of container that is larger than the object you want to mold. It's best to hand build these cointainers our of plastic board, which is what I did with the first mold I made. But to make this go a little faster, I found a box that was the right size and lined it with tin foil. These supplies were also easier to come by than plastic board :] The resulting mold still works great, it's just not as pretty.


Rounding up your materials is often the toughest part. You can find plastic board and Smooth-On materials at most art stores, and creating the object you want to mold takes the most creativity and time. What's cool though is when you are finished you can replicate your art many times, and get creative with it in many different ways. Next week I'll continue the process with mixing the silicone components, removing your object from the cured mold, and casting replicas.

Check back!