Thread: Full size "plaster" sculpture/statue?

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Hey I want to make a few of these, but I have a very small budget... Anyone have an idea what I can use?

It should look like it is made out of plaster when I'm done. I thought maybe I could cover someone with duct tape and use the resulting mold as a base, and then cover it with papier mache? Would that to be too light and unsteady?

Anyone have an idea on how to do this?

Monster mud will suit you better. It's denser and gives you a smoother finish. It's a mix of joint compound an exterior latex paint. Build up a sturdy frame (I use wood and wire, others use other methods), then dip large strips of burlap in the monster mud mix and ring it out. Cover the entire form and let it dry. If you use gray paint, you don't even need to paint it when you're done. Bingo. Plaster-looking sculptures.

Duct tape alone would be very light and flimsy. It's liable to buckle even if you do papier mache. You can build a duct tap form in parts and attach it to a sturdier frame if that makes it easier.

trentsketch has a great solution.



You may also want to consider Celluclay and hardware cloth. Much more work but what was striking is how similar the texture that Celluclay gives you compared to your picture. Here's a shot of a build using it:

Look at what Madmax is doing in Post #37 in this thread: Undead Quarterback Snap! 2011 Haunt Build

You could make two sand molds; one face up and one face down (quickly), assuming you want to use a real live human as a model. Then join the two halves together and sand it down so it is smooth.

Originally Posted by Screaming Demons

Look at what Madmax is doing in Post #37 in this thread: Undead Quarterback Snap! 2011 Haunt Build

You could make two sand molds; one face up and one face down (quickly), assuming you want to use a real live human as a model. Then join the two halves together and sand it down so it is smooth.

Thanks for the link!
I don't HAVE to use a human model but I figured it would be easier than trying to sculpt or form a fairly accurate human form by hand since I'm not that good at art.

I like using poultry wire and monster mud. Below is a picture of a 4' rat currently being built.
A PVC skeleton is first made to work out the pose and give some support for the poultry wire. Then tubes of wire are built and put on the PVC frame. The wire works excellent because you can compress and expand it to get the body shape right. After that, the whole thing is wrapped in a single layer of paper mache (newspaper strips). On top of that, goes a layer of cloth, or burlap, dipped in monster mud. You can skip the paper layer, but it allows me to slide the monster mud layer around to form skin wrinkles and such. It also helps hide the wire pattern.

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