Casting the Resin Sculpt

With the mould trimmed and ready, I went into the resin workshop and laid out the mould in parts. To begin the process, I mixed up the 007 resin with the catalyst to paint a thin gel-coat layer across the surface of each mould. Leaving this to cure, I then cut up a selection of powder-based glass matting fabric into various sizes and shapes.

Above: Initial gel-coat layer of resin.

From here I worked on each part separately; creating two layers of the fabric with resin in between. It was key to make sure all the white areas were soaked in resin, unfortunately my first attempt displayed some undisolved fabric but my technique improved as I went on.

Above: The two layers of resin and fabric, left to cure.

The next day I came in and worked for about an hour to trim the resin that had spilled over and sand down the edges to ensure that the mould would fit together. From here the first thing to do was fill the head and neck with a jelly texture made up of resin, catalyst and small shreds of the fabric. Once the two halves on the head were full I then bolted the 3 large parts of the mould together and began to fill in the seam. The plan from here was to fill out the arms and body with the same jelly-textured substance and bolt that in too. Finally I would cover the seams within using large pieces of the fabric. I didn't manage to take many photos during this process, but below you can see the mould once put together and the final outcome.

Above: Opening up the mould to reveal the resin cast.

The resin cast turned out quite different to how I expected; the colour varied from transparent to a green and the resin had numerous air bubbles. When applying the resin and fabric in the mould, I didnt realise air bubbles would form and so didn't apply to correct brush technique to avoid them. Nonetheless, I've managed to reproduce the sculpt in resin form and now have a week to sculpt, paint and do the last finishing touches to it. I also realised while taking some test shots with my salt lamp, that the flexibility of the lights I can put into the resin cast would be very useful on a film set - allowing me to change the light glowing within depending on the scene and mood.