Once the plaster has set, you can choose to leave your casting with the same
natural finish it acquired from your face. This can produce striking shadows
and dramatic effects. Use a strong light from a shallow angle to produce
stark shadows and highlight edges and texture. Light from a more natural
angle, or diffuse light give fewer shadows and a more realistic look.
Natural-finish pieces tend not to look a lot like the model to a human
eye. Unarguably, the features and details are exactly identical, but when the
human visual system loses all cues of color and translucency, the other-ness
reduces our ability to recognize the face, and leaves us staring at the art.
This effect can be reduced by smoothing out the finer details of skin
texture. The picture on the left is just as it left the mold. On the
right, a cast from the same mold has been sanded smooth.
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A more classic look is also available. Atomized bronze embedded in a polymer/plaster matrix gives this casting
not just the look of metal, but the ability to withstand weather and patina
like solid bronze, at a fraction of the cost of foundry work. Castings made in this
fashion are 75% bronze by weight.
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The identical process gives a very
different look with coarser bronze particles. This cast has been sanded smooth,
and then buffed to reveal the metal above the plaster matrix. After buffing,
the entire piece was burnished to flatten and spread the surface particles.
The piece has been well-photographed here, but the final look of
this finish is not quite identical to solid bronze; some residual whiteness
of the plaster matrix is still visible in strong light.
Coarse bronze is an ideal choice for outdoor applications. The cost is less than that of the fine bronze, and will acquire a patina just as well. |
This piece is another example of bonded coarse bronze. This piece has
not been burnished, and so does not have the mirror-like shine. It
has a bit of natural patina beginning to form, which shows here as a
slight green cast, especially in the creases of the eyes.
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| Surface colors can also be applied to the plaster, whether smoothed or not. Brushed paints and spray paints do well on plaster, and help to fill in pores and small wrinkles. The possibilities for color are unlimited. If you want a metallic finish, but are put off by the cost of the actual bronze, there are some surface treatments shown here that will give the look of copper, aluminium, gold, brass, or bronze. Please be aware that these finishes are not suitable for outdoor installation. |
| The six finishes below are all paste wax. They contain very fine metal powder plus pigment in a wax base. They polish to a nice luster, and will reflect glancing light quite well. | |||
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"Antique Gold" This is quite similar to Grecian Gold, but has a very slight red cast. |
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"Grecian Gold" Again, a good average gilt color, noticeably yellower than Antique Gold. |
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"European Gold" This is much lighter in saturation than Antique or Grecian gold, much more like a pale brass. |
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"Autumn Gold" This is actually the nicest new-copper we've ever seen in a paste wax. There is probably little or no additional pigment in this choice. |
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"Spanish Copper" Probably copper, with a dark pigment added. This is a good hue match for fine-bronze filled plaster, but the intensity is quite a bit darker. |
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"Silver Leaf" The most aluminium-looking aluminium color known to man. This does not have the hue of silver in the least. On the other hand, it won't tarnish, either. |
| The finishes below are Modern Options paints over plaster and a good quality primer. All are hand-brushed to follow and enhance the countours of the piece. | |||
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"Blond Bronze" This is real bronze in an acrylic binder. Very natural color, and buffs out to a rich glow, like paste wax over cast bronze. |
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"Blackened Bronze" Real bronze plus black pigment in an acrylic binder. The actual item will be a bit darker than shown here, unless you use strong lighting, which brings out the bronze. |
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"Blond Bronze - Gloss" The same bronze base as above, but with a gloss top coat, which enhances the richness of the bronze, while giving a smooth sheen. |
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"Blackened Bronze - Gloss" The same blackened bronze base as above, but with a gloss top coat. |
| Below are the same blond or blackened bronze finishes, but with a patina applied. | |||
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"Blond Bronze - Green Patina - Raw" The beautiful green streaks over the blond bronze give this piece the appearance of having been part of a water garden. |
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"Blackened Bronze - Green Patina - Raw" The beautiful marbled green streaks on the blackened version of this finish are even more distinctive. |
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"Blond Bronze - Green Patina - Buffed" Rubbed back, the green patina hidden in the crevices of this face give the impression of a well-loved sculpture that has been polished by viewer's hands. |
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"Blackened Bronze - Green Patina - Buffed" The effect here is subtly different. Rather than a hand-rubbed look, the rubbed-away green over black gives an impression of dignified age. |
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"Blond Bronze - Blue Patina - Raw" The blond base with the blue patina leaves beautiful streaking patterns over the surface. |
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"Blackened Bronze - Blue Patina - Raw" The blue patina left untouched over the blackened bronze base leaves a thick blue-white color, with hints of the underlying black. |
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"Blond Bronze - Blue Patina - Buffed" Patinaed and then buffed, the blue patina over blonde base simulates light weathering. |
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"Blackened Bronze - Blue Patina - Buffed" With the patina lightly buffed away, the blue highlights remain in crevices, simulating a bit of wear or weathering. |
| Color calibration samples. Fiddle with your monitor until these look right, and then the colors of the pigments should be a bit closer to true. | |||
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Obverse and reverse of U.S. and Japanese currency | ||
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expressed in plaster make you giddy or litigious) Adult Pices |
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