Mould Making and Casting Course

This is a ClassBento LiveBox class! From the comfort of your home, share an artisan experience with your friends, family or colleagues, or just enjoy with some like-minded others. As seen on The Guardian, TimeOut, Broadsheet, Concrete Playground, Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and more. Here's how it works:

1. Book or Request your preferred time
2. We'll deliver a ClassBento Box to you - this is a physical DIY craft box containing the materials you'll need. Shipping is free, and you'll get your box delivered in time for your class. We ship nationwide.
3. Enjoy the online class. You'll receive a link to a Zoom meeting. On the day of the class, use that link to join the class. Class sizes are kept small, so you can easily ask questions and get immediate responses. Zoom is free and easy to use, on any device. You're in control of your privacy - you can mute yourself and hide your webcam if and when you prefer.

Mould making and casting are inevitable parts of sculpting, but they are also used in industrial production too. This live streaming mini-course is strongly recommended for those who have attended my sculpting classes or have their own practice and would like to take it further.

Mould is literally the imprint we take from any object in order to multiply it and transfer it onto another material. It is used in industrial manufacturing as well as in art.

In sculpture, we use casting to transfer our "master" that we sculpted in clay to a permanent material such as resin, plaster, ceramic slip, wax, soap or metal.

Mould making and casting is an incredibly useful skill for both sculptors and those who prefer not to bother with building shapes but "borrow" it from found objects and find their expression in different colours and materials.

The Craft Box is filled with small amounts of many different goodies (such as silicone, resin, a metal spatula) that allow you to try pricey materials prior to purchasing them for yourself.

Please note : This course is very technical, designed for learning, rather than "sip and craft" style. Prepare to get messy and do not drink alcohol, please.

Over three sessions, you will learn the basics of this practice. Your teacher, Irina, will first start with the most basic and cheapest (but not the easiest) plaster mould. We will learn how to make up to four-piece moulds according to shapes. Every shape requires a different approach, and Irina will teach you how to be able to tell, and how to do the partitioning for moulding.

The second session covers silicone moulding, which is more in use in today's production, but also more expensive and can't be used for slip casting (ceramic). This session also covers rules of materials that go together and how not to make mistakes.

Finally, in the third session, we are casting one material of our choice in a mould that we made and prepared for casting. We also learn what to do with casting seams and how to re-touch our pieces and treat them when they come out of a mould.

This online mini-course can be customised according to a specific mould or production you would like to make. We can do one class too.
Just get in touch !

If you are joining the course without purchasing a Craft Box, please make sure you've got all the materials and tools you need for the desired project.

No skills required, all are welcome.
  - A mini bag of plaster for your mould and one piece to cast (we will cast max 10 cubic cm object)
- A tool (little metal spatula)
- A brush
- A small container of silicone rubber, enough for max 10 cubic cm object
- 100 ml of resin to try out your resin casting
- Wooden sticks for stirring
- Modelling dough for mould partition
  - Master to be casted (not bigger than 10 cubic cm, smaller is recommended if the student has no prior experience) this can be:
1) Your little sculpture, relief, a mask or anything made of clay
2) A figurine in any hard material (including wax candles and soaps)
3) Any small item from your household (if unsure, prepare a few and your teacher will help you choose)
- Plastic or paper cups for mixing.
- Have some water handy.
- Have any thick oil, paw-paw or grease for mould separation handy.

Your teacher will get in touch prior to every session if you need to have some other details handy.
 

After the first session, subsequent sessions can be arranged with the teacher, at a time that suits you.