Mould Making and Casting Course

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.

This course is strongly recommended for those who have attended our sculpting classes or have their own practice and would like to take it further. 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" them from found objects and find their expression in different colours and materials.

You will have an access to many different materials (such as silicone, various resin, plaster, pigments, and metal spatulas) 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. .

Over four workshops, 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.

Further, we will cover 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 class also covers rules of materials that go together and how not to make mistakes.

Finally, we are casting materials 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.

Customisation to your needs is available, prices may vary. Just get in touch!

Please note: This hands-on course can be customised according to a specific mould or production you would like to make. Body casting (from live models) is an option too; This is widely used for eg. babies’ feet and hands, pregnant belly or even a person’s face.

• Plaster
• Little item to take a mould of (you can get in touch regarding what would you like to learn), size around 10 cubic cm
• Metal and plastic spatulas
• Brushes
• Silicone rubber
• Resin (polyurethane and epoxy)
• Ceramic slip
• Modelling dough for mould partition (or polymer clay)
• Mould separator (type of grease)
• Silicone measuring cups for resin mixture
• Pigments for resin and/ or plaster
• Specific materials (such as for body casting or food- grade silicone) available on request

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

imakesculptures is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and adheres to COVID-19 government guidelines.