Mold Making and Casting
Casting is a process of creating a form by pouring a material into a mold. Molds and casts have been used since man cast bronze in about 3600 BC in Mesopotamia. The lost wax process was first used in about the 5th century BC.
Modern casting materials include clay, plaster, latex, concrete and plastics. A simple casting process can be done using a box of wet sand and liquid plaster (sandcasting).
Slump molds can be used for clay or glass. This process uses softened, rather then molten, materials and can be made from pre-existing or molded forms. (For example, simple clay plates can be created by draping the clay over small canvas stretchers in a square shape).
Existing plastic containers can serve as molds for clay, plaster or concrete. Applying a lubricant, such as vaseline or grease, allows for removal of the molded form.
Head of a youth; 5th century BC; Greek Bronze; "Head of a youth [Greek]" (29.48) In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/29.48. (October 2006)
The above head was created using the process of hollow wax casting; done by modeling wax over a solid core.
Some tips and tutorials about casting and molds:
Tutorial: Resin Casting - YouTube
Making a Plaster Mold - YouTube
Pottery Video: Helpful Tips for Slipcasting in a One-Piece Mold - YouTube
Ceramics Arts Daily: Ceramic Mold Making
Instructables: Making a 2 Part Mold Using Plaster
Instructables: How to Cast a Face in Plaster
Studio Creations: Plaster Molds
Instructables: How to Make a Slump Mold
Instructables: Slip Casting
Model Train: Rubber Mold
Matrix Armory: Mold Making Cheap and Easy
Some sites about the history of casting and molds:
Bronze Gallery: Introduction
Merighi Arte: History of Casting
Freya's Florence: Renaissance Bronzes
Polich Tallix: A New Era in Sculpture
Some sites about casting and molds:
Sculptureworks: The Art of the Lost-Wax Process
Modern Sculpture: Bronze Sculpture
Ceramics Arts Daily: Ceramic Molds
OoCities: Concrete Art
Wildlife Art: Lost Wax, Found Bronze
The Metropolitan Museum: African Lost-Wax Casting
Nelson and Forbes: Bronze vs. Resin
Ceramics Academy: Molds and Slip Casting
Some artists who worked with casting or molds:
Giovanni Bologna
Giambologna
Verrocchio
Alberto Giacometti
Some contemporary artists who work with castings or molds:
Deborah Dendler
Christie Brown
James River Studio
Heather Jansch
Kylo Chua
Liquid Metal Studios
Valerie Zimany