Exploring the process of creating a wax figure is bound to help you understand the craft and acknowledge the different elements that are put into it. Since art needs to be understood and then either appreciated or criticized, we want to go ahead and read more about the process of making wax figures.
Introduction
The process of creating a wax figure has remained the same, and people continue to follow the same old tricks that existed ever since Marie Tussaud came into the picture. As a unique form of work, the process tends to take around 350 hours of work, and a different type of detailing goes into the scene. It all starts with sculptures looking at paintings, videos, or even photographs to get an idea of what news to be done.
The Process
Since sculptures need to figure things out from scratch, they begin by simply looking at the image. If they get a chance to meet the person, then the process will be a bit easier as they can take their measurements. However, modern sculptures are trying to make things work with all the tools that they have and the many applications that can be put to work. They move on to create a life-size clay model, and a steel frame is created for the body. While this sounds to be simple, it tends to take a lot of time and effort.
Moreover, a plaster mold is also made of the clay face and the head. Later, this very mold is removed from the sculpture and then pieced out together. As hot wax gets poured into the hollow mold and cooled down, a thick layer of wax begins to harden. Soon after that, sculptures tend to remove the plaster mold and move ahead to the next step. In order to give the statue a life-like image, they use hand-painted acrylic eyeballs to use them as eye sockets.
Apart from that, the detailing process goes around to perfection as they try to meet the requirements of the skin tone, makeup, and other aspects. With about ten layers of oil paint, they try to complete the process with ease. To get the facial right, they dye and style the same to match the individual the statue is based on. As a result, sculptures will always have an idea of their work and will be ready to move forward and implement the same.
To complete the final stage of work, a hard plastic cast will be made of clay body and dressed to display the statue in style. Once the head is added back to it, the process will be completed, and the wax statue will be kept on display. Hence, that was the process of making wax figures. If they need stencils for this you can always grab some at Stencil Giant.
