How to Make Wax Figures
There are many forms of art. Some are all around us, while others are products of certain individuals with exceptional creativity and imagination. One modern marvel of art in today’s age is wax figures that look just like real people. Across the globe, there are several museums that display life size wax figures – prototypes of various prominent personalities.
From the looks of it, wax figures are very hard to make. But if you are determined to make one on your own then you should first have all the materials and tools necessary and have a simple glimpse of the processes needed in making wax figures.
Step 1: Get an ample amount of clay and sculpt a primary model out of it. What you need are photo images of the subject as well as its actual measurements. This is important to incorporate all the details from the images to the sculpture.
Step2: Make an appropriate mold fit for the model. It should be able to hold the needed amount of natural and petroleum based molten wax mixture once poured inside. The thickness of the poured solution should only be at most 2 inches.
Step 3: Leave the wax and let it harden for a couple of hours. Remove the mold.
Step 4: Using your sculpting tools, remove all excess and unnecessary wax. It is in this stage where refinements are made. This could take hours or even days until the perfect replication is achieved.
Step 5: Apply a mixture of colored wax and oil paint on the surface of the finished product to bring the subject to life.
Step 6: Apply all the required costume and/or props on the molded product.
The above given steps are just part of a simple and basic procedure. But before doing these steps, you first need to decide what type of figure to make out of wax. In a wax figure, details are hard to emphasize. You must at least practice a few times using clay. You should also take a few good looks at the subject that you are trying to replicate. Familiarization is a vital factor. For first timers, there is a possibility that your first end-products wouldn’t come out as expected and it make take a few tries to get the desired outcome.
Wax figures may vary in sizes. For people who are still just trying to make something out of scraps, a small end-product is more appropriate. Life-like wax figures are the hardest to make. Completion of a single project would require several people for a few days.
Safety First:
Making wax figures is not as simple as making your own gift wraps. Some things could go wrong somewhere during the whole procedure. You will be forced to repeat things over and over wasting money, time and effort in the process. You could also get hurt. So it is strongly encouraged to ask for some assistance from an expert. You could also at least get a manual for the activity to thoroughly guide you in your work.
Author Bio: Jamie Highland is a professional writer about families, art, and celebrations. To check out some other wax artwork like candle baby shower favors or to see some more unique baby shower favors, visit My Baby Shower Favors. Note: You can reprint this article in your ezine, blog, or website as long as the credits remain intact and hyperlinks remain active.
Category: Arts and Crafts
Keywords: Wax, figures, figurines, sculpting, sculpture, statue, art