Breaking Down the Sculpture

Breaking down the sculpture is the process of determining the way a complex makeup must be separated for mold making and preparing it properly for the mold-making process. Release agents are materials that allow us to separate cast objects from molds. There are two categories for most release agents: barrier and reactive (or chemically active) types. Sealers are liquids or sprays that are absorbed into porous surfaces to seal against moisture, making the surface essentially no longer porous; they can act as both a seal and a release for some materials. For a makeup that may cover an entire bust–the entire head and neck, for example–it is probable that the makeup will need to be broken down so that there will likely be several overlapping prosthetic pieces, each with its own mold of two or more pieces. There is a very good reason that the flashing stops just shy of the edge of appliance sculpture.