Casting

Casting is very well known type of sculpture. Some other types of sculpting, like making Bronzes, rely on types of casting but casting is a method of sculpting in its own right. The earliest known example of a cast sculpture is a frog sculpture that has been dated to 3200 BCE.

The process of casting involves making a detailed mold in the shape of the sculpture and then pouring material into the mold. Once it hardens the sculpture is pressed or broken out of the mold and finished. There are several different types of casting that you can use to make sculpture. One, lost wax casting, was discussed earlier because it is typically used when a sculptor is working with bronze. Here are the other types. 

Waste molding

This is usually done in the process of making a bronze. It’s an early stage casting where the artist will typically use plaster to make an early version of the final sculpture that the artist wants to create. These plaster casts will not crack or break the way that clay molds can so most artists that work with bronzes prefer to do their first drafts using waste molding instead of clay. 

Sand casting

Sand casting is the most popular method that artists use to create sculptures. Usually these are just the preliminary models of a later work but sometimes artists do the complete sculpture in sand casting. Sculptors love using sand casting because sand is cheap, it’s recyclable, it’s great for small jobs and can be easily mixed in small quantities, and it’s easy to find. Sand casting is the process of mixing sand either with green clay or with a liquid like motor oil or other chemical binders to make it easier to shape into a mold.  

Plaster casting

Plaster casting is similar to sand casting and it’s also very popular for many of the same reasons. But, plaster casting is not without disadvantages. One of the problems with plaster casting is that there is no room for error. Sand cast items can be broken down and re-used but once a plaster cast is hardened there is no way to fix any mistakes.  

Resin casting

Resin casting is a relatively new type of casting for the art world. High strength man made resins like epoxy or polyester can create sculptures that have a lot of strength and durability but aren’t also very pretty to look at. For that reason resin cast sculptures almost always need to be painted after the initial casting work is done. Because resin casts are so durable many people that make home decorating sculptures or garden and patio sculptures use resin casting to make their sculptures.