FAQ's about making belly casts and lifecasting babies

WHAT IS BELLY CASTING? Belly casting, bellymasking or tummycasting is the
process of making a 3 dimensional plaster sculpture of your pregnant tummy.
The belly cast can be made using plaster gauze or by making a lifecast using
moulding powder. For a bellycast made of plaster gauze, your uniquely shaped
pregnant tummy acts as the mould and strips of plaster gauze are laid across
and left to set for 20 minutes (some call this masking, or making a mask of the
pregnant belly). It is
then lifted off your tummy and air dried for 24-48 hrs, this finished piece ie the
plaster sculpture of your pregnant form, called a belly cast, bellymask or
tummymask is then decorated or left au naturale.

WHY MAKE A BELLYCAST? There are all sorts of reasons to make a bellycast -
It's a great way to get Dad and older siblings involved, some do it on their last
pregnancy, some do it for their first. Some do it after years of trying while
others because it will be their first and only pregnancy. I did it because it was
fun, different and so I can look back and see how much my body changed after
just 9 months!! My kids love their belly casts because they know exactly where
they came from. No one ever regrets making a bellycast, but you will if you
miss out

WHEN SHOULD I DO A BELLYCAST? The best time to do a bellycast is your
37th week or before your bub starts to 'drop'. If you are having twins or have
had complications and you are likely to 'go' early, do it a little earlier, just do it
before bub arrives!!

IS BELLYCASTING SAFE? Bellycasting is safe, when done properly. So long as
you:
1. DO NOT STAND when you do it, find a comfy chair, do not lay down either as
your belly and breasts will flatten out. Standing may cause you to faint ie with
the extra weight of the cast and being pregnant.
2. DO NOT USE ANY OLE PLASTER from the local artstore. Using the wrong
plasters can cause 3rd degree burns to your skin (College of Saint Benedict |
Saint John's University), which is why we use Medical Grade Plaster rolls - the
type doctors use when splinting a broken arm or leg. As a bonus our rolls are
also made entirely of natural materials so they are safe for mother earth as well.
You do not have to be a doctor or a midwife to make a belly cast. As an artist
and a mother myself the safety of my kits primarily used by pregnant moms is
paramount!! Like ourselves most professional belly casters use medical grade
plaster gauze that has been trialed and tested to use on human skin. If you
have ANY concerns ask your own doctor or midwife for an unbiased answer.
Some artist grade gauze is safe but be very careful if you do decide not to
purchase from a professional bellycaster as some gauzes were not made to be
applied directly to the skin and will burn.

WHAT TO DO WITH THE FINISHED CAST? Take a look at our GALLERY page for
some ideas. Bellycasts can be mounted & hung or
framed like artwork on a wall, placed on an easel and displayed on a
shelf or made into a functional piece like a nightlight or bellybowl for
your child's room (for inspiration and decorating ideas see our CD
Rom included in our belly casting kits). Avoid tying stringline etc
behind and through the cast to mount, like you would with a regular
painting, to hang on the wall as the tension of the line can cause the
belly cast to warp or bend. Instead try drilling through a small hole on either
side of the cast and tying through a pretty ribbon.

WHAT IS LIFECASTING? Simply put you mix up the moulding powder in the kit
with water. The powder starts to set into a gel like substance and change
colour. As the gel starts to harden you immerse the 'bodypart' hold still for 45
sec then remove. You have now made a mould. Into the mould you pour the
casting powder and wait for it to set. When set you peel away the mould to
reveal an exact replica of whatever bodypart you originally immersed.

WHY LIFECAST? Some things just cannot be truely captured with a
photograph. With lifecasting, every minute detail is captured fingernails,
wrinkles,creases, lifelines, lovelines, veins, nipples etc forever as it was the
day you made your cast.

WHEN TO LIFECAST? For babies I recommend as soon as possible because
they grow soooo fast. The best age group is newborns because they spend
most of their time asleep or 2yo+ because they will listen to instructions. But if
yours is 'in between' these ages try and do it when they are asleep, they are
less inclined to wriggle at the crucial moment. And, dare I say it, if all else fails
try bribing them with a lollie or chocolate so they will stay still. Even the most
professional of instructions cannot stop a baby from wriggling, which is why
we pack three times more than you need in our kits to allow for the little
movers and groovers.

IS LIFECASTING SAFE? The moulding powder/gel we use is made from
seaweed you can mould even your tongue with it.

WHAT TO DO WITH THE FINISHED CASTS? Paint them or leave them raw(see
the decorating ideas on our CD Rom). Casts can be mounted on a woodbase
(available from trophy stores) or framed in a Shadow box with a photo.
Don't just limit your sculptures to life inside a glass box. You can use your
lifecast as:
              coming home gift for the new baby
              personalised business card holder
              mobile phone holder
              kids art project
              jewellry display
              paper weight