| 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 belly cast 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. Check out our decorated belly casts page. WHY MAKE A BELLY CAST? There are all sorts of reasons to make a belly cast - 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 belly cast, but you will if you miss out. . WHEN SHOULD I DO A BELLYCAST? The best time to do a belly cast 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? Belly casting 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 trialled 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 belly caster 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. Belly casts 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 |
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| These are our most frequently asked questions relating to belly casting & lifecasting. If the answer you are looking for is not here just email us at info(at)bellyoflove.com |
| Belly casting & Lifecasting Questions |
