A Look At . . . Casting and Molding with Latex

Darlene Olivia McElroy loves to create texture in her artwork, using everything from vintage leather purses to corn on the cob. In her A Look At column in the July/August 2017 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors, Darlene features a number of ways to create casts and molds with latex. Below is a bonus technique for casting a unique mold with clay. ~ Barbara

I keep a 25-pound box of inexpensive white ceramic clay in my studio that I use for making molds and doing clay monoprints. The clay allows me to make unique molds by combining many different textures, alphabet stamps, etc.

1. Roll out a piece of clay to approximately 3/8″ thick.
2. Add some marks in the clay, and let dry. (Figure 1)
3. Spread latex onto the mold and leave it to cure. Your marks will be reversed when the latex is removed from the mold. Add color to the latex as desired. I applied Burnt Umber paint, a Quinacridone Nickol Azo Gold glaze, and Buff-colored speckles. (Figure 2)

Tip: If I want to keep the mold, I fire it in a kiln. Otherwise, I coat the clay with polymer medium, let it dry, and spray it with cooking spray before adding the latex.

Note: The cured latex will be lighter in color than before casting, because it absorbs some of the clay color.

Figure 1
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 2

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