Have you ever visited a wax museum? You’ve certainly heard of the wax statue, which is both mesmerizing and incredibly realistic, but how are such real-looking sculptures made? Sculpting wax to create a realistic and vivid statue is quite a complicated procedure that can be divided into eight main segments. Read on to unravel the mystery of waxworks.
Measure
Measuring precisely the data of a model is one of the most basic and essential steps in the making. The sculptor uses information related to the subject’s body and musculature from a variety of sources to capture the realistic likeness of the subject, namely body measurements, photographs, and video footage. It needs to be accurate to the specific length and width of every part of the model.
Sculpture
After acquiring the exact measurement, sculpturing the mannequin statues according to the data and photographs is the next step. The technique of carving is not easy, which requires patience, craftsmanship, and artistic accomplishment.
Molding
This step is to fill the wax doppelganger in the molds to solidify and assume the desired shape. Then, the body is cast in resin and fiberglass. It is worth noticing that the head of the wax model is made separately. The mold consists of different materials for various body parts.
Finished mold
After its raw material solidifies, the figure can be removed from the mold. When the plaster mold is removed after cooling, the wax figure will be shaped. The method is to put it in clear water and soak it for a while, and then it will naturally leave the gypsum mold. Besides, to make it more vivid, the hands and face are further made by adding more detail using heated metal tools.
Dressing
The dress of the statues should be perfectly fit so that displaying the best result. Dressing the model should also be careful. Unlike the silicone mannequin, wax counterparts are easily damaged by artificial knocks.
Makeup
It is necessary to color the skin of the whole body so that making the wax representation look as vivid as the real one. According to the skin color and the skin characteristics of the model, the sculptor will mix the appropriate color to paint the wax figure. The skin color is usually used oil-based paints which makes the wax body present a unique transparent texture, and then fine-tune the color according to the texture and wrinkle.
Hair Plant
Hair planting is the most time-consuming and patience-testing part. Individual hair strands are attached to the wax figure by using fork-ended needles. Moreover, they need to be implanted one by one manually, then cleaning, cutting, and trimmed to achieve the final stereotyping effect.
Fix makeup
The last step is to fix the makeup and every detail of the whole wax figure. It is necessary to adjust and modify anywhere needed. After checking all the details, the beautifully made wax sculpture is coming to the public.
You might now have knowledge of the making process of a wax statue and realize why people are surprised when they see the wax twins of their own for the first time. If you want to go to a wax museum to check it out, here is my recommendation. Grand Orient Wax Art Co., Ltd, one of the earliest organizations doing waxworks, has nearly twenty years of experience in making waxwork creations. Its waxworks art creation has attracted visitors from all over the world. The company is located in Zhongshan, Guangdong, China, which has created more than 600 sets of wax figures spreading all over wax museums, exhibition halls around the world. Its professional brand wax museums are also growing up fast in China and overseas. Through the interaction between audiences and wax figures and interaction, the wax museums of Grand Orient Wax Art make a relaxing and happy journey for the tourists. If you are interested in it, don’t hesitate to have a visit.
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