Ears

It's time to sculpt some ears. I begin by drawing a pair of ears on a cardboard base.



Old men have big ears. As we age, our ears get bigger. Most of the growth is in the earlobes. Uncle Sweeter's ears are 75 mm from top to bottom whereas the typical figure's ears are about 55 mm.

Next I sculpt the ears in clay over the drawings. Here's one ear already sculpted.



With both ears sculpted, I build a wall of clay around the two of them. The area inside the wall is where I'll pour the mold, so the wall has to be high enough. Plaster seeks its own level when first mixed, so the lowest point on the wall is the highest the mold itself will be.



Next I coat the ears, the wall, and the exposed cardboard floor inside the wall with petroleum jelly for a mold release. The ears have many small undercuts, so I'll use a cotton swab to ensure that all surfaces are covered. Then I mix some plaster and pour the mold inside the wall.



I'll give it a day to set up. We'll finish the ear project tomorrow.