These are human-mold sculptures made out of plastic wrap and packing tape. They are fun, easy to make, and can take on any pose you can think of.
I discovered these sculptures while researching street art installation. This Instructable is inspired by artist Mark Jenkins who is the original creator of these plastic wrap sculptures.
This is my attempt to recreate his amazing work.
(Also see ‘Plastic Wrap Sculptures!’)
Materials
The plastic wrap sculpture requires only a few basic materials found at your local hardware or home supplies store.
You will need:
1 (100 yards) x Cling wrap works well and is relatively cheap
6 (54 yards) x Clear Packing tape -duct tape will also work but give a different effect because of color
1 pair Scissors
1 Tape cutter -You will be removing tape from your body, this will allow you to do so without injuring yourself.
1 cutting board surface
1 Box cutter -or other durable razor-sharp cutting utensil
1 Subject model – You can use yourself or a friend. I would encourage you to use a mannequin head in place of your own. Wrapping your head in plastic wrap is dangerous.
1 (or more) Friend -you can do this yourself but it’s much easier if you have a trustworthy assistant.
Stuffing Material (Optional) – you can use newspaper or other material to reinforce the sculpture mold.
Step 1: Prepare the Plastic Wrap
Most household plastic wrap comes in rolls 12” wide and various lengths. While this is ok for the larger parts of your body (torso, arms, legs) it can be too wide for the smaller parts of your body (hands and feet). To adjust for this I recommend cutting the plastic wrap roll in half, making it easier to work with.
Remove roll from box and place on cutting surface.
WARNING Blades are extremely sharp and can cause serious damage or loss of extremity if not used with extreme caution. To avoid injury, always use knife on cutting surface and keep firm grip on object being cut, keeping hands away from path of blade. Always retract or cover blade when not in use.
Use utility knife to cut roll in half.
Step 2: Wrap the Model
Wrap desired body part firmly and generously with plastic wrap.
Make sure part is completely covered. Do not wrap so tightly that you cut off your circulation.
Step 3: Tape the Model
Wrap covered body part firmly and generously with packing tape.
Make sure part is completely covered. Do not wrap so tightly that you cut off your circulation.
The more layers of tape you use, the sturdier the mold will be. Press tape firmly against body part to maintain recognizable form.
Step 4: Remove the Mold
Use tape cutter to carefully cut a slit through the mold so you can free your wrapped body part.
Carefully remove body part from mold.
Step 5: Re-Tape the Mold
Use small sections of tape to fix corresponding sides of the cut back together.
To make this easier, put one hand inside of mold and press up while placing tape. If you are doing this yourself, I recommend pre-cutting small sections of tape so you do not have to go back and forth between cutting and taping. Also, starting at one end and making your way towards the other will help this go more smoothly.
Step 6: Reinforce the Mold (Optional)
Stuff the repaired mold piece with reinforcing material.
This will increase the durability of the mold and deter collapsing. Newspaper is cheapest, but you can also use bubble wrap, tissue paper, packing peanuts, or expanding foam sealant. Make sure to follow directions on sealant packaging.
Step 7: Attach Mold Pieces Together
Tape separate mold pieces together to complete human form.
You can determine the pose of the sculpture by changing how you attach the pieces. Make sure each piece is securely attached to the other.
This project is meant to be fun and allow you to express your creativity. Try out different poses and locations for your model!
Enjoy!