Plastic Wrap People

These are human-mold sculptures made out of plastic wrap and packing tape and is is inspired by artist Mark Jenkins who is the original creator.

Materials
Plastic wrap—Saran cling wrap
Clear Packing tape
Scissors
Tape cutter cutting board surface
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.

•Use utility knife to cut roll in half.
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.

Step 2: Wrap the Model

• Have your model dress with tight fitting clothing.
• Dramatic or action poses work the best. (not simply standing or sitting)
• Wrap covered body part firmly and generously with packing tape.
• Make sure part is completely covered.
• The more layers of tape you use, the sturdier the mold will be.
• Press tape firmly against body part to maintain recognizable form.

• Do not wrap so tightly that you cut off your circulation.The easiest way to wrap the model is to do it one piece at a time, and later fix the separate pieces together. For example: start with the left arm, from the wrist to the upper bicep, then the right arm, followed by each leg, the torso, the pelvic area, and finally the head (your can substitute a mannequin head for this). Have a friend help with areas hard to reach. Constantly talk with the model to easily monitor tightness and blood flow throughout the project process.

Step 3: Tape the Model

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.
• WARNING If you do not have a tape cutter, you can use scissors. However, you must do so with extreme caution so you do not cut yourself.
• Try to keep the number of cuts to a minimum, only enough so you can get out of it. Multiple cuts will the next step harder.

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 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. In this way you can exaggerate the original pose and make the sculpture more dynamic.

OPTIONAL STEP: Reinforce the Mold

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. Remember that you will see what ever you use as a reinforcing material.