Price Guide - Face & Head Casting (including portraiture)
The prices listed on this page are an approximate guide to some of our most popular options, as every single lifecast is utterly unique and tailored to you - varying in pose, size, shape, material and finish. Please note that you are not at all limited to what you see in our galleries. We do allow our customers to pay for their casts in instalments with no added interest, so long as the final payment is made on or before collection. Overwhelmed by the choices below? Why not keep things simple and purchase one of our gift packages - the perfect present for any family member. Remember to visit the Face and Head Casting Gallery for full sized photos and more information. For a comparison between different popular material finishes, click here.
Plain white gypsum casts (freestanding):-
Kiss/lip casts - from £35
face cast (wall-hung) - £350
Face cast (block mounted) - £495
Extended cast (finishing behind ears/some of hairline) - £500
Full head (finishing at tops of shoulders) - £1200
Eyes sculpted open (in addition to regular casting fee above) - from £650
Sculpted hair - POA
To purchase gift vouchers for our most popular combinations, please click here.
Faux metal or coloured finishes (paint and wax)
Our most popular finishes are simple hand-applied paint and wax finishes to mimic the luxury and beauty of real metal or flesh tones/colours by creating layers of different shades which reflect the light and colour of your room. Affordable and beautiful, we can replicate all the most desirable metallic looks (bronze, copper, brass, pewter, steel) and can even mix and match and add subtle hues of metallic pinks and blues to add even more depth to the gorgeous finish on your casts. We know how to enhance and show off all the beautiful details on your lifecast whilst retaining all of the character.
Freestanding casts with this coating have some protection from dirty/greasy fingerprints that can build up on plain white casts, but obviously do not give any protection against wear and tear or breakages.
Prices from £150 for a faux metallic finish on a face cast or £200 for a faux metal painted finish on head cast (in addition to casting fee) .
Decorative paint finishes
Subtle or complex patterns can be added as bespoke adornment to your face or head cast, or surrounding plaques, mounts or frames to make it an even more artistic and individual piece.
Simple painted additions start from £250 on top of your basic casting fee (see below for plaster options) all the way up to £2000 for very complex pieces with or without background plaques.
Real metal veneers over plaster
For a touch of class and luxury at a fraction of the price of real metal casts, we can provide real metal veneers over your original plaster casts. These metal options include bronze, copper, brass, nickel silver, aluminium, gun metal and steel along with special alloys like Dubai Gold (a mixture of copper and brass to create a bright gold-like finish).
These special coatings feel like real metal to the touch, and even add weight to your cast, making them almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Please note, although this coating offers some protection from handling, it will not protect the cast from dropping/breakages.
POA
Imprinted ceramic (clay) portrait casts and traditional clay sculpted portraits
We are able to offer highly bespoke, beautiful and unusual imprinted ceramic face casts suitable for indoors and outdoor display (bring inside during frosty weather for longevity).
Traditional realistic clay portrait busts are also available - sculpted using a mixture of state of the art and ancient methods - meaning they can be created even after death using photographic reference, although these clay sculpts are usually used as the starting point for a foundry bronze cast or a cold cast. Speak to us about different options.
Traditionally sculpted busts/faces - POA.
Imprinted ceramic faces - POA.
Cold cast metals
The beauty of real metal, with the finer detail of the original plasters - cold cast metals are not simply a compromise but an astoundingly beautiful and practical choice in their own right. They can be patinated just like a pure metal because they contain around 75% pure metal powder, which is suspended in resin to enable the flow of material around the mould to give that crisp and perfect detail. Strong and resilient to damage, these casts can be handled as much as you like. Just like our pure metal and glass casts, these require the creation of an 'investment mould' taken from your original plaster cast - which means you can have further copies made at a reduced rate.
Cold casting is available using the following metal options:- bronze, copper, iron, aluminium and brass. Our cold cast iron lifecasts are so full of iron powder that they have magnetic properties!
POA
Aluminium:-
Sand cast aluminium is a fairly light weight metal that still provides strength and beauty that weathers admirably in the outdoors. Price on application.
Electroformed copper:-
Copper, known for its healing properties, can be patinated to capture the richness of traditional bronze but with more vibrant and warm hues which brings life to the lifecast. It can be displayed indoors or outdoors, even used in water features, however moisture will alter the patina over time. Nanocrystalline copper is electroformed over resin or cold cast metal armatures, or even over wax casts or directly into moulds. This tricky process is reflected in its price, which is available on application, usually about 10-20% less than a bronze of the same size.
Bronze:-
Real foundry bronze has an eternal appeal and holds its value for generations. It can be displayed indoors or outdoors without hesitation, and can be patinated in traditional or extraordinary ways to show everything from chestnut browns, to greens and even 'white' bronze.
Our bronzes are hand made made using a centuries-old traditional method at one of the top bronze foundries in Britain, giving a stunning lustre to the finish, as well as the uniquely satisfying, tactile quality of cool, heavy bronze that can be handled as much as you want to. For more photos and details of memorial bronze sculptures, please click here.
Price on application
Hyper-realistic faces and heads:-
Extremely lifelike facial or head sculptures for indoor display, including fake eyes, eyelashes, facial hair, head hair, teeth and realistic skin colouration are all totally possible but are not a cheap or easy undertaking. Life sculptures of this kind take many months to make and many thousands of pounds to produce. If you would like us to quote for your hyper-realistic face or head casting project, please email us with photos of your intended model, and as many details about your requirements as possible. The examples shown opposite were produced by one of our sister companies, All Handmade, for Puma International, and were made from hand-painted silicone rubber, with a fibreglass and metal armature, glass eyes, and individual hairs 'punched' into the surface skin to produce incredibly detailed features.
Popular Display options:-
Block mounts in wood or stone, with a short metal bar fixing can be made to display your face or partial facial cast. Price dependent on the final material chosen, size of piece/mount, etc.
Metal display stands can be bought or custom-designed as an alternative to wall-mounting.
Embedding faces into plaques/tablets with or without a frame is very popular and transforms a simple face cast into a true work of art. These can be left plain or embellished, painted with patterns or painted 'hair' or symbols of your choice. For any of these display options please talk to us about your requirements and we will give you a guide price based on previous similar display systems we have designed.
Other materials and ideas:-
Please feel free to request other materials. New material technology is making fascinating options available all the time. It is also possible to 'grow' or 'shrink' casts to create duplicates in other sizes using a variety of state-of-the-art techniques. We have worked in everything from concrete to leather and bread to glass and are happy to discuss your requirements. We try to offer as much choice as possible, flexible payment options and can advise on what is possible within your budget. Don't be afraid to ask - we enjoy hearing about your casting dreams and will do everything within our power to make them come true.
We have, on occasion, been asked to provide custom-made 'gargoyles' or 'grotesques' to be attached to public buildings (both inward facing and exterior). If you are involved in a new build, this is an excellent centuries-old tradition intended to bring luck and protection to buildings. We can create a simple concrete cast of your face, or use your facial lifecast as the starting point for a more traditional and 'Goblinesque' gargoyle with added horns, teeth and other exaggerated grotesque features. Builders and craftspeople immortalised themselves in the churches and other large buildings they helped to create using a similar idea. In this way, you too can become part of a building's history.
We are often asked by special effects makeup artists, cosplayers and costume designers to create face casts, head casts/busts that they can use as formers for their own creative projects such as creating masks, headdresses or latex prosthetic appliances. This is something we are very happy to do and the plain white plaster casts listed above are often the perfect starting point for this kind of project. Please book in with your requirements giving as much notice as possible if you have a particular deadline in mind for your creative project.
If you need advice or further information, or if you feel overwhelmed by choice and just want us to help you pick the right options for you, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Or to make it extra easy, we've put together a small selection of gift packages that cover the most popular options. To make an appointment or for any other questions, click the button below.