What is a plaster mold used for in sculpture?

A plaster mold is primarily used to pour slip into and replicate a specific shape in sculpture. This technique is particularly important in the process of casting, where liquid clay or plaster (referred to as slip) is poured into a mold to form the exact shape of the original model. The mold captures every detail of the model, allowing artists to reproduce it multiple times. Once the slip sets and hardens, the mold can be removed to reveal a new piece that closely resembles the original.

The effectiveness of plaster molds in creating precise replicas makes them invaluable to sculptors, especially in production settings where multiple copies of a piece are required. Additionally, plaster molds can be reused several times for creating similar shapes, contributing to the efficiency of the sculpting process.