1. Casting the Wax Pattern
There are two ways to cast bronze: sand casting and lost wax casting. Lost wax is preferred for fine art because it allows for more complex form and finer detail.
In this method, bronze is poured into a sculpture-shaped cavity. The cavity is made by building a shell around a wax sculpture and then melting out the wax. Thus the term “lost wax.”
The artist can sculpt in any material, but if the material is not wax (or combustible), the sculpture must be converted into wax for casting. This is called a pattern.
It is done by molding the sculpture and casting wax in the mold.
The original sculpture is often sacrificed in this step.
Sculptures too big to cast in one piece are cut into sections at this stage.