Plaster of Paris Idols, Bengaluru
POP (Plaster of Paris) idol making process consists of several steps such as Idol making, Detailing work and painting.
Idol making: POP and rubber mold are the two main important materials used for making idols. A readymade rubber mold which has design impression on it is taken and cleaned. After cleaning it is placed between two molds made of POP and coconut coir. The mold after placing the rubber mold is tightly tied. Now POP powder is properly mixed with water without forming lumps and the solution is poured into rubber mold and kept for drying under sun for 5 to 10 minutes. Once the mold is dried, again thick POP solution is poured into the rubber mold so that it (POP) takes the proper shape of the mold. The solution filled mold is dried properly under good sun light nearly 40 to 50 minutes. After drying, the mold is removed and rubber mold is peeled to reveal the POP idol. The idol is kept for drying under shade to avoid cracks.
Detailing: After drying POP idol is checked for breakages/fissures or any damages occurred during the casting process. The excess POP which is formed while making the idol is removed by scraping with small knife. Small gaps and breaks/fissures are covered by coating the idol with POP paste. Minute detailing is done on the idol by scraping with small chisel.
Painting: The prepared idol after detailing work over is then sent for painting process. Painting is done with glitter/shiny colors as well as normal Asian paint colors. Initially, the idol is painted with black Japanese color and then the glitter/shiny colors are painted by spraying on it. The jewels of idol are embellished with gold color, facial expressions are with copper color and eyes are with silver color. Finally, bronze color is used to highlight the facial features. Pink, golden yellow, ice blue, red, green colors are also used to decorate the products.
