How to make a print cast

Making casts of animal prints is fun for children and an interesting way to collect evidence of the wildlife visiting your patch.

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Sarah McPherson

Published: August 26, 2014 at 6:45 am

All illustrations by Alan Batley

Find a clear print. Press a circular 'collar' around it made from cardboard or a section of plastic bottle.

Mix some plaster of Paris to the consistency of pancake batter. Let the air bubbles rise.

Pour the mix carefully over the print. Fill the collar to 10mm above the highest point, and leave for 30 minutes.

Prise up the cast (dig away the soil around it to help). Allow it to set firmly, then you can wash and paint it.

Sarah McPherson

Features editor, BBC Wildlife Magazine

Sarah is features editor for BBC Wildlife Magazine. She has been on the title for more than a decade, and in previous lives has also been the magazine’s section editor, acting deputy editor and production editor. Sarah commissions scientists, writers and photographers from across the globe, and has worked with some of the world’s most renowned wildlife experts. She also regularly writes features - on topics ranging from birding in Colombia to the plight of wildlife rangers - and other content for both the magazine and the website.

Illustrations by Alan Batley

How to make a print cast

Find a clear print. Press a circular 'collar' around it made from cardboard or a section of plastic bottle.

Mix some plaster of Paris to the consistency of pancake batter. Let the air bubbles rise.

Pour the mix carefully over the print. Fill the collar to 10mm above the highest point, and leave for 30 minutes.

Prise up the cast (dig away the soil around it to help). Allow it to set firmly, then you can wash and paint it.

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