The base is ¼ inch tempered Masonite that has been reinforced with a wood frame. This is primed and painted with several coats to seal the Masonite.
    
    A temporary 8” deep wooden box is made around the base. Polyurethane foam is mixed and then poured into the box. Polyurethane foam will not react to the fiberglass resins. The foam provides a solid structure for the fiberglass. Even though the foam seems brittle, it is only weak if force is applied in a small area. The fiberglass will evenly distribute any impact and take advantage of the strength of the foam. The foam will then add considerable support and also adhere the fiberglass to the base.
    
    The Foam
    
    The foam is very easy to carve with a kitchen knife. A grid is laid out over the entire piece. Working in small areas of about a square foot, material is removed to within about an inch of the final sculpture. After all the waste is gone, then the general shape can be fine-tuned. Inserting a wire with inch marks can test the depth of any particular area. The foam is smoothed down using coarse sandpaper.
    
    The foam was mixed and poured in stages, which left some air pockets. In these and problem areas like the baby’s nose, where the foam does not support the detail very well, wall-patching material is applied to smooth out those areas. The piece is vacuumed to remove all dust.
    
    The Fiberglass
    
    The fiberglass comes in large sheets that are cut into one-foot squares. Each square is dipped into resin and then laid over the foam. A starch that breaks down in the resin holds the fiberglass in the sheets together. By applying extra resin and working the sheets with a brush they loosen and can be pushed into any shape.
    
    Once applied the resin begins to set within 20 minutes, so it is necessary to keep applying resin over the surface to keep it wet. The sheets are overlapped, making sure that there are no air pockets. In areas where the sheets are worked into cracks, extra fiberglass is applied. The sides are also reinforced.
    
    The Finish
    
    After it is dry, several coatings of resin are applied to help strengthen and smooth the surface. Finally a resin-based paste is used to fill in and shape. The resin surface is vacuumed and then cleaned with an acetone wash between each coat. The resin is quite hard, and a grinder is used to generally smooth out the surface between coats. Again, air pockets must be avoided.
    
    The final piece is hand sanded. Slight scratches and blemishes can be filled with exterior wall patching material. This patch is suitable for art, but is not durable enough to use if the finished work is going to be subjected to physical abuse. A good primer seals the fiberglass and is followed by two to four coats of paint with a light sanding between each coat.