The latest way to bring closure to the hundreds of the families of the unidentified

Added: (Sun Sep 04 2005)

Pressbox (Press Release) - In today’s world, identifying the dead can be a long and difficult process. Because everyone is not fingerprinted or has dental records, identification is sometimes impossible. Not widely known until recently when it was used to reconstruct King Tut, forensic sculpting is now a widely sought type of art used to identify the dead. This respected but somewhat mythical craft has its importance, but unfortunately few practitioners. With his new book Forensic Sculpting: Step-by-Step in Photographs and website www.forensicsculpting.com, internationally known forensic sculptor and make-up FX artist Seth Wolfson is now making it easy for laypeople both young and old to understand and implement the techniques used by forensic detectives to solve crimes. Television programs such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and cold case docu-dramas like Discovery’s FBI Files and The New Detectives underscore the growing interest in the field.

Forensic Sculpting shares the techniques new artists can use to help identify John and Jane Doe’s for their local police. Wolfson, a member of the cold case-solving global teams Doe Network and Project EDAN, boils it down to the essentials by providing information on what tools and materials novice sculptors need and where to buy them, including clay products and the all-important test skull. Chapters are devoted to detailed instructions and accompanying color photography that show how to create identifying facial features. The field of forensic sculpting may be creepy to some, but for forensics “fans” interested in a new career or hobby, it can provide the critical help resource-strapped police departments need to crack cold cases and bring comfort to grieving families and communities.

After working on a forensic sculpture for the Bensalem, Pennsylvania Police and being an interview subject of a BBC documentary, Wolfson realized there was a heightened interest in the field. There was also a lack of readily available information, making it hard for people to find out more about the art of forensic sculpting. Wolfson’s revealing book goes in depth with tips and tricks he learned in the wax figure and make-up FX sculpting fields—insider information that is never taught in schools or, heretofore, in other books. Wolfson hopes that Forensic Sculpting will bring more attention to valuable organizations such as The Doe Network, the group that asks forensic artists to donate their time to help identify bodies that have no dental records or fingerprints.

Forensic Sculpting is helping create the next wave of crime-solving forensic artists and expanding museum displays.

About the Author – Seth A. Wolfson got started in the mid-80’s as a professional make-up FX artist while still in high school working in film and television. Eventually, Wolfson left Pennsylvania after teaching at The Art Institute of Philadelphia. He moved to Orlando where he made wax figures for Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, worked on animatronic dinosaurs for Universal Studios, and even created some hoaxes for Haxan Films, the company that made the Blair Witch Project. After a year teaching in New York city, Wolfson now resides in Mississippi where he is lead sculptor for Alatheia, a medical prosthetics company known for creating the most realistic prosthesis available. He is also a freelance forensic sculptor and is putting together his first hands-on seminar on forensic sculpting.

To schedule an interview or to obtain an electronic copy of the book for review purposes, please contact the author at submissions@forensicsculpting.com.


Forensic Sculpting: Step-by-Step in Photos by Seth A. Wolfson | Realsculpt Press
pub. date: August 2005 | $19.95 | book dimensions 8 ½ x 11| 60 pages
over 100 photos, color | ISBN:
FIRST SERIAL RIGHTS AVAILABLE

433 Chardonnay Circle, Brandon, MS 39047
phone: (601) 427-2697

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