The desire to preserve a piece of summer comes every time at the sight of a rich collection of trees, flowers and herbs, and when their flowering fades, this desire becomes. Usually we dry our favorite plants and use them in ours.
But you can preserve the beauty of individual ones with a more original method - pouring them into plaster. This plaster craft will definitely find practical use and will remind you of hot summer days. 
To create it you will need gypsum powder, water, a beautiful leaf with well-defined veins, a container for stirring and a mold for creating an imprint.
We place it on the bottom of the mold so that there is no free space between it and the bottom into which liquid plaster can flow. For reliability, you can secure the leaf with double-sided tape.
Now let's start diluting the gypsum.
Mix it until it reaches the consistency of non-liquid yogurt or kefir. We add water to the powder quite quickly, because this mass hardens almost before our eyes.
Carefully fill the sheet fixed in the mold with plaster. We try to prevent the formation of air bubbles, and carefully mix the plaster after pouring so that possible bubbles float to the surface. The thickness of the fill can be different - depending on how you want to use the craft in the future.
When the plaster has set well, but has not yet completely hardened (that is, after about half an hour), turn the mold over and remove the sheet. We leave the craft to dry.
In about a day you can start. We use oil or acrylic paints, To obtain juicy shade colors.
Cover the entire surface of the craft green.
Use cotton wool to lighten the surface of the leaf.
And we apply golden tones to it.
We have almost made our own plaster craft. All that remains is to add a few additional golden touches with a brush and wait until the paint dries.
In the meantime, we outline the outline of the craft on soft cloth(felt) and cut out the resulting circle.
Glue it to the plaster with Moment glue.
Gypsum is a sulfate mineral. There are two types recognized - with a granular and fibrous structure. The second is also called selenite, the first has long been familiar in construction. Gypsum is a sedimentary material and is found everywhere.
Using plaster
In medicine, gypsum is used as binder, jewelers make small jewelry. Everyone knows alabaster in construction, for making large interior figures. To this day I know very much experienced builders They also came up with a very cool idea - 3D drawings on the wall. It looks very original and impressive. And “raw” it will be used industrially as a fertilizer.
For clarity, we will provide you with photos of plaster crafts in different directions use. Only true art connoisseurs will be able to truly understand these works.
Mastery different products They have been doing it with their own hands since ancient times, but in our country this type of mineral was seriously appreciated only recently. We started doing a variety of things for our country house, estates.
They go to work decorative stones, bottles, shells and much more. Usage of this material for sculptures is very beneficial for craftsmen, since it is absolutely environmentally friendly, which means it is completely safe for you and others.
This material is also quite practical. I know the results beautiful crafts made of plaster (there is no other way), everyone around you will definitely like it, because the products turn out to be very realistic and will definitely become the main attraction of your home.
In this article we will look at how to make a small sculpture in your home. After all, in stores such figures cost a lot of money, and we can create a masterpiece for pennies!
Sequence of work
For quality work We need to mix the solution first. The instructions on how to dilute plaster for crafts say that you need to follow the following:
- Prepare a container in which you will make the batch.
- Pour water into a vessel
- Pour gypsum powder into water
- Mix the mixture with vigorous movements (you can use an electric mixer)
On a note!
All work must be done very quickly, because the solution hardens very quickly. It is better to dilute more of the required solution, because if there is excess left, it is not at all difficult to remove, but if there is not enough, then it will become a little more difficult...
Advice! Pour the powder very carefully; when it reaches the water, the gypsum dust will rise into the air, try not to breathe in this cloud. Especially if you regularly encounter this activity, it is better to tie a scarf over your face so that the nasal passages are carefully closed.
Boletus made of plaster
- For the mushroom stem, you need to cut off the neck of a small plastic bottle (0.5 liters).
- We also cut off the neck of another bottle (volume 5 liters).
- Pour the mineral into the large one.
- Insert a small bottle into the middle with the bottom facing up.
- Let it harden.
- A small deep plate or wide cup is suitable for the hat.
- We put cling film inside, folded in several layers.
- Let's fill.
Working with this material is not at all difficult; the instructions on how to make a craft from plaster tell us about this. You will understand this yourself when you make your first masterpiece.
As my husband says, “the eyes are afraid, but the hands are doing the work.” I think the principle of operation is clear, I’ll just add a little about the filling forms. You can buy them at a hardware store, there are a huge number of them, or you can be smart and make something suitable yourself.
It won’t be difficult for housewives to make a bunch of flower pots, saving a fair amount of the family budget, and ultimately get a unique, beautiful thing tailored to the design of their home.
Step-by-step making of plaster crafts with your own hands
The simplest option for your blooming garden:
- Cast the sole of your foot
- Multiply to required quantity
- Place along the garden path
Note to the master! The finished product should be left in a warm place until completely hardened for several days. After removing all excess, the product should be treated with transparent varnish, then decorated with paints to your liking.
This simple option will create a mysterious effect. You can also the required form It’s trivial to mold from plasticine and pour out the product.
This option is the most practical, because after one job you can sculpt another desired figure and pour it with plaster again. In general, templates for working with this mixture are the personal fantasy of each master.
And yet I will not tire of repeating that such master classes on plaster crafts work on the “magic wand” principle! For example, you wanted to transform your yard with something extraordinarily beautiful, but you are too lazy to tinker with crafts for a long time - remember our article, and everything will definitely work out.
If you are a builder, or just doing home renovations, then catch the idea!
3 d drawing on the wall
- Take a stencil with the desired element
- Hold with one hand, apply the solution to the cut out parts with the other
- Carefully remove the stencil
- It remains to correct the mistakes a little
- Next you can paint or apply varnish.
This design approach to business will definitely highlight your creative personality, will cheer you up even if there is a snowstorm and cold outside! May children's laughter never cease in your home, and let your friends never give you peace! Thank you for your attention.
Photos of plaster crafts
Crafts made from gypsum are popular decorations for interiors and landscapes. summer cottage. Create original figurines for the dacha unique design and turn an ordinary garden area into a fabulous corner.
You can purchase decorative items made from plaster in the store, but the price for such decorations is quite high. Therefore, an excellent alternative option is to make crafts from plaster with your own hands, because it is affordable and not at all difficult. You just need to comply simple rules work with plaster and show a little imagination.
Gypsum - a material for creating masterpieces
When most people think of gypsum, they think of medicine, but it is also widely used in the chemical and paper industries, construction and handicrafts.
Due to the presence of certain characteristics, gypsum is suitable material for creating various items decor: carved borders, boxes, Christmas tree decorations.
It is not for nothing that museums contain many gypsum masterpieces of antiquity, such as statues, columns and animal figures.
Advantages of gypsum
Availability: you can purchase it at any hardware store at a low price.
- Easy to use: just dilute the gypsum powder with water, pour the mixture into prepared molds - and the original plaster figurine ready
- Plasticity: the material can easily be given the desired shape; both volumetric bases and miniature elements are created from it
- Environmental friendliness: is natural material, non-toxic
- Durability: a craft made from plaster will delight you for many years.
Fungus garden figurine (step by step instructions)
A common garden decoration is a mushroom-shaped craft. It is recommended to start your creativity with this figure, since it is one of the simplest.
In the future, having understood the principle of operation and studied photos of plaster crafts, you will be able to create more complex shapes.
To work you will need:
- Construction gypsum
- Plastic bottle
- Polyethylene film
- Wire
- Plate
- Acrylic paints and varnish
STEP 1. Make the gypsum mixture. To do this, you need to pour gypsum powder into a container with water and bring the mixture to the consistency of thick sour cream.
STEP 2. Making a mushroom stem. You need to cut off the bottom of the bottle. The remaining upper part is used as the frame of the leg.
Pour the mixture into the resulting container and insert a wire to stabilize the mushroom. When the plaster hardens, take out the resulting figure. To make this easier, the neck of the bottle can be cut. Don't forget to sand the leg.
STEP 3. Making the mushroom cap. Place cling film on a plate and fill it with the solution; place a mushroom leg in the center.
Thanks to the structure of polyethylene, the cap turns out to have small indentations and wrinkles - just like a real mushroom.
STEP 4. Paint and varnish. The product can be painted in any color, but it is better to use the shades of a real mushroom. It is also suggested to draw blades of grass on the leg, which will give the figure an even more natural look.
Funny eyes and a mouth painted on the mushroom cap will turn the fungus into a fairy-tale old forest man. This process will be especially exciting for children.
Let your child show his imagination and trust him to paint a garden mushroom: he will get creative, and you will have a pleasant and useful time together.
ADVICE. If you don’t have time to paint the finished figurine, you can immediately make it from colored plaster. To do this, first dilute the gouache in a jar and pour the solution into the water prepared to create the gypsum mixture.
Pour gypsum powder into the resulting colored water. This option is ideal for creating simple crafts, for example, a leaf, which, in turn, will serve as an excellent addition to the gypsum fungus.
As a leaf frame, you can use ordinary silicone molds, greased with oil.
As you develop skills in working with plaster, you will be able to sculpt more and more interesting crafts. Manufacturing option garden mushroom is based on a casting technique that takes a minimum of time and effort.
The technique of sculpting from plaster is more complex, however, and products made in this way look elegant and unusual.
In addition, beautiful plaster crafts can have not only a decorative, but also a practical function. For example, a flower pot sculpted in the shape of an animal figure will not only become a wonderful garden decoration, but will also serve as an original flower pot.
Photos of plaster crafts
Plaster decorations will add individuality to your interior design. In addition, stucco can be used quite widely, in different styles room decoration. In this article we will tell you how to make stucco molding from gypsum with your own hands (at home), and give step-by-step instructions for making it.
Selecting a figure
The variety of gypsum stucco today is not limited to the creation of figures of thick-cheeked cupids, graceful lines of flowers and petals, and indoor cornices. Using this material, you can create an imitation of a fireplace, “grow” a tree on a vertical wall surface or on the ceiling. The figure can be classically white or painted different colors. The choice is determined by the wishes of the customer.
First of all, you need to decide appearance future work of art, its size, location. The best option– making a stencil natural size or applying a design to the surface that you plan to decorate.
The options are endless. The simplest ones are stars, flowers, snowflakes, letters. You can decorate the room with original three-dimensional paintings - landscapes, still lifes. A “carved” frame will allow you to achieve complete imitation.
Solution
For casting large gypsum products, the solution is prepared in small portions. The thick solution does not flow well and does not completely fill the mold, which has a thin relief.
An adhesive solution – gelatin or flesh solution – can slow down the hardening reaction. A 25% concentration of “glue water” is recommended. It must be used within one day. In addition, the use adhesive solution gives products strength.
Flat products are ground to a flat surface sprinkled with fine gypsum flour and left there for a day.
Manufacturing
Making stucco from gypsum can be done in several ways.
- The contours of the future composition are drawn using stencils. The gypsum mass is applied to the surface, leveled, and rubbed. Then all excess is trimmed off. If necessary, the procedure is repeated. This method is suitable for creating stucco with a fairly simple surface configuration.
- A solution is applied to the location of the stucco molding. Then the dried plaster is processed according to the drawing.
- Products with complex configurations are made using molds. They can be made of wood, plastic or concrete. First, the mold is generously greased with soap slurry. Then gypsum mortar is poured into it in layers. Maximum thickness layer - 1 cm. The next layer is poured only after the previous one has completely hardened. A well-hardened product is carefully released from the mold.
In addition, you can make the entire model or its fragments from plasticine. This material can change shape an infinite number of times. The plaster solution is applied to the finished plasticine decoration using a brush. Careful coating of the recesses guarantees the accuracy of the shape of the future product. Further layers are applied with a spatula only as the previous ones dry.
After an hour, the mold is removed from the plasticine model. When creating products of large shapes, it is reinforced with copper mesh. WITH inside the finished form is coated with colorless furniture varnish.
When pouring gypsum mortar into a mold, it is necessary to avoid the appearance of air bubbles in it. Light shaking will ensure that small reliefs are completely filled. Drying of gypsum products must be carried out at a temperature of at least +16 0 C. After thawing, they are destroyed. Do not try to speed up the drying process with a fan. heating devices- the plaster will warp.
Defects are eliminated with a knife, then the product is sanded with fine sandpaper.
White gypsum surface can be painted on water based. Before this, it is covered with two layers of primer. Using pieces of cloth, sponges, synthetic materials You can give stucco any texture.
Surface preparation
The installation site of the future product is completely thoroughly cleaned and washed of whitewash. A notch on the back and mating surfaces will help to hold the fastening solution more firmly.
Small lightweight parts can be fixed using liquid plaster.
Large elements are mounted using special fasteners. Holes are drilled in them and in the surface of the wall or ceiling, into which, using dowels or wooden inserts screws are attached. They are fixed inside gypsum products metal hinges. During installation, they are placed on the heads of the screws. Varnish coating will prevent the appearance of rust on the metal fasteners.
You can install metal pins into the wall, then they are pressed into the stucco holes filled with liquid mortar.
Before planning large compositions, it is better to practice by making small figures. You can also make decorations from individual modules.
Video
So, using a wooden machine, you can make a simple plaster stucco on one's own:
Photo
Gypsum is a material widely used in creativity and construction since time immemorial. It is known for sure that it was used in antiquity for making sculptures. Today, professional architects and sculptors use gypsum in their work. Each of us can purchase this material at a hardware store for personal needs. Plaster sculptures are easy to make at home without being a professional. detailed instructions and work tips - especially for you.
Main characteristics of gypsum
In any hardware store you will find gypsum powder or gypsum plasters. The material is made from sedimentary rock - gypsum stone. Such diverse and wide application in construction work gypsum owes its availability combined with low cost. Working with this material is quite simple. It is necessary to dilute it with water, after which you can begin pouring molds or modeling. Attention: gypsum hardens very quickly in air and at the same time increases slightly in volume (no more than 1%). Prepare the solution for one time, immediately before starting to work with it. The material is capable of conveying the smallest details. If desired, plaster sculptures can be decorated with paints and other finishing compounds, and create a high-quality imitation of precious stone or metal.
Methods for making plaster sculptures
If you are not a professional sculptor, it makes sense to start working with plaster by making sculptures using the molding method. This technology involves obtaining finished products by pouring gypsum mortar into molds. Molding is a very simple way to create sculptures, which is suitable even for children's creativity. For children under 12 years of age, creative activities must be conducted by an adult. Alternative option, how to make a sculpture from plaster - model the desired figure from diluted plaster on a frame. It is convenient to use a variety of spatulas and other tools in the work. What sculptures can you make from plaster with your own hands? The frozen material is quite porous and fragile. But despite this, it can be used to make outdoor sculpture. Plaster is ideal for creating interior elements and decorative figures. If you are just starting to work with this material, try doing something small and simple in shape for the first time. Gradually improving your skills, you will learn to create real masterpieces from plaster.
Ready-made form or homemade?
To make plaster sculptures, you can use ready-made molds. They are sold in craft stores. Interesting idea- use culinary molds, for example for ice, cupcakes or candies. In joint creativity with children, you can use sand molds for casting plaster. If you couldn’t find anything interesting, try making a mold yourself. Simple sculptures (for example, interior columns or large mushrooms for garden decoration) can be made using household tools. For example, a mushroom cap can be cast in a basin or bowl of a suitable size, and the stem can be cast in a cut-off plastic bottle. Casting molds can be removed from any existing figures and figurines. Cover the selected product with cling film. Then cover it with clay or plasticine. Wait for the material to harden, then carefully cut the mold and pull out the figure hidden inside. Your homemade mold is ready, now you can make sculptures from plaster.
Preparing the mold and pouring plaster
The form needs special treatment before starting work. Carefully coat the inner walls with Vaseline, vegetable oil or paraffin. Special attention pay attention to small casting elements. Professional sculptors often prepare a special lubricant for processing forms. Take 2 parts of coarsely grated soap, add 1 part vegetable oil and 7 parts water. Mix the ingredients until smooth. The lubricant is ready - you can start processing the inner surface of the mold. Do not skip this step under any circumstances, otherwise you will not be able to pull out ready product after it hardens. How to make a sculpture from plaster with your own hands, how to properly dilute the dry mixture? Simply mix the powder with water until it reaches the consistency of sour cream. Be sure to leave the plaster for a few minutes, and then, after mixing thoroughly, proceed to filling the mold. A small amount of PVA glue can be added to the water to prepare the gypsum solution - no more than 25% of the total volume of liquid.
Product protective treatment
The optimal temperature for drying gypsum products is 16-25 degrees. Sculptures made by molding should be removed from the molds after complete hardening. At this stage, you can smooth out any uneven areas with a brush or wet sponge. If you are completely satisfied with the shape of the plaster sculptures, leave them for a while to dry completely. Next stage- preparing figures for painting. Apply a special primer in several layers to the entire surface of the product. You can replace it with PVA glue diluted with water. If you have made a sculpture that will stand on the street, you can additional protection treat it with drying oil or shellac.
Sculpture decor
After the primer has dried, you can begin the most creative part of the process - designing the sculpture. Garden sculptures made of gypsum must be painted with the most durable paints. Small figures and children's crafts can be painted with gouache. To paint a sculpture that will be located indoors, you can use any paints and techniques for applying them. After painting, you can additionally coat the product with a layer clear varnish to secure the decor. If appropriate, additionally decorate plaster sculptures decorative elements. These can be individual beads and rhinestones, bows, textile parts or special plastic figures.
Follow all the rules for working with gypsum and the sequence of technological steps. Very often there are problems in working with this simple material arise when the sculpture manufacturing technology is violated. Be sure to thoroughly dry the products after removing them from the mold and only then proceed with their further design. Try using various shapes for making sculptures. Any small figurines, children's toys and household items are suitable as samples for their manufacture. Using the technique described, you can make impressions of your hands at home. Making sculptures from plaster is an interesting and accessible form of creativity for everyone!