For the first time I became closely acquainted with plaster decor in Paris. There, on one of the shelves of small cozy shops on Rivoli, you could see a lot of beauty: from cute trinkets to real works art. My eyes were caught on the amazing plaster decor in the shape of a flower, as well as simply stunning candlesticks in the shape of a blooming rose.
My modest budget gave me the opportunity to fork out for only one such plaster rose. And now, five months later, while my husband and I were buying materials to repair the ceiling for the living room, I saw plaster in one of the departments of the hardware store. And then an idea struck me!
Plaster decor
Why not create one yourself? stylish flowers made of plaster. I will not keep the intrigue and torment you with waiting for a magic recipe - the method is simple to the point of disgrace. For the base you need dry or artificial flowers, which need to be dipped in a plaster solution and then dried. The process is a little labor-intensive, but the result will definitely please you.
Due to the fact that gypsum is an environmentally friendly and absolutely harmless material for humans, which does not contain the slightest percentage of toxicity, even a child can cope with such work. For example, my daughter Maria is now very interested in this type of needlework.
"Piggy Bank" Useful Tips » I have prepared 11 amazing ones for you ideas floral decor from plaster. Gorgeous and very simple!
We have also prepared for you a simple master class on how to make unusual beautiful candlestick in the shape of a flower.
YOU WILL NEED
- gypsum putty or plaster
- artificial flowers
- pliers
- glue gun
- tea candles on metal base
MANUFACTURING
And here’s another simply delightful idea, just for you – how to create jewelry from plant imprints on clay. When you see all the technology, you will understand that making such beauty is much easier than it seems at first glance!
You see what can result from using old or simply low-quality artificial flowers using a gypsum solution. Plaster is truly a magical thing. Everything we make from it turns out a priori extremely elegant. Mistakes are even welcome. After all, this is aristocratic and artistic negligence.
In addition, such unusual decor made of plaster looks quite photogenic and can be safely used in beautiful photos, for example for Instagram.
Bas-relief in the bedroom Moscow, August 2014. The topic was chosen: big flower from plaster, and to LED lights was on the side and mounted in the leaves. The wall was drawn in the form of a semicircle, on which I had to work on sculpting a three-dimensional flower.
Before starting work, the wall is pre-leveled and puttied. After priming, I drew a drawing of the future bas-relief with a simple pencil. A groove was hollowed out for the wires, into which the electrics were then laid. Since I had to create a fairly large volume of bas-relief, in order to sculpt a flower, instead of plaster, I used high-strength gypsum putty Knauf uniflott as the material. It hardens quite quickly and after drying has a very hard surface. Of course, you can use simple plaster, but it hardens much faster and working with it in this regard is more problematic.
Using a palette knife, I applied the gypsum mixture around the perimeter of the entire design, immediately forming the relief of the future flower. Using coarse sandpaper, after drying, I sanded all uneven places and then to make gypsum flower smoothly applied a thin layer of Shitrok finishing putty. After drying, I sanded it in the same way, but with finer sandpaper.
The result is a three-dimensional flower made of plaster on the wall like this.
Naturally, the plaster flower on the wall had to be further processed so that it would not get dirty or whitened, that is, it would have to be painted. The paint chosen was Tikkurila acrylate “Harmony”. After drying, it forms a durable film, and also has incredible whiteness. Apply two layers to a voluminous flower artistic brush. Afterwards, the more convex sharp edges of the petals were brushed with acrylic gold paint with a thinner brush. When the paints had dried, I secured all the panels with a glossy stone varnish. The flower turned out like porcelain with golden tints along the edges.
T such beauty will not leave anyone indifferent. When you look at it, you yourself want to make such beautiful ones, but can everyone create such unusual plaster flowers with your own hands? Without knowing the technology for making gypsum flowers, it is unlikely that anyone will succeed, even with dexterous and skillful hands. At first glance, the flowers in the picture look like ordinary plaster ones. But that's not true. For our fantastic project idea, we took it easy and instead of making the flowers ourselves, we used artificial flowers which were then dipped in plaster. Why did we use gypsum? Gypsum is an environmentally friendly and absolutely harmless material to humans. There is not the slightest percentage of toxicity in it, so even your child can work with it. Due to its low cost and plasticity, gypsum allows you to make not only unusual plaster flowers, but also a wide variety of decorative items, souvenirs and figurines.
Currently, there are several ways to create a flower from gypsum. In our project we will look at the simplest of them.
For work we will need:
- Artificial flowers. You can use both artificial ones from various fabrics and plastic ones.
- Powdered gypsum.
- Flower dyes.
Although this method is considered the simplest, it is precisely by this method that flowers made can be considered an example of art and be inimitable.
At the beginning of work, you need to stock up on all materials. Then choose a place where you would like to hang your flowers to dry. This is important. Plaster dries very quickly, and it is advisable that you have everything prepared.
Follow the instructions on the plaster packaging to prepare it. Do not stir quickly to avoid creating bubbles. If you want your flowers to be completely painted in some color, then add dyes to the plaster. I added green mint.
Attach a piece of wire to each of your flowers so you can hold onto it.
Now it's time to dive. Dip your flowers in order into the plaster, making sure your flowers are completely covered in plaster. Once the plaster on the flower has dried, it cannot be dipped into plaster again.
Hang flowers and other parts dipped in plaster to dry.
If you don't like the resulting look of the flower, you can decorate it with paints, then let the plaster dry and then varnish it. I used a mixture of gold and copper paint and coated the edges of the petals with it.
Look how beautiful the plaster flowers look on a wreath!
Additional tips!
- Use artificial flowers in white or cream colors. Bright colors will not give a positive result.
- You need to work quickly. Otherwise, if the gypsum mixture becomes denser than mud, you won’t be able to work with it. You will have about 3-5 minutes of working time to immerse the flowers in the plaster before it hardens.
- Do not place leftover plaster in the sink. The plaster will dry and harden in your pipes and you won't be able to flush it out. So, throw the remaining plaster in the trash.
Despite the simplicity of creating unusual plaster, the result will exceed all expectations! You can use a variety of things to cover with plaster that you would like to give a new, extraordinary look. Thanks to great idea with your own hands, you will have something to give someone for a holiday, and something to surprise your guests with.
How to make leaves from gypsum...
For the project we used:
Several large leaves
Plastic (to protect the work surface)
Cover the table with plastic. You can also use trash bags. Place rolled newspapers under an inverted sheet with support in the center.
Roll up more pieces of newspaper and place under the edges of the leaves in several places to create beautiful waves. Mix the gypsum with water in plastic cup. Add enough water until the mixture resembles yogurt. Then spoon onto the sheet.
Let the sheet dry for at least an hour. These leaves are very fragile and if the plaster does not cure completely, it will break.
Trim edges very carefully if they are not neat
flowers covered with plaster
One of the techniques is shown in Songbird’s blog: pour a little gypsum diluted with water into a jar of yoghurt until it is slightly thicker than milk, dip your workpiece (textile rose, ordinary fir cone, etc.) into it and thoroughly cover it with the solution from all over. sides Then dry and repeat the operation several more times until the required thickness of the plaster on the workpiece is achieved. These beautiful flowers... We admire, we are inspired and we do...
Mix some plaster with water. Take it easy, you don't need much, mix it until it's a little thicker than milk but not as thick as yogurt.
You can soak in everything there is. I have artificial flowers, pinecones and small pinecone branches. After dipping the flowers in plaster, lay them out to dry. If you lay them down, they will be flat on one side.
I dipped red roses in plaster too. I had some plaster left over from dipping buttercups and was looking around for something else to lower...
The first dip basically stiffens the flowers and helps them hold their shape. Let dry (this happens pretty quickly) and dip again (and maybe repeat this a few times). You will have to make a new batch of plaster of Paris mixture every time because your old one will become rock hard. If you have enough good coverage You can put the finishing touches with a small brush, hitting the center and making sure everything is well covered and looks sculpted.
And then play with them. Place them in a small vase like I did or use them as part of a table decoration. Or you can use them to decorate the box. Like this, for example:
