Playing with Plaster

As part of a bigger project percolating in my head, this week I played around with making plaster leaves.

Other than pouring plaster into pre-made molds, I haven’t worked with it before, so this was a new area for me.  I started with plaster mix, wire and wire mesh.

 Using scissors, the mesh was cut into leaf shapes and wire was added for stems.

Then came the plaster!

A few things I learned:  Only mix a small amount at a time.  I mixed a large batch and it hardened faster than I could use it!  Also, adding a drop or two of water while working with it helps keep it from getting lumpy.

I used my finger to shape the plaster as I applied it, forming ridges in the leaves.

Once it dried, it was really easy to carve in more detail.

Then came the fun of picking colors and painting!

I originally thought I would create a more abstract leaf, but I was pleasantly surprised by what emerged.

This was a fun, small-scale project for getting acquainted with plaster.  I won’t be quite so intimidated by it the next time I want to work with it.

It would be interesting to create something that requires more carving and shaping after the plaster is dry. Hmmm…ponder, ponder.