The art of making gypsum sculptures is undergoing a new birth, moving from professional workshops to the kitchens of ordinary people who independently master gypsum molding. Gypsum is a natural material, environmentally friendly and noble. Do-it-yourself gypsum molding will not only reveal your creative abilities, but will also transform the interior of your home forever.
You will need
- - gypsum;
- - a board with a flat surface (or several tiles);
- - capacity for diluting the solution;
- - water;
- - soap;
- - vegetable oil;
- - plasticine;
- - thin copper foil or food parchment;
- - knife or sandpaper;
- - pencil or pen;
- - brush;
- - flat shoulder blade;
- - furniture lacquer.
Instruction manual
1
Start by making a sculptural sketch of plasticine. This is the model by which you will create the plaster product. Plasticine belongs to soft materials and easily changes shape. Mash it in your palms, and then give it the desired shape. Work on a smooth board that should be several times wider than your future product.
2
With a knife, mark the line on the plasticine along which the figure connector will occur. Press along the line pieces of foil or food parchment. It does this carefully so as not to damage the shape of the product. It is more convenient to press the foil and parchment not with your hands, but with the back of a pencil or pen.
3
Prepare a grease to help separate the mold from the casting. A lubricant can be an emulsion consisting of soap, vegetable oil and water, mixed in a ratio of 2: 1: 7, taken by weight. A solution of stearin or paraffin in kerosene can also be used as a lubricant. Apply grease to the plasticine figure.
4
Mix gypsum: dilute it with water to a concentration of not too thick sour cream. Cover them with a layer of plasticine of a few millimeters. Apply the solution with a brush or a flat spatula. Avoid the formation of bubbles.
5
Apply several coats of gypsum for greater strength. Remember that the next coat should be applied after the previous one has hardened.
6
Remove the gypsum mold when the product is finally hardened. This will happen no earlier than half an hour after the end of work. The more layers you apply, the longer the cast will dry. You can check if the form has dried by tapping on it. The finished product will ring.
7
Correct small roughness with a knife or sandpaper. On the inside, fill it with furniture varnish. Ready-made gypsum sculpture can become an independent work or can be used as a mold for casting other products.
note
Plaster sculpture is important to properly care for. Vacuum the surface, then wipe with low-fat milk. On top, treat with mastic in two layers, each of which dries for about 4 days. After that, the product can be safely washed with water.
Useful advice
To give the product durability, lay metal reinforcement between several layers of gypsum or add fluffy lime sifted through a fine sieve to the last layer before hardening.
