Stucco plaster

The art of stucco plaster has been known since antiquity. In Russia, the greatest prosperity it has reached at the turn of XVII-XVIII centuries. This period coincided with the start of construction of St. Petersburg. In our time, stucco, unfortunately, is seldom applied, although the carved cornice can not only beautify the room, but close the joints between panels of the walls and ceiling, and stucco outlet under the chandelier, the ceiling will make the visual above.

The popularity of gypsum decoration explain the relatively low cost of raw materials and ease of processing. Plaster-cast can be easily painted, sometimes mimicking the more inaccessible and difficult to handle rock and metal. But more often than in the architectural stucco preferred to keep the natural white material that is expressively pointed out the fine details of relief, gave them a lightness, ease.
Decorative masks, sculptural forms, stucco to decorate the ceiling and vases - all this and more can be made of fine material such as gypsum. This is a very beautiful material, easy to color, and can acquire any form. We describe one of the methods of working with plaster.
Before you start work, you need to make a product model in plasticine. This can be a decorative mask or a vase, sculpture, etc. It all depends on the artistic taste and skill. The model is called a sculptural sketch, in which then cast plaster products. For example, you wanted to make a decorative mask to school New Year's evening. 

To do this on a board whose dimensions are slightly larger than the size of the proposed mask Lepim mask of clay. Plasticine can change the shape of the object you are creating an unlimited number of times. When the form plasticine mask is ready, you can start casting it in plaster. First, using plasticine mask makes a plaster mold, which can then be cast in plaster mask itself.
Intermediate operations for the production of form due to the fact that the casting of the mask form must have the reverse image of the cast you have a subject. If relief of plasticine sketch complex, with lots of protruding elements, the shape is made of several parts to make it easier to shoot.
To do this, mentally divide the sketch into separate parts. Then mark the plasticine on the parting line along the whole product and push it into clay pieces of copper foil to prevent sticking parts until plaster has cured. The foil should be thin, since the rough areas will have to bend around on a curvilinear contour.
After this gypsum to dilute the concentration of the rare cream to print all the elements of the surface of the mask. This solution layered plasticine cover sketch. The first layer of plaster put on the clay brush to in the pits were not formed, air bubbles, and then a flat spatula. The thickness of the layer should be several millimeters.
When the first layer has hardened, apply a second and so on until the form will not be strong enough. If the plaster products of large dimensions, then after the first few layers of plaster should put a metal rebar in a grid of copper wire. The grid will provide the mechanical strength. To not use reinforcement wire, since it is oxidized and gives rusty streaks that can spoil the appearance of the product.
Approximately half an hour later, when the stucco gypsum crystallized and sufficiently harden, gently remove the plaster mold from plasticine mask and scalpel tweak a few drawbacks. The form must be dry. Well-dried form when tapped lightly ringing. The inner surface of the mold cover with shellac or furniture with varnish to a subsequent casting plaster did not stick.
Certain details of the shape you have to gather and tie with a soft wire, so they are not displaced. Close up the joints with plaster. When the form is dry, again dissolve plaster and pour it into shape. When the product dries, it can be tinted or left in its natural form.
Above described technique of manufacture of complex products made from plaster. However, there is a very simple way of manufacturing. Just 15 ... 20 minutes can make a wall plate, decorated with a picture of flowers. To do this, choose a color postcard, which shows the colors. Cut the flowers with scissors along the contour, water cut image with water and put it in the front part of the surface at the bottom of a deep dish or saucer of medium size.
Flowers should fill the flat part of the bottom plate or saucer. Now dilute the plaster and pour it into the bowl of a layer whose thickness is 10 ... 15 mm, to form a perfect circle. While gypsum is not frozen, insert a rope loop and then the finished product can be hung on the wall. 10. . . 15 min, when the plaster hardens, carefully peel off the resulting print. Trim the rough edges with a knife - and the product is ready!