Plaster Leaf Prints

Here is a plaster leaf print project that is very easy to do with dramatic results.  I posted a similar one 2 years ago, Salt Dough Leaf Prints.

With plaster the results are very quick and you don't have to bake them for 2 hours.

Grade 6 cast their prints today and I have a troop of Cubs completing their prints tonight.





ooooh such Fall loveliness!


Don't let plaster work intimidate you it's really pretty easy once you get the hang of it.






MATERIALS REQUIRED:

- small squares of Burlap
- Plaster of Paris, (I buy mine at the Hardware store by the carton or the bag)
- old yogurt container for mixing, or 2 , or 3,
- stick or old spoon, I use a chopstick
- newspaper
- water
- a really nice leaf, not dried out but still pliable
- some acrylic paint in Fall colors
- Mod Podge,  acrylic medium, or white school glue

PROCEDURE:

Gather up all your supplies.

Cover you work space with an old vinyl tablecloth, art board, or newspaper.

If your leaf is thin and tears easily it might be a good idea to apply a thin coat of Vaseline on the back of the leaf.  This will ensure it releases from the plaster.

I use an old yogurt container for mixing my plaster.  After I mix and pour I let the excess set in the container and then crunch the container a little.  The old plaster just flakes off and I can then throw it out and reuse the container for the next plaster project.

If you are pouring for a class or making alot of these have several containers so you can continue to mix and pour while the excess plaster is setting up in the previous container.

Lay out some newspaper.  Put down your squares of burlap.


Have your leaves at the ready.


At school I did this with small groups calling up 4 kids at a time.  The rest of the class worked on painting Frescoes.

If you have never used plaster before do a little test batch to get your feet wet.

Mix up a small amount of plaster.  I use a disposable drink cup to pour the dry plaster into the container and then add your water.  It's 2 parts plaster to 1 part water but to be honest I don't measure any more.  You'll learn to get the feel of it as you go.

Mix frantically to get it nice and smooth.  It will be like thick buttermilk in consistency....keep mixing when it becomes like yogurt start pouring.

Pour out onto the burlap.  Pour out the 4 or so you are doing and then go right back and shimmy the burlap a bit to flatten it and release the air bubbles.

Place your leaves into the plaster.  You want them face up with the veins and texture side on the plaster.


Using your fingertips lightly press those edges down and make sure the whole back surface is touching the plaster.

See here is a leaf cast where a portion of the leaf wasn't touching leaving that gap.

Let the plaster set up for about 10 - 15 minutes and then peel back the leaf to reveal the print.

If some leaf bits remain just go back and take them out.

Here are the Grade 6 prints in process.


Let your plaster set up fully.  Let it dry for a day or so.

Fray the edges of your burlap a bit for a nice look.

Now you might just want to leave it white but if you want to add a paint wash you need to coat the cast with a thin coat of Mod Podge or acrylic medium first.  You could even use a thin coat of white school glue if need be.

Plaster absorbs paint like crazy, in order to get that nice wash effect you need to put in that sealer first.

Let dry.

Put a little bit of acrylic paint on your palette.  Add some water to thin it out and then paint in where the leaf left it's imprint.


If you make a mistake just rub away the paint with a moist paper towel and try again.....that's the great thing about having that sealer coat.

That's it.  A great Fall accent for your home .

Give it a try and I'll see you next time!

How to Make Plaster Frescoes

Frescoes have been around for a long time in the art world.  We are all familiar with Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel but frescoes were around long before that.

The earliest evidence of the "wet plaster" fresco technique dates back to 2000 - 1550 BC or the Middle Bronze age. 

You can easily reproduce this technique in the classroom.