How to Decorate Plaster Casting

Decorating your child's plaster cast could lift his spirits.

There are as many different ways to decorate a plaster casting as there are different types of plaster castings. What kind of decoration you will use is an important choice, and you will want to take into account your artistic ability, your experience and your ideas. Planning out your work is imperative since you can’t simply crumple up the piece of paper and start over: you only have one plaster casting.

Things You'll Need

• Drywall finishing plaster or plaster of Paris
• Sandpaper
• Scissors
• Old toothbrush
• Acrylic painting primer
• Paint brushes
• Acrylic craft paint
• Gloss
• Decoupage glue
• Sponge brushes
• Tissue paper or napkins
• Pencil
• Paint brush
• Mosaic glue
• Mosaic tiles
• Mosaic grout

Instructions

Preparation

1. Thicken and reinforce your plaster casting in areas it seems weak or fragile by putting on a few layers of drywall finishing plaster, which you can find in a home improvement store. This is especially important if you have made your casting using plaster strips, like a pregnant belly casting. Applying a layer of plaster will also give the casting a smoother look and feel, and will make it easier to decorate.

2. Wait at least 24 hours, if not more, for the plaster to dry. Sand the casting in rough areas to get it smooth. Work especially around the edges of the casting, which you can first cut down with scissors if needed.

3. Use an old toothbrush to remove dry plaster that you have sanded off, making sure all dust is removed before moving on to decoration, otherwise it will mix in with paint or glue.

Painting

1. Pay special attention to preparing your plaster casting, applying at least one layer of finishing plaster in order to give yourself a smooth surface to paint on. You can also paint on a few layers of acrylic painting primer.

2. Plan out on paper the design you would like to paint on your plaster casting. You can even trace it in pencil directly onto your casting.

3. Choose an acrylic craft paint. Mix the paint thoroughly with your brush, and apply it to your casting. Work in sections, if you need, letting each one dry before moving onto the other. Feel free to add a layer of gloss to finish the look of your work.

Decoupage

1. Cut your tissue paper into small pieces. If you are using napkins, make sure to first separate and remove the extra layers. Usually there are three layers.

2. Apply decoupage glue to your casting in small sections.

3. Place your tissue pieces onto the glue, one by one, smoothing them out with your finger to remove any air bubbles.

4. Paint over the tissue pieces lightly with the sponge brush and some decoupage glue. The glue will dry clear, so don’t worry if it looks white.

5. Work on your casting until it is all covered with tissues. Tissues can overlap and have a “hodgepodge” look.

Mosaic

1. Plan out your mosaic on your plaster casting with a pencil.

2. Apply mosaic glue to the casting, according to manufacturer’s instructions, using a paint brush. Work on small sections at a time.

3. Apply your mosaic tiles firmly to the section of your casting that contains glue.

4. Apply mosaic grout, if you wish, in between your tiles.

5. Sand around the edges of the casting where plaster sticks out from the edges of the tiles.

Tips & Warnings

• You can mix different decoration methods on the same casting.

• Make sure your plaster casting is completely dry before painting it, or it could mold on the inside. In some humid climates this could take up to a week.

• If there are sharp rounded edges on your casting, mosaic may be difficult.

References

• Michaels: How to Create a Mosaic