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Do-it-yourself stucco moldings for garden sculptures. Do-it-yourself solution for garden sculptures - it's simple and affordable

FROM sculptors don't like concrete. And honestly, there are reasons for that. Crushed stone, even small, complicates the elaboration of fine details, concrete is poorly adapted for modeling, and it also sets for a long time.

But, oddly enough, as a material for sculptures for a park, courtyard or playground, concrete is quite on the shoulder even for an ordinary home craftsman.

Of course, the material is complex, but in terms of strength and durability it is a competitor to it, perhaps, granite or bronze. But they are much more difficult to work with. In addition, there are ways to make small details, and you can also prepare a composition suitable for sculpting sculptures with your own hands. But let's start in order.

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Video version of the article

Three steps to sculpture

Intention

We will immediately decide where our future creation will be located. To decorate the park, something resting is better: figures of people, animals, or abstract decorations. Characters from fairy tales or cartoons are suitable for the playground.

If a concrete sculpture can be used in a game, great!

Sketch

Drawing of the future sculpture. If you can do it accurately and in detail - good. If it's on a scale, it's amazing. If not, at least in the most general form, primitively, if only it was clear to oneself. Or pick up ready-made on the Internet. The main thing is to decide on the dimensions (Fig. 1), at least the main ones, this is a must.

scale model

The sketch is done, but it's too early to start work. The next step is a model of the future sculpture.

The model is made of clay or plasticine. In fine detail, say the tail and paws of a cat in fig. 1 insert the wire for stiffness.

If there are no modeling skills and a desire to master them, suitable model we look for it in a toy store, at a flea market, or we create it on a 3D printer.

Advice. Sometimes an element looks great on a tiny model, but does not look enlarged. To avoid this, try to select the size of the model on a scale of about 1:5. Let's say, for a meter-long sculpture, a model of 20 cm is just right.

What is a model for? Let's explain with an example.

To copy the finished drawing, there is one way: the original is drawn with a grid of identical cells, and then transferred in small simple “pieces” to the same or proportionally enlarged (reduced) grid (see photo).

Sculpture can be copied in the same way. The only thing is that we will transfer not a plane, but a volume, therefore the original needs a volumetric one.

Let decorative concrete stand for at least a week before grinding it. If you start earlier, particles of rubble and sand will turn out, forming shells and furrows.

We grind large parts and flat surfaces with a “grinder” with a nozzle in the form of an abrasive cup. Small relief - with petal nozzles made of sandpaper, nozzles with a soft base and manually - with ordinary sandpaper.

We polish in a “wet” way, wetting both the abrasives and the concrete itself with water.

Quite tiny details or ornaments for concrete sculptures are rarely required. If, nevertheless, your plan requires “hairy” accuracy, we do the processing on the set concrete. We work with cutting discs of a small “grinder”, a perforator, a hammer and thin chisels of various shapes.

Composition of concrete

For modeling, you need a plastic concrete mixture that adheres well to the metal of the frame and to the already laid layers.

Its basis is ordinary or decorative → plus additives (the link tells about the preparation of concrete with your own hands). Decorative concrete is distinguished by the fact that instead of ordinary gray cement, we use white, and colored crumbs as crushed stone (marble, granite, synthetic stones, etc.).

Sculpture, as a small architectural form, has been used to decorate gardens and plots since ancient times. Properly selected decorative figurine will emphasize the beauty and style of any garden. Today, it is very easy to buy any element to decorate the landscape, but garden figures that are made by hand look much more original. To create sculptures with your own hands, you can use various materials, and the figures that will decorate your garden can be very different.

The main thing is to maintain the general style of the site and realize your creative inspiration, and we will provide a couple of ideas that can help you.

The sculpture of an angel looks very unusual and beautiful, using a frame and a shape.

Angel making tutorial

First of all, you need to make a head for an angel. To create a head, it is better to use a shape. The head of an old doll is suitable as a form;
The head cast from plaster is fixed on a rod, the second end of which is inserted into the base;
The base or pedestal where the angel will be placed is made according to the same principle as the head. In our case, the angel will be on a pedestal made from the shape of an ordinary ball;
A frame for the wings, arms and legs of an angel is attached to the rod;
Then gypsum or concrete is applied to the frame;

Any material will have to be applied more than once or twice, gradually leveling it;
After applying the layers, when the decorative composition is formed and the angel is completely dry, you can level the surface with sandpaper;
For strength, such an angel is first covered with PVA, and then painted with paint.

What the figure of an angel looks like, look at the photo:

Papier-mâché figurines

Sculptures made from material such as papier-mâché are also a kind of classic, which was previously used to create small crafts for the interior. Now this technique is used, creating compositions for the garden.

Papier-mache - the inside of which consists of paper.

The paper is crumpled, moistened and glued together.

Strength is given by several times glued layers of paper, paint and a top layer of varnish.

In order to make the papier-mâché crafts ourselves, we need:

waste paper and cardboard;
wallpaper glue or PVA;
paints;
oilcloth;
vegetable oil or liquid soap;
scissors.

A detailed master class on making figures from papier-mâché on video.

There are several ways to make garden compositions from material such as papier-mâché.

Method number 1

Making a model - there are no recommendations at this point, it all depends on experience, desire and skill. But if you have not worked with this material yet, it is better to start with simple figures - mushrooms, koloboks and other things;
Many layers of paper are glued onto the prepared model - about 100;
The result is a hollow figure from the inside.

Method number 2

You need to cut the paper finely and place it in water;
Paper must be in water for a day;
After that, the paper must be boiled, squeezed and dried;
Dried paper is mixed with chalk and glue until smooth;
The resulting solution is placed in the desired shape or applied to the frame.

For stability (pictured), you need to prime with a water-repellent putty, then paint and varnish.

Sculptures from waste materials

Sculptures can be made not only from concrete, plaster, paper and polyurethane foam. For such production, any improvised material is suitable, which is always a lot on the site.

Wooden figurines look great, which can be made from stumps, various planks, old wooden furniture, barrels and other wooden elements.
A wooden sculpture in the form of an animal looks great on the site, it also looks good on the playground.
Very beautiful and wooden pedestals. On such a pedestal there can be an angel made of glued paper, and a fairy-tale character.
And if your design is sustained in oriental style, then a decorative Buddha can be placed on a wooden pedestal.

And what it looks like from wood, look at the photo:

Often car tires are also used for the production of figures.

The technology of creation is quite simple. It is necessary to cut any car tire, turn inside out, make a frame for the selected figure, fix and paint.

It can be made from various improvised natural materials. The main thing in this matter is desire and fantasy. And a hand-made figurine, combined in style with the surrounding design, will give your garden a personality.

Training on making sculptures from car tires on video:

Since ancient times, small sculptures have adorned gardens and parks. If you choose them correctly, then their presence will only emphasize the style and image of your site. Despite the fact that now in stores is presented huge selection all sorts of decorative ornaments for every taste and budget, all the same, hand-made garden ornaments will bring an unforgettable flavor and originality to your site. The main thing is to have the right goal and not deviate from the main design, then turn on the imagination and start getting creative! In this article we will talk about how to make garden sculptures with your own hands from improvised materials. And if you want to decorate your garden with something beautiful, then garden sculpture will be a great option, but we will learn how to make them a little lower.

Sculptures for the garden in plaster or concrete

Such sculptures, of course, are a classic decoration of gardens and parks. No need to immediately take on the images Greek goddesses, for starters, you can fill your hand on figurines of mushrooms, for example, fly agaric, which, of course, from the hands of different masters will look completely different, having their own originality in any case.
What you need for a master class on making a garden fly agaric.

log or stump,
gypsum,
bowl and mixing bowl
plastic bag,
water,
white and red colors,
fine sandpaper,
a couple of brushes.

Progress:

This variant of garden ornaments will perfectly fit into any landscape design You can place them anywhere in your garden.

Sculptures made of concrete

You can also create exclusive sculptures from concrete, which, except for you, will not be available to anyone.

For their manufacture, you need a metal frame.

It is made in the shape of the desired figure, and then we apply a concrete solution to it.

To obtain thick parts of the figure, it is necessary to wind a fine wire in these places.

There is also the option of pouring concrete into preforms. But be prepared for the fact that you will not get the perfect sculpture right away, the first time, without a certain experience in creating such figures.

Do you want to know how to make a garden sculpture with your own hands? Then know that it is not difficult. But, of course, you need to study. Let's start our garden figurine tutorial with a gnome. They will also ideally settle down in any place of your site and will playfully peek out from under the greenery of the bushes, or hide behind the flowers. We make the frame from rods or wire. Then we pour concrete, and wait for solidification. It remains only to color our gnome, as it should. If you want to learn more about the process of creating such a sculpture, you can watch the video.

In the same way, you can make sculptures for your site from mounting foam or clay.

You can consider as an option the figurine of an angel.

How to make an angel:

Do not forget about the good old papier - mache

Do-it-yourself garden sculptures can be made from papier-mâché material. And the next photo will show you such a craft. If earlier this technique of creating crafts was more used to create some small things, now I use it more and more in creating garden decorations.

As we remember, papier mache is made from crumpled paper soaked in glue. And strength can be given to it with the help of multilayer paint and varnish.

For the consciousness of sculpture in this technique, we take:

Waste sheets of cardboard and paper.
PVA or wallpaper paste.
Paints.
Oilcloth.
Liquid soap or vegetable oil.
Scissors.
Now let's look at several options for creating figures from papier-mâché.

Option 1.

It is more suitable for beginners, those who do not have much experience in this technique.
We take the desired model and apply at least a hundred layers of paper on it.
As a result, we get a hollow figure inside.

Option 2.

We put the finely cut paper into the water.
She has to stay there all day.
Next, boil the paper, wring it out and dry it.
Mix dry paper with chalk and glue.
The resulting mass is placed in a mold or applied to the frame.
Next, you should prime the figure with a water-repellent putty and pre-paint, apply varnish.

Sculptures from rubbish

If you want to learn how to make garden sculptures with your own hands, then carefully study any proposed master class. As for the material, it is not necessary to make your sculptures from classical material. For this, any, even junk or improvised material, is suitable, you just need to turn on your imagination.

Figures created from old furniture, some kind of stumps or planks, barrels just look great.

The wooden figure of any animal is perfect not only for garden plot but also for the playground.

For any figure, whether it be an angel or a dwarf, a wooden pedestal is perfect.

And if your landscape design is designed in the style of the East, then a decorative Buddha on a pedestal will come in handy there.

And how many interesting things you can think of and create from old car tires! A flower bed is perhaps the easiest and most common option. It is only necessary to first cut it, and turning it inside out, make a frame for the desired figure, fix it, paint it.

Finally

Now you know that making garden sculptures with your own hands is not some kind of difficult event. Only self-made garden decorations will give your site originality and individuality, creativity and completeness, emphasize its image, designed in a certain style. All you need is desire, imagination and creativity.

DIY garden sculptures. Ideas:

Frame base (Aluminum wire 3 mm and 1.5 mm).
Putty epoxy 2-component or cold welding. In auto stores you can find "POXIPOL" or "ABRD STEEL" for example.
Wire cutters.
Pliers or needle nose pliers, whichever you prefer.
Nuts and bolts of any size, but they should be selected along with drills. The easiest way is to use a self-tapping screw and a nut if you are not going to remove the figure from the platform later.
Washers.
Screwdriver.
Roulette.
Drills one is not less than the diameter of the nut, the other is equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the bolt (not the cap).
Aluminum foil from any household. shop.
Wooden base (15×15×1 cm).
Paper A3 format (29.7 × 42 cm).

Sketch. Draw an example of a figure. Step 1

Draw for yourself a good example of a person on paper 16" or 40.5 cm high. But this part is optional, and you can print a drawing of a person from the Internet.

YOU CAN USE THE DRAWING OF A HUMAN BY DOWNLOADING IT FROM THE LINKS: FIGURE-1 and FIGURE-2.

You need to have basic knowledge or find reference literature that will help you correctly check the proportions at all stages of creating a wireframe.

Construction of the legs of the future figure. Step 2

It is necessary to measure a piece of wire 48 "or 1.2 meters long. Make one more piece. They are needed to create the legs of the figure.

Twisting leg reinforcement. Step 3

Fold a piece of wire in half and make a loop. The loop must be large enough for the bolt to pass through to the head. You should have a round loop. Clamp it with pliers, but not too tight (the wire will shrink and loosen). Twist the 10" or 25.5 cm wire evenly. Repeat on the second piece of wire.

Creation of the foot and thigh. Step 4

Using pliers, bend the loop 90 degrees. This will be the foot, which we will fasten to the plane. Repeat on the other piece of wire. Once you can make the stops, you need to measure approximately 1" or 2.5 cm from the wrapped end and bend this part to the side. One piece to the left and the other to the right, so you get the hips of the frame. Align the ends of the untwisted reinforcement on both pieces.

THE STAGE OF CONNECTING TWO LEGS PARTS. STEP 5

This step may seem more difficult, but if you do everything right, you will get a strong connection of the parts and do not even need putty to secure. Connect both parts together, bend additional pieces of wire, on the opposite side over the bar of the adjacent part and under the thigh, to create a loop. Twist the top 2 ends together. This will be the spine of our figure.

Don't be discouraged if you don't get a strong connection. Unroll the wire and try again

STRENGTHENING THE SPINE OF THE FRAME. STEP 6

The spine must be tight. Now you can strengthen it with the remaining pieces by winding them along the spine, but not completely. With these pieces we will fix the shoulders with arms and neck.

CREATION OF THE SHOULDER AND NECK LINK. STEP 7

It's time to check the proportions of your drawing and edit the wireframe. Cut a new piece of wire about 20" or 50 cm long. This piece we will use to create the shoulders, which will be connected to the additional wire from the legs.

Make a loop in the center of the cut piece. Pass one of the back wires through the loop. Twist the spine wire to form the neck. This will tie your shoulders well.

Creation of the shoulders and arms of the frame of the sculpture. Step 8

Screw the remaining rods from the spine to shoulder level. Wrap the bar around the shoulder of the left and right hand tight coils. Cut off the remaining ends. Place the frame on the drawing along the center line and bend the shoulders.

Creating the head of the figure. Arm length. Step 9

First twist to the end the part that forms the neck. Twist this part and form a circle that will be the head (Pic 3). Check the length of the arms from the sketch and cut the wire at the fingertips. DO NOT CUT ON THE WRIST! Later, twist the wire and form a palm.

Formation of the palm. Step 10

Create loops on both sides at the ends of the arms to form the palm. Use pliers, but don't make the loops too big. When you start sculpting and adding material, such as clay, the palms will turn out to be of normal size. Be sure to check the frame with the picture.

Let's create the fingers. Step 11

Now we can take a thinner wire. Cut a long piece 3" or 7.5 cm and fold in half. Repeat one more time. You will get two wires folded in half. Put them on the palm loops (Pic 3). Squeeze the loop with pliers. We will fix these places later with putty.

Create a thumb. Step 12

Cut another piece of thin wire about 2" or 5 cm. Fasten the piece at one end in front of your palm around the thick wire. Now you can repeat the steps to form the second palm.

Use of 2-component putty. Step 13

Open the putty and take a small amount. Typically, these putties consist of two components that must be mixed, as prescribed in the instructions. Press the prepared putty into the loop where the fingers and palm meet. The composition will become stone when hardened. Do not use a large amount of putty, as in the future it will prevent the brush from dazzling.

Fixing all joints of the skeleton of the sculpture. Step 14

Use the rest of the putty, and putty all the wobbly joints of the frame. In the area of hip joint you can use a small amount if it is not connected so tightly. Do not use a large amount of putty, as it is difficult to get rid of it later. After all the knots are smeared, let the compound dry. Drying time is individual and indicated on the package.

The Lit-Art company specializes in monumental art casting from bronze, aluminum and cast iron. In addition, they make any scale here.

So let's get to the inspection. Artistic bronze casting. Beware - it's hot!

First, a full-size model of the future monument is made from plaster:

Sometimes monuments are made entirely of gypsum; for this, a large-scale copy is first created, on which control points are marked:

Then the main frame is welded at the control points:

Which is subsequently covered with plaster, while inside the sculpture remains hollow:

A monument made according to this model can be seen at the end of the report:

This one is still in the works. It is wrapped with a film after the initial shaping:

Go to art casting shop. It's much more interesting here:

A lumpy plaster mold is removed from the working model made of clay or gypsum. According to the obtained form, wax models of individual parts of the sculpture are made:

Wax models are placed in plaster molds where they cool down. A core form of resin and sand is stuffed into the cooled wax models. External plaster molds are opened, and the author can make the necessary revision of the model by wax to make the future casting match the working model: