Casting Plaster using Clay

Yesterday for the first time ever I used Plaster as part of my project. It is easy to use and all you need is the plaster, which is like powder and looks like flour, and water. Then all you have to do is mix it until it is like yoghurt. But if you need to pour it into something it can be a bit more watery. My work is still based on photographs.


First I made a thick base out of clay. I then scratched out the lines which will later be the ones to rise when casting with plaster. I basically had to create a negative first so that the finished piece will be right. After finishing the design on the clay base I then made walls around it using the same materials. I made sure to smudge the clay so there wont be any holes for the plaster to go through once it is watery. It is better to leave the clay damp and not too dry. Tis will make it easier to peel it apart from the clay later on.

Once the clay cast is done it is time to get the plaster ready. I just mixed the water and clay until I thought it was ready to pour into the casts then I let it set for around an hour. After that the plaster was ready to be seperated from the clay. Luckily the negatives of the clay survived too.


These are the results from the plastering :