C.C. Lowell: Plaster Casting Leaves

Plaster Casting Leaves Tutorial

- Fun for Adults & Kids!

We came across this great project on Pinterest posted by Susan Myers.

This is a fun and easy project for adults, and kids ages 10 and up with help of a parent.

Materials needed for this project:

Several large leaves

Plaster of Paris

Plastic (to protect work surface)

Newspaper

Hemp cording, string, or picture hanging hardware

Step 1: First cover your table in plastic. You can use trash bags or large plastic bags. Crunch up some newspaper to put under the upside-down leaf to support the center. (You don’t want your leaf to be flattened by the weight of the plaster).

Step 2: Roll up more pieces of newspaper and put under the edges of the leaves in several places to create nice waves in the leaf. You will have to use one leaf for every plaster casting as the leaves lose a ton of texture if you try to re-use them.

Step 3: Mix the Plaster of Paris with water in a plastic cup. Add enough water to make the plaster a consistency similar to yogurt. Then spoon the plaster over your leaf. Plaster does not stick to the leaf and in some cases will try to roll off, but be persistent. Try to spread it just to the edges of the leaf, creating a layer of plaster over the leaf that is about ¼ inch thick. Now at this point, add a hanger of some sort into the plaster before it dries. Now allow the leaf to dry for at least an hour. Leaves are fragile and if the plaster has not set completely, it will break into a bunch of leafy pieces.

Now, flip your mold over and peel off the leaf.

You may have to do some trimming on the edges. Carefully use a craft blade to score the edges and then snap off the extra in little pieces. Keep in mind that these plaster leaves are fragile.