Intro to Plaster Sculpting with Chris

Unleash your inner sculptor in this introductory plaster sculpting class!

Plaster is a mixture of lime, sand, or cement, and water that hardens as it dries. It is a very affordable building material for building decorative features, and ceiling and wall ornaments and also has applications as a drying agent in clay, medical castings, and archaeology.

Because of this material’s consistency and fast drying time, participants will be able to convey gestures and a sense of immediacy to create their very own sculpted art in this four-hour-long session. Students will use a variety of tools and techniques in this hands-on, make-and-take workshop.

Hour 1: Wireframe forming

We will use wireframing to create a form and base for our sculptures

Hour 2: Body

Once our wire base frame is formed, we will layer a cloth sheet of plaster mix onto the wire frame to build our plaster-shaped body. After it is dry, students will add on plaster layers to create a unique form.

Hour 3: Wet sanding

After the body is built students will sand their sculptures down to create an overall shape and features in a dustless environment using the wet sanding technique.

Hour 4: Finishing and Customization

Students will finish their sculptures with the remaining time using a variety of techniques such as dry sanding, painting, buffing, and more.