Plaster Roses

Here is how I made the plaster rose from my last post.

I had a rose to begin with.

You can use a silk rose, or a plastic one.  Just make sure either are clean.


This is a messy, but pretty simple project. You're going to need latex or vinyl gloves, plaster of paris, gesso,  a stirring stick, and a bucket or wide container for your mix.

Start with plaster of paris. Mix with water, till you get the consistency of pancake batter.  Make enough to immerse your rose in.  Then add a little white gesso. This will dry super fast if you don't have water on hand to keep the batter like consistency. Keep adding water if it starts to stiffen. Have your flowers ready. Put on your gloves and dip.

You want to saturate the rose with the mixture, and get in the crevices. If you are using a silk rose, you may have to do a little sculpting to get the shape you want.  When you're done, shake off the excess, and lay it on a plastic surface. I just used a plastic bag.

Depending on how thick you coat the rose, it will take a few hours to a day for it to stiffen and dry really well.

The finish will be chalky. You can dust it with a small paint brush.  Now, this is purely decorative. This is not something you want to bang around a lot. The plaster will chip. You can leave it this way, seal it with spray, or paint it.  I like the raw irregular look.  I put some of them in my vintage bottles.

There are a multitude of variations to this technique, but I wanted to give you a simple one.

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