How to Make a Plaster of Paris '&' Ampersand Symbol

We're going right back to GCSE Art lessons: Mod Roc, Plaster Roll or Plaster of Paris - whatever you called it, I'm sure you came across the weapon of choice for todays DIY at some point during school art.  After seeing a roll of plaster on sale at HobbyCraft, I couldn't help but find a project for it.

In my continued efforts to make accessories for my home, a Decopatch symbol and a 

bowl of water was all I needed.

What I Used:

Decopatch '&' Symbol

Plaster of Paris

Water / Paint

This DIY is actually pretty simple and is in no way as messy as I remember - all you need to make

 sure is that everything you need is on hand - have a protected surface, cut your strips of plaster roll

 and have a bowl of water near by - then you're good to go.

I started my plastering with the edges - this way, you can fold the plaster in place over the front and back, which will then be covered later.  Starting from the centre, I dipped my plaster roll briefly in 

to the water, wiped off the excess and then smoothed over the Decopatch symbol:

To neaten any corners or edges, I placed the plaster roll in line with the symbol: 

Continue for the full length to ensure the symbol is fully covered:

...then move on to covering the front and back of the symbol:

Cut smaller pieces of the plaster roll to ensure the inside sections are also covered:

Once fully covered, leave the symbol to dry fully over night [or longer if you fancy starting this 

project at the start of the week and finishing at the weekend].  Once dried, you can leave the 

symbol as it is, but I wanted to give some colour with a little silver, black and white paint:

I started with a complete covering of silver paint:

...and then highlighted areas with a dry brush and small stipple of black and white paint:

...which added a little more dimension and detail:

Leave to dry fully and then it is ready to display:

see you next time x

Like an excuse for a DecoPatch project? Step right this way: