Creating garden figures for someone is a source of income, and for someone - a way of self-expression and a source of positive emotions. They can be made of concrete, wood, artificial stone, gypsum ... An enterprise engaged in the manufacture of forms for garden figures, today there is in almost every city.
However, the pride of an increasing number of summer residents are figures made with their own hands.
Where to get forms for garden figures? Nature will tell
If a summer resident is tuned to a creative wave, he is able to see a model of future homestead sculpture right in the garden.
For example, a large leaf of burdock or rhubarb may serve as a mold for making a garden figure. The "leaf" cast from cement can be used as a feeder for country living creatures or a container for planting ornamental plants.
Do-it-yourself relief sculpture
The creator of the sculpture sheet needs concrete mortar. For its preparation, country craftsmen recommend using a mixture of Portland cement (a type of cement obtained in the process of grinding and subsequent mixing of limestone with gypsum), sifted sand and water.
For one part of Portland cement, three parts of sand are taken. Water is added until the solution looks like a soft, but not liquid curd mass.
As the prototype, choose the largest leaf of burdock or another plant with large leaves. The sheet is laid on a pre-prepared sand embankment and poured with concrete.
When the solution dries, the leaf is removed, and its exact copy is painted with “autumn” or “summer” paints.
Defender Giant
The “head” of an epic giant protecting the earth from the encroachments of envious people seems to be becoming a summer trend. One of the reasons for the popularity of this decoration method is its cheapness. The form for the "head" will serve as a wire mesh wound on an ordinary bucket.
To make a “protector”, you will also need a container for plants (it should completely fit in a bucket), a piece of polystyrene foam, the remains of mounting foam and a cement mixture.
Manufacturing procedure
Having wrapped the bucket with wire, they begin to manufacture the main "facial features" of the summer cottage defender. They are cut out of foam and attached to the workpiece using wire.
The next step in creating a mold for garden figures of this type is to fill the mesh wire mesh with foam. After the foam completely hardens (this process will take at least 24 hours), the preform is wrapped twice more with an iron mesh, and then the cement mortar is applied.
Cement mortar is made as follows:
- one part of cement is mixed with three parts of sand;
- add half a liter of water;
- mix the solution until water ceases to protrude on its surface and the resulting mass ceases to break.
When applying cement to the wire base, it is necessary to ensure that sections of the wire do not protrude from under the cement layer. If the desired effect was not achieved the first time, let the cement layer dry (it will take at least two days), and then cover the mold with a new layer of cement, after making a fresh batch.
The shelf life of the freshly prepared cement mixture is 3 hours.
The next stage of the work consists of painting. The figures are painted several times, and each new coat of paint is applied after the previous one has completely dried.
The final stage of creating a "defender" of the cottage consists of three parts:
- the sculpture is exempted from auxiliary elements (in this case, from a bucket);
- a container for plants filled with earth is placed inside the hollow form;
- In this peculiar flower pot, some tall plant is planted.
An unexpected mold for casting garden figures
As it turned out, ordinary rubber gloves can serve as forms for household figures. They are filled with cement mortar and, giving the "hands" the desired angle, leave to dry. Some craftsmen use flower pots or basins as dryers (gloves filled with cement are placed inside the container, folded with a “boat” or “bucket”).
Homegrown artisans recommend not stopping at the manufacture of one such form for garden figures and purchase several pairs of gloves of different sizes at once. Subsequently, they can be used as forms for small flower beds, as well as feeders and drinking bowls for birds.
Plaster or silicone?
Craftsmen, for whom the creation of a country sculpture is both a hobby and a source of income, are advised to prefer gypsum to silicone forms for garden figures.
The owners of summer cottages, tempted by the cheapness of silicone, note that the forms made of this material are short-lived and unsuitable for reusable use. In addition, silicone is suitable for the manufacture of the smallest figures.
Craftsmen, seriously keen on creating personal sculptures, it is better to dwell on more durable materials, not subject to the influence of temperature changes and natural phenomena.