Tips for working with Plastercraft

Creations with Plastercraft

Another 3 day weekend is over and we are in the last stretch of school until summer break! Seven more weeks!
The end of the year goes by so fast!
By the second semester of the year, my students begin to get bored with all of our usual supplies. We are all tired by this time of year, so it is a great time to pull out the plastercraft.

JimmyBob the Giraffe
Meet one of the 3D Plaster Sculptures that is currently decorating the Art Room. JimmyBob the Giraffe was created by Sam (Samantha). JimmyBob was formed out of a lot of rolled up newspaper. You can see in the second photo how Samantha is adding layers of Plastercraft to the legs of her sculpture.

Preparation Tips for Teachers

1. Size of class matters. 
I teach this lesson to my Art 3 students. Mainly because it is always a smaller class than my Art 1 and Art 2 classes. It is easier to manage the mess and these supplies can get expensive with a large class.

2. Collect Recyclables.

Start a collection of paper towel and toilet paper tubes, newspaper, empty containers made of cardboard. These items can be used to form the foundation of your student's sculptures.

Empty plastic ice cream containers are great for carrying water to student work spaces. I may or may not have eaten lots of ice cream to contribute to this collection.

Let other teachers know what supplies you need. Maybe they can save you from over indulging in ice cream. ;) 

3. Keep a sketchbook.

Have students keep a sketchbook to sketch out their ideas for projects. They should use those sketches to plan the shapes that are needed to put together their sculpture. 

4. Buy masking tape in bulk.

Have plenty of masking tape to tape the shapes together as they are formed. I always purchased masking tape in bulk. It will be used for many projects. 

5. Buy Plastercraft in a large package. 

One small roll does not go very far. I purchase a large box similar to this photo. Whatever you do not use can be used next year. This is a picture of the type I purchased.


For more tips and techniques for using the Plastercraft., visit this post here:
   Up to Our Elbows in Newspaper, tape, and plaster

Now start collecting those paper towel rolls and ice cream buckets!



Mrs. Macre♥Art     

Finished Plastercraft Sculpture Update

Finishing Projects

Spring Break is almost over and we are into the last quarter of the school year...already! This year is going by very quickly and the last quarter always goes by even more quickly because of the end of year testing and graduation activities and getting ready for our district Art Show!

My trusty computer suddenly died recently. It had my photoshop program on it, so I haven't updated the blog because I feel lost on this borrowed computer without my photoshop.  I downloaded a preview of a newer version of photoshop so I can do some editing and posting.  I'm still trying to post the results of our plaster sculptures.

Here is the owl and Pink Dog that I created for the project samples and demonstration.

The Turtle, Giraffe, and Penguin are all created this year by some of my students in Art 3.

To see the project from the beginning, check it out here:
Up to Our Elbows in Newspaper and Tape

 

                               

                Mrs. Macre♥Art 

3D Plaster Sculptures Complete

Sculpture in the Art Room

The Sculptures from my Art 3 and 4 class are finished and I've been taking photos and editing the photos. I will include a few examples of the finished pieces in this post and a few more in the next post.  Both the students and I enjoyed this project.  They all come up with a variety of ideas and must come up with their own technique for creating their idea from the form to the final painting.  The students are good about sharing suggestions, so they work well together as a class.  The students in my Art 2, 3 and 4 classes are made up of students who REALLY want to create and try new things.  They make my day!

To see the work in project pictures, check them out here:
Creating the Forms
Plastering
More Finished Projects

Hayley's Peace Sign

Bridgette's Pink Guitar - back side

Mrs. Macre♥Art 

Plastercraft Sculptures...Update from the Art Room

 So we have a Giraffe, an elephant, a duck, a penguin, a guitar, a peace sign, a glitter high heel shoe, a very unique cat, a purse...some of the sculptures are finished and decorating the art room.  But you can't see the finished projects yet...

So in my last post, I posted about the plaster sculptures that my students in my Art 3 and 4 classes were just starting. They were taping forms to get ready for plastering.  In this post, I  post pictures of the plastering process. I buy the plaster craft rolls by the large box. 

Like this: https://amzn.to/36qFZe9

 We use old buckets for warm water, old scissors to cut the plaster with (it's very messy work), and place newspaper on the tables and we are ready to go to work.

In my next post, I will post pictures of the sculptures in the painting stage. They are looking 'awesomely' cute! *I know that is not correct grammar, but it just doesn't come across the same with just 'so cute!'*

There are a few that are still getting some painted details, including mine!   One of the cool things about my job is that I get to play with the supplies too, especially in my Art 3 and 4 class! When I demonstrate how to use supplies and techniques, I try to work in some time, while they are working, to finish the demo project.  So I will post pictures of my demo when it gets its finishing touches.

*Update: Finished Project Update

I hope you enjoy your visit!

 

Mrs. Macre♥Art 

Up to our Elbows in newspaper, tape, and Plaster.

Plastercraft Sculptures

After the Christmas break, we came back and jumped right into making lots of creative messes.  Art 1 students are drawing portraits, Art 2 students are painting textured abstracts on canvas, and Art 3 and 4 students are creating 3-dimensional sculptures using newspaper and masking tape forms, covered with plaster and then paint. So my classroom has been quite a mess! But that's a good sign that good things are happening, right?  Yeah, well that is what I tell myself, after apologizing to my custodian!

My Art 3 and 4 students love to experiment with new materials and try new techniques. Which is great.  They love the hands on projects!  They started these sculptures right after New Years, and they are doing very well.  I will post the start of some of their projects in this post and update them along the way.

Supplies needed:
Masking tape
Plastercraft Rolls
Buckets for warm water
Scissors
Acrylic Paint


For more tips to use in the classroom to teach this project, check out this post:
Tips for Working with Plastercraft

Here are some of the projects after creating the forms and wrapping areas in newspaper and masking tape. My next post will show the plastering process and then painting. Be ready for some awesome cuteness! **Update:  Adding Plastercraft 

Mrs. Macre♥Art    

Plaster Craft Art - Turtle crawling up the wall...

This turtle was hanging on my classroom wall this spring.  Just another cute project completed by one of my students this semester. 

Plastercraft Project

This is made, first of newspaper and cardboard for the form. Then covered with plaster strips, then textured with modeling paste, then painted with acrylic paint. 

We used Plastercraft rolls like these: https://amzn.to/3eQ6opD

Hannah's Turtle
Mixed Media - Plaster and Paint

Mrs. Macre♥Art 

Welcome to my new blog!

Welcome to my new blog and my first post! I am a high school art teacher who has been blogging my own journal for 4 years.  In my Art Journal Blog, I have been adding some occasional posts about my art class projects and thought that I would try to keep the two journals separate. I'm sure they will overlap some, but I have recently stumbled on other Art Teacher blogs that I am excited to start keeping up with! I plan to go back through my Art Journal Blog, and find the posts about classroom projects and add to this blog.  That is going on my to do list for this summer though.  This year is coming to an end in 2 weeks, so I have a lot to do over the next 2 weeks. 

I have been teaching for 28 years and I really wish that I had this technology  years ago.   I would say over these 28 years, the invention of the digital camera and the internet have been my favorite changes to teaching over the years!  Plus this year my school district installed a smart board in my classroom, so that is becoming another one of my favorite tools to teach with! (besides paints, markers, colored pencils, etc.)  

So, for now, I will be looking for old blog posts and pictures of projects and spending lots of time looking at other art teacher blogs. Along the way, I hope to meet some art teachers and get some cool ideas for class projects!  

Mrs. Macre♥Art