Renai Ellison shows how to transform a plain clay or plaster bust into a work of art by adding a faux finish that looks like metal or stone.
Technique One
Materials:
plaster or clay bust (available at craft stores)
chip brush
metallic iron-surface treatment
antiquing rust solution
sea sponge
Steps:
- Brush off surface of bust to remove dust particles.
- With a chip brush, generously apply metallic iron-surface treatment to bust. Cover surface completely.
- Let dry--it usually takes around two hours.
- Touch up any spots that might have been missed. The surface should be dark gray in appearance.
- Apply antiquing solution to the bust with a dry sea sponge. Do this randomly, in spots, because rust naturally forms in certain areas (figure A). After the bust is dry, you can go back and add additional antiquing solution if you prefer.
Technique Two
Materials:
acrylic paints (raw sienna, terra cotta, patio brick, dark and light brown, dark and light green)
paintbrush
sea sponge
Steps:
- Generously apply paint. Blend raw sienna, terra cotta and patio brick as you go. Make sure that there is full coverage of the bust. Allow to dry completely.
- Pick up some burnt umber (dark brown), raw sienna (lighter, reddish-brown), dark green and light green with a sponge. Apply paint to the dry bust to make it look like an aged piece (figure B). These colors will simulate dirt, age and moss.
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