Faux Stone Plaque

Welcome, and Happy New Year!

This month I'll be showing you how to make a "stone" plaque for the garden, so even if it is snowy and cold outside, you can think about Spring planting and garden decor.

To make the plaque you'll need:

Creative Paperclay® modeling material

a work board or sturdy cutting board you can leave the clay on while it is drying

plastic scraper or credit card

small flat scraper or sculpting tool (one can be easily made from sharpening the end of a "popsicle" stick)

card stock or light cardboard

dimensional paint

gesso

acrylic paints in browns and greys

exterior varnish

a plastic straw

rolling pin

craft knife

tape

wire or twine for hanging your plaque

tracing paper, pencil

small paint roller

large bristle paint brush

pattern

Make your stamp first -

Trace the center design section of the pattern and transfer it in reverse onto cardboard.  Go over the lines with dimensional paint, then set aside to dry.  You may wish to go over some of the lettering, such as the word "SMILE" twice to give it added depth.

Roll clay out on your work board to a 3/16" thickness.  Trace pattern edges and holes onto tracing paper and transfer to clay.

Using your craft knife, cut into the clay slightly, then wet the center of the work piece and start scraping out and removing clay.  Continue scraping out the center section to a depth of about 1/8"

Use the edge of the small scraper to clean up the edges of the area you scraped out.

Add some tape to the back of your cardboard stamp and check the fit.  Trim the interior section of the clay as necessary until the stamp will fit inside, then carefully press the design into the clay.

Press the straw all the way through the clay to cut holes where indicated.

Now start the stone texture by gently rolling over the entire piece with the paint roller.  Be careful around the lettering and don't press too hard with the roller (start on the edge to see how much pressure you need just to make very slight indentations all over the piece).

Use the paintbrush to texture along the inside edge, and press the bristles in randomly along the edges of the piece to create more texture.  If desired, use the craft knife to add some cracks in the stone and some more dimension.

Allow the clay to dry on the board.  It may take several days to dry - be sure not to remove it until it is completely dry or the piece might warp.

When the piece has dried, remove it from the board and coat all surfaces with gesso.  Allow the gesso to dry, then begin painting with a wash of warm brown acrylic paints.

When the brown wash has dried, paint the piece with a wash of darker brown and grey.  Allow the dark color to flow into all the lettering.  Let dry.  Continue alternating washes until you are satisfied with the piece.  Remember that it will appear much lighter when it is out in the sun!

When the paint is dry, coat the piece with exterior varnish.  Add some "rusty" (mine is painted with burnt umber, black, and burnt sienna for rust) wire or twine and find a sunny spot to hang up your work!

Thanks for joining me here again!

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