Having a summer cottage, you always want to arrange it, and in some special way. However, garden decorative elements are not cheap, and they are not durable.
People with a developed imagination can make original crafts for the garden from cement, which is not only highly resistant to various types of influence (frost, hail, sun, water), but also accessible (you can buy it at any hardware store for a reasonable price).
For decoration and design additions, you can use flower pots, flowerpots, figurines of fairy-tale characters or plant objects made with your own hands from cement. This material cannot be called capricious, and most people have a lot or little experience working with it. Still, there are several important rules that must be followed to ensure that crafts made from cement mortar are of high quality and durable.
The technology for preparing the mixture is as follows. The main components are prepared: cement, construction sand, water and tile adhesive (for better ductility and reducing the risk of microcracks). For 1 part of cement, take 2 parts of sand (for greater strength, you can take 1 part) and 1 part of glue. Lastly, add water in small portions to the consistency of thick sour cream. It is convenient to work with such a mixture: it does not flow and at the same time is quite plastic.
All cement products require prolonged drying. Hardening can last up to 7 days. To prevent the surface from cracking, the finished creation is covered with polyethylene. To give the product a beautiful and regular shape, the base is placed on a mound of sand or buried in it (depending on the idea), but not on a flat surface.
After complete hardening, the figure must be coated with a primer and only after that can paint or varnish be applied. If the craft has roughness and other irregularities, it should be refined with sandpaper and a file before priming.
In addition to cement mortar, concrete is sometimes used, which is characterized by the presence of large fractions (pebbles or crushed stone) and increased strength. Crafts made from concrete for a summer residence can be represented by large monolithic boulders, and this material is also convenient to use to create a base for various compositions (a platform for a fountain, a pedestal for a sculpture, a terrace for flower pots, etc.).
Another material similar in its application is gypsum. It is not as strong as cement, but more plastic and decorative. It can be used to create hollow shapes. For garden creativity, molding (sculptural), acrylic and architectural types are used. When working with this material, you need to take into account its rapid hardening. It is often recommended to add it to cement mortar when creating sculptures.
Having no experience in using cement for decorative purposes, it is better to start with something simple that does not require modeling skills and obtaining the desired consistency. The first exhibits in your garden can be cute mushrooms, colorful balls or original flower pots.
To make a mushroom you will need an old rubber ball (the size of the cap will depend on its size), a plastic bottle (it will become the basis for the stem, its size should be proportional to the cap), a metal rod to attach the cap to the stem. The ball is cut into two halves, one of which is placed in a bucket of sand and pressed evenly. Next, cement mortar is poured into the resulting form and leveled.
The bottom and neck of a plastic bottle are cut off and inserted into the filled mold in the center, immersing it by 1 - 2 cm. Then, using a long iron rod, the future stem and cap of the mushroom are connected and the cavity inside the bottle is filled with the solution. The product should harden for several days, after which you need to remove the piece of the ball and the plastic cylinder.
After a few more days, the product can be coated with paint and decorated with various elements. Mushrooms of different sizes look impressive on the plot in the form of a small clearing. It is also worth noting that your imagination may tell you to use other containers (bowls, jars) and methods for making garden mushrooms.
It’s enough to just make an openwork ball that seems so light and airy. For the base, use a balloon (the size of the future shapes depends on how much you inflate the balloon). Next, any rope is placed in the prepared solution and then the ball is wrapped around it.
Do not wrap the base too tightly; you need to leave enough holes for further removal of pieces of the burst ball. When the product is dry, you can begin decorative coating.
If you cover the balloons with cement mortar with a small amount of gypsum added for faster hardening, you can get original garden lanterns or flower pots.
Using this technique you can also make vases for dried flowers. In this case, not only the outer side, but also the inner side is subjected to decorative painting.
If you pour the solution into a small hole in rubber balls, you can get monolithic balls of different sizes. Painted in different bright colors and randomly scattered around the garden, they will become a laconic and stylish decoration.
Using plastic containers, you can make a flower pot for Crassula and Crassula Ovata cacti. The container is wrapped in a plastic bag, and a bag of clay or sand is placed inside so that the container holds its shape. Next, it is covered with cement mortar. After complete drying, all auxiliary materials are removed, drainage holes are made in the bottom using a drill, the product is primed and painted.
It's very easy to make a flowerpot using a plastic bucket or vase and another suitable container.
One container is inserted into another, and the solution is poured into the space between them. The result is a high-quality product that can be further decorated by showing your imagination to the fullest.
Flowers planted in flowerpots made from crossed palms look attractive. To create such a masterpiece, use ordinary rubber gloves, which are evenly filled with the solution. For rigidity, you need to insert a thick wire rod into each finger. To ensure a high-quality product, the formation of air bubbles must not be allowed.
When the gloves are filled, they are given the desired shape and fixed. After a few days, the rubber is cut and removed. If you need to connect two palms, then use the same solution. At the final stage, the surface is polished with sandpaper, primed and painted.
Complex figures with a frame
It’s more fun to decorate your country house with sculptures of animals and mythical characters. Such creations involve the preliminary production of a durable frame and layer-by-layer application of cement mortar.
Interesting flowerpots can be made using buckets from construction mixtures. At the first stage, a container of suitable size is wrapped with a plaster mesh and covered with a thick layer of cement. At the second stage, until complete hardening, decorative adjustments are made, making an imitation of an old stump with natural wrinkles on the bark.
A monolithic figure of a hippopotamus would look appropriate near artificial reservoirs. The place for it must be determined immediately and carefully aligned, since in the future the figure will be stationary.
Two elongated plastic basins, which must be fastened with wire, are suitable as a frame. Another option is also possible: a thick cement solution is covered on top of a pile of broken bricks or crushed stone.
The figure itself does not contain complex elements and is easy to perform. After hardening, the product is treated with fixing impregnation and dry pigment for concrete, rubbing the powder with a hard sponge.
More complex sculptures are made in several stages: 1) making a frame from wire and foam plastic or containers; 2) covering the workpiece with a plaster mesh; 3) applying the mixture in several layers; 4) formation of small details (facial features, special texture, folds of clothing, etc.); 5) priming and painting the finished work.
Flowerpots in the shape of swans will become an elegant decoration of the garden. The body frame is an old plastic basin, the neck is woven wire. The head, wings and imitation plumage will have to be made from a cement mixture, showing the skills of a sculptor.
Monolithic figures have a significant weight, so as an alternative there is a way to create lightweight large objects. You can decorate your garden with boulders of different sizes.
To make them, any unnecessary and lightweight material (cuts of polyurethane foam, plastic bottles, polystyrene foam) is tied into a tight lump with wire.
The resulting base is wrapped in a plaster mesh and covered with thick cement mortar. The more irregularities and protrusions there are, the more natural the “stone” will look.
Small garden figurines are made from a mixture of cement with the addition of gypsum or Portland cement.
Here you can use the manufacturing methods described above, as well as any basics: old toys, items of clothing, household utensils.
Step-by-step manufacturing instructions: 3 master classes
To examine in more detail the nuances of the creativity presented in the article, we will consider the best master classes with a step-by-step explanation of the work being carried out.
1. Spectacular flowerpots made of cement and fabric
To make flowerpots for the garden from cement and fabric, use either pure cement or Portland cement. In this case, the mixture with water should be quite liquid. You will also need a bucket or other container for the frame, a piece of polyethylene and a piece of fabric.
The material must be dense enough and absorb liquids well, i.e. synthetics will not work here. It is better to use cotton fabric.
- Cut a piece of the desired size. If you need smooth edges, then round them;
- We wet the material generously in the solution;
- We attach polyethylene to the prepared bucket;
- Lay the fabric soaked in the solution on top and smooth it;
- After 2 days, the cement will set and the bucket can be removed;
- The product is lightly moistened with water and left to dry completely for another 5 days.
Even large-sized plants can be planted in a ready-made flowerpot.
Experiment with the shape and coloring of flowerpots and create your own unique compositions.
2. Funny cat for the garden
To begin, we prepare a frame from a cut plastic bottle and wooden slats, which are fastened with wire.
The solution is prepared from cement and sand in a 1:1 ratio; additionally (directly into the hand) gypsum is added during the work. By gradually applying the solution, all the details of the sculpture are created.
The finished figure is polished with a damp hand and left to dry for 4 days. The final touch is painting with water-based emulsion or enamel.
3. Large leaf drinker for birds and pets
An equally successful and versatile garden decoration would be a sheet of cement. A plastic film is placed on a mound of sand, and then a large sheet (the mound will allow you to get a shape with a depression, rather than a flat one). If there are small holes in the sheet, they should be covered with small leaves so that the cement mortar does not leak.
Cover the workpiece with film for several days until it dries. Then the sheet is removed, primed and painted.
If desired, you can make a fabulous fountain from several similar blanks.
To create a papier-mâché gnome, stock up on paper egg trays. A large number of them will be required. Tear the trays into small pieces using a plastic bucket. Pour boiling water over the resulting scraps so that all the paper is immersed in water, and leave to swell for a day.
Drain off excess water and grind the resulting mass. You can use a fork or a mixer. Knead into a homogeneous dough. Add a little PVA glue to make a plastic mass.
If the papier-mâché is too runny, place it in cheesecloth and hang it over a bowl to drain off excess water.
Cover the table with plastic wrap or newspapers. Make a structure from a five-liter plastic bottle and a plastic or rubber ball. The bottle is the gnome's body, and the ball is the head. You can fasten it with wire or put it on glue. To make your garden beauty lasting, add sand or gravel to the bottle.
Fill small old gardening gloves with foam. Leave the foam to swell and dry. Make the soles of the shoes from foam plastic. Fashion the shoes using papier-mâché.
You can use small plastic bottles for the base of the shoes. Cut them near the neck, bend it and secure with adhesive tape. Fill the bottle with foam and put papier-mâché on top.
Making a gnome for the garden
Cover the structure with paper pulp. Apply it in thin layers with intermediate drying. Form the face of a gnome with a beard. For the eyes, you can use a tennis ball or beads cut in half. Fashion a hat for the garden figurine.
Step back 1/3 from the bottom and form a wavy bottom of the shirt. On the remaining part, make a vertical furrow, getting the pants of a garden figurine. The arms can be sculpted separately, then attached to the body, or you can immediately make them on the gnome. For brushes, take polyurethane foam blanks taken from gloves. Stick on the prepared shoes.
Dry your gnome. If necessary, sand with sandpaper. Impregnate your craft with a moisture-resistant primer. Then cover the work with acrylic putty and prime again. Paint with acrylic paints. Apply a final layer of yacht varnish. Your gnome is ready to go into the garden.
When making a gnome, consider inserting a flashlight with a solar battery into his hand. Then there will be some lighting in your evening garden.
Have a good day and good mood everyone. What kind of amateur gardener loves only flowers, but also various figures? I think that most of us, when we go to specialized stores and see garden figurines there, think that we want to see them in our garden.
I am completely delighted when I see various figures in someone’s garden. For a long time I wanted to buy a gnome for the garden, but since I am on maternity leave, I admit honestly that I don’t have the money to buy garden figures. But on the other hand, I have free time, imagination and hands that have no rest, and I also have a little assistant. Therefore, I decided to make a gnome with my own hands from scrap materials.
To make a gnome I needed:
- Plastic bottle.
- Scissors, knife.
- Scotch.
- Plastic bag (T-shirt).
- Newspapers.
- Egg trays (paper).
- Paste (water + flour).
- Cement + sand + water.
- Glue moment.
- A tablet.
- Sandpaper.
- Primer.
- Enamel paints of different colors.
- Brushes.
- Decorative eyes.
I repeat, I wanted to make a gnome for a long time, but I didn’t know how to make it. And so I began to fantasize, to look for ways to make my little dream come true. My gnome will be made from a plastic bottle. First I cut off the bottom of it.
From bottom to top, from opposite sides in the middle of the bottle, I made cuts of the same length, then at the top I made small cuts to the right and to the left. These will be the legs. In order to secure them, I wrapped them with tape.
Next I needed a plastic bag. I rolled it into a ball and glued it to the top of the bottle so that the neck was inside the ball, and secured it all with tape. The result is a head.
I made hands from newspaper. I simply rolled the newspaper into a tube and attached it with tape in the right place, and made the second hand in the same way.
I also needed newspaper to cover the frame. Having torn small pieces of newspaper, I dipped them in paste and glued them to the gnome’s body. Yes, I almost forgot, I first sealed the hole between my legs with strips of tape, and then covered it with paper.
The next step was the cap. It was also made of paper. I rolled the newspaper into a bag, folding in the uneven edges, secured it with tape and glued it to my head. I also covered it with newspaper.
Then I took paper egg trays, tore them into small pieces and poured boiling water over them. I left it to soak for a day.
When the paper swelled, I began further work. I cooked the paste again and dipped pieces of paper into it and began to form the feet. It is better to do this on a smooth board.
I placed a gnome on the feet and also used this paper to shape the legs. I left the craft to dry for a while.
Then I used the same technology to paste over the entire figure again. Also, the figure’s arms turned out to be long, so I shortened them a little.
In general, I wanted to make a gnome only with the help of such paper, but it turned out to be lumpy and I didn’t like it, and it turned out to be light in weight. So, this stage probably could have been skipped, but everything is learned in the work. (Although, if soaked pieces of paper were crushed, for example, using a blender, then with this material it was possible to bring the gnome to mind.) In the end, I decided to apply cement mortar to it, to give the desired shapes on the face and body, as well as for gnome weights. I went over the uneven lines with a damp brush to make it smooth. After a satisfactory result, I left the craft to dry for three days. This is what happened.
First, I sanded the entire figure, covered it with primer, and only then painted it with oil paints. Since I am not an artist, and I had difficulty drawing eyes, I decided to glue decorative eyes (from an old soft toy). Voila, my garden gnome is ready.
In general, there is room to show your imagination. For example, insert some object into your hand - a flower, a flashlight, a bucket, or place a gnome on a bench. But, since this is my first work, I decided to make the craft simpler. I hope you liked my garden gnome. I would be glad if I inspired anyone to do creative work. Goodbye, see you again.
Even if you had a suburban area 20-30 years ago, few people thought about landscape design. The main thing is to cultivate the land and get a harvest of vegetables and fruits for preservation. Today everything has changed dramatically, and people want to see the site not only useful, but also beautiful. For example, hand-made garden gnomes and other landscape decorations can give the site a completely new look.
In addition to them, it is also customary today to have alpine slides, rose gardens, garden fountains and colorful flower beds with rose gardens. Not only the thematic landscape, but individual figures are of interest. We’ll talk about them further in the article, in which you’ll learn about the specifics of their use, as well as how to make garden gnomes for your site yourself.
Features of use
Garden figures today make it possible to give a suburban area a special appeal. Perhaps it is the echoes of our childhood that have such an influence on creating the atmosphere.
Therefore, very often their owners order:
- fairy-tale gnomes, who, according to legend, protect their peace, sometimes their price can be decent;
- other characters from familiar works - frogs or snails for the pond, as well as birds.
Tip: Use your creativity to create a real fairy tale that will be the highlight of your garden.
Basics
| Simple decor | You can purchase ready-made garden figures made of plaster or polystone, although it is more interesting to make them yourself. You will learn below how to make a garden gnome with your own hands when you read the article to the end. Agree, it’s unlikely that anyone will have figures exactly like these after this. |
| Impression | Don’t rush to buy figurines for the garden; first think about what impression they will create about yourself. Should it be placed in the center or should it be an unexpected surprise for guests, watching them from behind a tree or corner. Think about the figurine's appearance—cheerful, playful, calm, or relaxing. |
| Compatibility | It is necessary to pay attention to the compatibility of buildings and garden. For example, if the latter is often used for:
|
Additional
In addition to the basic concepts, you should not forget about:
- Garden style. For example, German gnomes, which have become symbols of such areas since the end of the 19th century, will look interesting in country style. Oddly enough, they symbolize our scarecrow. In addition to gnomes, it would be appropriate to include animals with birds and fairy-tale characters.
Tip: do not forget, when creating a composition it is very important not to overdo it with the figures.
- The size of the territory, as well as your own financial capabilities. Therefore, for a small garden you should not choose large sculptures that will clutter up the space, which is already small. In this case, small decorations will simply get lost in a large garden.
In the photo - decorations for the garden
- A sense of proportion when making a choice. Garden figurines are suitable for emphasizing natural details such as snags, stumps, tree roots, alpine slides, ponds and streams. Fairy-tale characters are a good way to decorate children's play areas.
Preparing materials for a garden gnome
We will make it from papier-mâché, so prepare paper egg trays, of which you will need a lot.
Below are instructions for the process:
- Tear them and put them in a plastic bucket, and then fill them completely with boiling water and leave the mass to swell for 24 hours.
- Drain the remaining water and use your hands to grind the resulting mass to a homogeneous dough.. You can also use a fork or a mixer to work. Then add a little PVA glue, then the mass will turn out plastic.
Tip: transfer papier-mâché that is too liquid into cheesecloth and hang it over a container so that excess water can drain into it.
- Cover the table with newspapers or plastic wrap. Prepare a 5-liter plastic bottle for the figure's body and a rubber (plastic) ball for the head. Secure the structure with glue or wire, and pour sand or gravel into the bottle for stability.
- Find some old small rubber gloves and fill them with foam.. Wait until it swells and hardens. The soles of the shoes can be made from foam plastic, and the shoes themselves can be sculpted from papier-mâché.
- Small plastic bottles work well as the basis for shoes.. All you have to do is cut them near the neck, bend it and secure it with adhesive tape. Fill the bottle with foam and cover it with papier-mâché on top.
Making a figurine of a gnome
Cover the structure with paper pulp, applying it in thin layers and drying each one. Form the face of a figure with a beard, while a tennis ball cut in half or beads will do for the eyes. Make a hat.
Stepping back a third from the bottom, mold the bottom of the shirt; usually it is made wavy, but it can also be straight. The remaining part will become panties if you draw a vertical furrow along it.
You can sculpt the arms in the shirt separately, and then attach them to the body, or directly make them on the figurine. Now we will need blanks of polyurethane foam from gloves to form the hands. Then attach the prepared shoes.
The gnome figurine needs to be dried and then sanded with sandpaper. To protect it from moisture, it should be impregnated with a moisture-resistant primer, and then covered with acrylic putty and primed again.
For painting, use acrylic paints, and apply yacht varnish as the last layer. After this, the gnome can be placed in the garden. You can upgrade it by providing the ability to install a flashlight in his hand with a solar battery. In this case, your evening garden will have little lighting.
Conclusion
Landscape design is an interesting and creative activity that can add originality to your site. In the article you learned one of the ways to make a garden gnome figurine, but it can also be made from plaster. The video in this article will help you find additional information on this topic.
Working with waste material
This master class is intended for teachers, parents, and children in grades 3-4.
Making three-dimensional sculptures for garden design
Target: creation and painting of three-dimensional sculpture for the garden.
Tasks:
Development of creative abilities of pupils;
Develop imagination, hand coordination, fine motor skills;
Color perception. develop aesthetic taste;
Creation of emotional images in the field of recreation and art;
Mastering the technique of working with polyurethane foam and waste material;
Develop perseverance and patience; cultivate hard work and love of beauty.
Expected results: creation of original three-dimensional sculptures by students.
Required materials: empty plastic bottles (5 liters, 2 liters, 1.5 liters), adhesive tape, 5 mm wire 6-70 cm long, old gloves, polyurethane foam, acrylic paint, scissors, knife,
Garden gnomes decorated the gardens of aristocrats in Europe during the Baroque era. Forgotten for a while, garden gnomes returned in the 19th century, but now in the gardens of everyone, and they still do not lose popularity. Kind and cheerful gnomes, musicians and gardeners, dreamers and hard workers, wearing the same pointed hats, will delight both children and adults. In German fairy tales, gnomes living next to a person helped him with his garden work at night. This is how the tradition arose of placing figurines of gnomes in garden plots.
Garden gnomes are the most popular decoration of paths and lawns around the world. Modern gnome figurines are a very expensive decoration for the garden, and therefore you need to try to make them yourself.
Let's start creating a colored three-dimensional sculpture by developing a sketch. You can choose the appropriate photographs in magazines, you can be guided only by your own imagination, the main thing is to create a dynamic, emotional image that will be interesting to work on. We took the fairy tale “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.
Gnomes- fabulous dwarfs from German and Scandinavian folklore. According to legends, they are bearded, live underground and are famous for their wealth and skill. They have supernatural power and can cast magic.
After looking at the drawings of gnomes for the fairy tale, on the Internet, garden plots with gnome “owners” began to work.
We filled old gloves left over from working in the garden with polyurethane foam. We set them aside to allow the foam to expand and dry.
The photo shows how foam rose and filled the gloves.
The next step of our work is making boots. They took plastic bottles and cut them near the neck. Lifting up the “sock”, they connected it with adhesive tape.
We also fill the bottle with foam so that the boot is more stable and the sock keeps its shape.
