Since ancient times, people have been trying to decorate the walls of their apartment. One of the types of such decor is bas-relief - volumetric works of art "sinking" in a flat surface, parts of which protrude no more than half of their size. Many will agree that such a decoration looks much more interesting than ordinary painted or wallpapered surfaces. And the bas-relief, made on the wall with your own hands, will certainly become an object of admiration not only for the owner of the apartment, but also for guests.
What can be decorated with a bas-relief
For many people, when thinking about a bas-relief, photos of the works of famous masters that adorn the facades of buildings or the pedestals of statues immediately pop up in their memory. However, even in the most ordinary apartment, you can find many places and surfaces on which the bas-relief will look good.
- A small bas-relief will be a wonderful decoration for the surface of various objects such as photo frames, mirrors, decorative panels and jewelry boxes. Also, such a finish can be placed on the doors of cabinets, drawers of a chest of drawers, a desk.
- Larger bas-reliefs can decorate doorways and the doors themselves, fireplaces, and the ends of large furniture.
- The wall is a suitable place even for a medium-sized and large-sized bas-relief. Daisies, galloping horses, a snow-covered tree or a flowing waterfall - incredibly beautiful compositions can harmoniously look on the wall in any room, whether it is a dining room or a bedroom.
In addition to the decorative role, the bas-relief can also perform a practical function, for example, successfully mask the unevenness of the wall, engineering communications, create a smooth transition from one functional area to another, or simply distort the space advantageously.
Bas-reliefs on the wall do not need additional painting - they are beautiful on their own. However, sometimes, after creation, they are varnished or painted to emphasize individual elements of the picture or fit into a certain interior style.
What you need to create a bas-relief with your own hands
Creating a bas-relief is a rather laborious and sometimes time-consuming process. Therefore, the masters of this business ask for a lot of money for their work. If the service of a professional is too expensive, but you really want to decorate the wall, you can try to create a plaster bas-relief yourself. This will require minimal modeling skills, accuracy and perseverance. The list of required materials varies depending on which image and in which area you are going to reproduce. It usually includes the following devices:
- Various types of brushes and spatulas, pencil, cutter.
- Masking tape, thick transparent film - used to protect surrounding surfaces or transfer the sketch.
- Rubber gloves - so as not to stain the skin of the hands.
- Putty, gypsum, plaster, alabaster - your choice.
- Auxiliary materials - plasticine, polystyrene, cardboard, pieces of decorative cords. All this can be useful in the process of creating a bas-relief.
If this is your first time starting to work on creating a bas-relief, it is better not to take on a complex project of a large size. It will be even easier to create a decoration on a separate sheet of drywall, and then fix it to the wall surface.
Of course, before trying to create a bas-relief with your own hands, it will be useful for beginners to watch the master classes on the video. On the Internet you can find detailed descriptions of the stages of work on creating wall compositions for every taste with a photo.
How to make a bas-relief on the wall with your own hands
A step-by-step instruction that allows you to understand how to make a bas-relief on a wall with your own hands includes several mandatory items.
- Work on creating a bas-relief on the surface of the wall should begin with the preparation of a sketch. Print or draw the desired image in full size and evaluate how it looks in the interior. If everything suits you, you can proceed to further actions.
- Clean the surface on which the selected decor element will be placed. The best adhesion to gypsum occurs if the wall surface is first leveled, plastered and primed at least twice.
- Put a transparent thick film on a pre-prepared drawing and circle the contours with a marker or pencil.
- Place the film stencil on the treated wall and secure with masking tape. Circle the contours with a hard pencil so that the outlines of the future bas-relief remain on the putty surface of the wall.
- The most difficult and time-consuming stage is the application of plaster or gypsum to the surface and the creation of a three-dimensional image. Small details can be worked out with brushes and even fingers. Stock up on patience!
- When the work on the creation of the bas-relief is completed, you need to let the plaster dry. Then you should sandpaper your masterpiece to give it a finished shape. In conclusion, the surface of the product is coated with a primer or painted with water-based paint.
Helpful Hints
As additional materials, you can use foam, cardboard and even twine. Small elements can be cut out of foam plastic and cardboard, covered with plaster and simply glued to the composition on the wall, as well as a pre-plastered piece of twine, folded into a fancy curl.
If large elements fall off and do not stick to the wall surface, you can try to strengthen them with a regular plaster bandage. You can buy it at any pharmacy.
In the photo you can often see bas-reliefs with an abundance of flowers on the walls. It is not necessary to sculpt each flower separately - they can be made from fabric or paper and simply covered with a mixture of gypsum and PVA. After drying, the elements are attached to the main composition with thick alabaster.
If at the height of the work you realized that creating a bas-relief on the surface of the wall with your own hands is too difficult for you, you can try to seek help from an experienced specialist. You can find such a person in your city using social networks and bulletin boards. It is better to assess your strengths in time and transfer the work under someone else's guidance than just scrape off the wall and throw away a mountain of expensive plaster.
