Plaster Puppets

Many of the greatest paintings in Europe, like Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling are executed in Fresco, meaning they are painted on a thin layer of wet plaster, called intonaco (the general term for plaster in Italian); the pigments sink into this layer so that the plaster itself becomes the medium holding them, which accounts for the excellent durability of fresco. Additional work may be added a secco on top of the dry plaster, though this is generally less durable.

Plaster expands while hardening, then contracts slightly just before hardening completely. This makes plaster excellent for use in molds, and it is often used as an artistic material for casting. Plaster is also commonly spread over a form, usually made of wire, mesh or other materials.

Plaster is often used in Faux Finishing to create textures for wall and furniture surfaces, as in Venetian Plaster and also in stenciling for raised details. For these processes, artists use limestone based plasters or new user friendly acrylic based plaster.

Arte 320

We made finger puppets using plaster. A key artistic elements in this activity were texture and form. By manipulating the plaster before it dried and hardened, we were able to create three dimensional objects.

Plaster Artists