how do i put color on plaster pieces?

[mark pilato]

Hi I have a show in two days and I have three studies that are plaster and i want to put some color to them. I want to keep the plaster look but I need to bring out some of the detail and add a little depth. any ideas? Here is one of the pieces in clay. The King to a new chess set, its 16" high and will be bronze when i am done,
Best.
Mark

[Tlouis]

Hi Mark
Rit clothing dye works beutifully on plaster. And it's quick. Will not affect surface texture. Wether you use one color or a combination of two or more you can achieve remarkably beautiful results. I have used Rit black with scarlet over that and got a dynamite purplish that I enhanced with a coat of cordovan Kiwi shoe polish. By the way, Kiwi color on bronze is dynamite. Rich, luscious, transparent color. Hope this helps.
Lou

[Tlouis]

Another way would be to use MinWax wood stain. Red oak or mahogany will give plaster a wonderful, rich color and it dries in about 6 hours. Again you can give the surface a nice sheen with Kiwi shoe polish, clear or colored, buffing with a shoe brush or a soft cloth.
One of my pieces, Ancestor, currently on WWW.Sculpture.org, was colored this way and looks remarkably like carved wood.
Lou Desmarais

[BMBourgoyne]

I prefer using water color paints (the good ones like Rembrandt brand will give the best color) for tinting. They give good workability, and you pretty much treat them as you would painting on paper. The plaster absorbs faster than paper, but you can pre-wet it depending on the kind of control/effect you want. (Practice on test pieces first, of course). And you can re-wet and swab off pigment from highpoints, building up layers of color for depth. One issue with watercolors is that if the plaster isn't consistent (i.e. has patches) it will absorb the pigment differently and reveal those inconsistencies (not always such a bad thing, but something to consider). Acrylic paints are good to, but not "re-workable."

Seal with any kind of clear sealer for durability (but again, test first, as sealers can change the pigment's transparency).

Powdered graphite is my favorite monochrome finish. I usually mix it with mineral spirits or linseed oil, but have also dry brushed it and rubbed it on with a soft cloth. I really looks good after buffing it, as this gives it a metallic sheen. Powdered metallic pigment can also give interesting effects. Ranges from a textured light grey to "iron" black. Seal with a clear sealer or wax. Again, always test different approaches.

cheers,
Brad

[Tlouis]

Hi Mark,
Cant sem to get all my ducks in a row at one time today. Here's a method you might consider if you want your chess pieces to look like new ivory. Take an egg, seperate the yolk from the glair, pierce yolk sac and drain yolk into a bowl, add a little water and mix well, paint onto your plaster with soft brush, let dry well, buff gently with a soft cloth, OR, beat a whole egg well, add a little water and paint on etc. You'd be astonished at how much your plaster pieces will look like ivory. Good luck with your show.
Lou

[mark pilato]

This place kicks, thanks for all your help, I am going to try everything you all suggested and i will let you know how it goes. I love the egg whites. very cool stuff. Wow - what a tool this web site is.
All the best,
Mark

[Ameenah]

I agree Mark, The egg thing sounds so cool. I recently made a life cast of my father's hand before he died. I tried spray painting it but it looks really bad I made copies for family members but I didn't attempt to color them. Tlouis do you have a pics you can show us?
Ameenah