Plaster is very fine powdered gypsum that gives a very white and perfect finish. This makes it an excellent DIY material that allows you to create all sorts of figures at little expense. Its only disadvantage is its fragility, which makes it imperative to be cautious during transport and decoration.

Plaster figures can be bought in any DIY shop and are currently found in all types of stores. With a little patience and dedication they can become truly decorative figures, with a personal touch.

Different decorative techniques
The first step is to prepare the plaster. To do this, first check if the piece has some imperfection. If so, sandpaper its surface until it is completely smooth. After, you can brush on a layer of lacquer or primer. Once this simple preparative process has been finished, you can start decorating. Here are a few decorative techniques for you to choose:

- The simplest technique is to brush on acrylic paint in the colour of your choosing and, later, varnish the figure. It is a good idea to use spray varnish as it easy easy to apply and gives excellent results.

- Polychrome with gold and silver bread: the figure is decorated with acrylic paint and then gold and silver bread is applied in the chosen parts.

- Imitation marble: the easiest technique with which to achieve this effect is to first apply a hand of butter coloured acrylic paint. Then a hand of lacquer and, finally, a clear patina of asphalt mixed with clear wax. Later rub the figure with a cloth to eliminate the patina and, finally, rub it with talcum powder.

- Imitation wood: this is easy to achieve. All you need do is apply wood paints and finalise the process with a patina of wax and asphalt. You can also add golden highlights with golden acrylic or golden turpentine.

- Imitation green bronze: this is one of the most impressive techniques. To achieve it you first need to apply one or two hands of very dark green paint - a mixture of black and green. Once dry, apply a little golden paint with a dry brush. You must be able to see the green paint underneath. Once dry, apply another hand of diluted green paint, leaving the gold visible. Then apply laquer and, once dry, a patina of asphalt diluted with turps. The final step is to quickly remove this patina and rub the figure with green earth.