In garden centers, you can find planters decorated to look like animals, the cost of which is very high. Considering that at least a few pieces are needed to decorate the garden, the final amount for decorations is very substantial. In fact, you can make flower pots with decor with your own hands, spending affordable cheap materials.
What will be required:
- Cement;
- rags;
- wire;
- facade paint;
- black and red color.
The process of creating a garden planter “Swan”
Before starting work, it is necessary to prepare a plastic form. It can be a small bowl, colander or pot. It is placed in a plastic bag. It is also required to build a stand on which it will be possible to place an inverted form so that it is raised above the work surface.
In a separate container, mix cement with water. You need to get a solution with the consistency of sour cream. We soak a piece of fabric in it, then cover it with a form installed on a stand, turned upside down.
Using scissors trim the hanging edges of the flap. At the same time, we leave one of the corners. The transition to it must be smoothly trimmed to form the tail of a swan.
A thread is tied to the edge of the hanging corner, and the fabric is stretched. This lace must be fixed taut. This will allow the swan’s tail to be at an angle to the body instead of standing upright.
Immediately cut a hole in the center of the planter for drainage with scissors. Opposite the tail, you need to place a wooden mortgage under the flap to create a neck arch. It is fixed on the form. It can be tied if it is a colander, or simply glued with tape. As a result, a neat fold should be obtained above the mortgage.
Now with a brush we smear the cement mortar over the fabric. It is necessary to soak the material well in order to get a strong shell.
After the cement dries, the structure is disassembled. The result is a base that resembles the body of a swan in shape. The wooden mortgage is also removed. On the bend formed with its help, we punch 4 holes to tie the neck. Then we insert two pieces of wire into them.
We are waiting for complete drying.
From a separate rod of wire, you need to bend the neck frame. Then thin strips of fabric soaked in cement mortar are wound around it. It is necessary to form first a thin beak, and then the neck of a swan with a characteristic bend. After rough readiness, we tie it with wire to the body.
We moisten the pots from the inside with a brush. Then we coat it and the neck with cement mortar, but already thicker than was used to impregnate the fabric. This will create a smooth surface without depressions.
If everything is done correctly, you should get the shape of a swan with smooth lines. Moreover, brush marks leave waves similar to feathers. After that, we wait for the solution to solidify. Then we remove the flaws with an emery cloth.
The final touch will be painting the swan with white weatherproof paint. We also add colors to a small amount of it, and draw eyes, a beak, as well as a border. You can even cover the pots with a clear polyurethane varnish to make the paint last longer.
