Cast Heart Plaque Workshop

Stephanie made these hearts in our Cast Heart Plaques workshop last week. She has just taken them out of the mold. They look a little crude at this point. By the time she has finished the steps below these hearts will be stars on her wall for Valentine's Day.

See the heart with the large "U R" and the little shelf below?
This is for her to put custom words on the heart using scrabble tiles placed along the little shelf... 
U R MINE...U R WEIRD....U R SEXY... U R HOT.... U R SWEET
Pretty clever I'd say!

Here are next steps. The others in this workshop can follow these same steps for finishing:

1. Burnish and rub the hearts with a stone or brick to acheive cleaner, sharper edges. They will look nicer and less "Flintstoney".

2. Scrub them with a brush in hot soapy water and allow to dry.

3. Add color in selected areas or as an all-over coat. Decide if you want the edges painted or not.

4. Let them dry. The color will be bright and very contrasty against the concrete. To soften this contras,t you can mix up a stain from either white or black paint and water. Add just enough paint to make the mixture milky- you want to soften the color, not cover it. Brush all surfaces with a large brush to flood the surfaces and allow the excess to run off. If too much pigment remains, lightly remove some of it with a damp sponge. Allow to dry.