You've probably noticed that landscape designers today often use all kinds of sculptures in the garden and yard different sizes. The most popular are images of animals, birds and various fairy tale characters: gnomes, goblins, etc. A stork and a frog in the garden will no longer surprise anyone. It’s another matter if a human-sized giraffe sculpture appears in your garden. It is unlikely that you will be able to buy it, but you should not be upset - for those who are not looking for easy ways, we suggest creating it with your own hands. A sculpture of a giraffe using papier-mâché technique is the topic of today’s article.
To create such a large sculpture you will need:
- white and red paint
- mass of papier-mâché
- cardboard
- Styrofoam
- scotch
- foil
Papier-mâché giraffe sculpture – master class
Step one. You need to cut out separate parts from cardboard: a torso with a head, a second part of the head with a small horn, 2 ears, 2 hind legs, 2 front legs. On the body, mark the places where the legs are attached.
Step two. Using a mass of papier mache, form the volume of the legs to the hips. Let dry.
Step three. Tape the legs to the body, placing a piece of foam between them.
Step four. Using foil, paper and tape, form a head. Create volume by placing mass between the parts of the head so that the horns look symmetrical.
Step five. Attach the ears. Gradually add more papier-mâché to round out the shapes and bring them closer to the body of a real giraffe.
Step six. Leave the sculpture to dry for several days.
Step seven. Cover the figure with white paint and let dry.
Step eight. All that remains is to paint the giraffe’s body with spots. Approach this stage with all your creativity.
DIY garden crafts can bring you great pleasure. Choose the figure that best suits your character and the design of your garden. Let's try to make garden figurines from cement with our own hands. The process, surprisingly, is not as complicated as it seems. But the result is truly surprising!
See what beautiful flower containers you can make from cement mortar and an old rag. This is truly crafts made from scrap materials!
Decorative openwork ball made of cement.
To work, we need a cement solution - mix a thick solution of 1 part sand, 1 part cement.
We immerse a rope in the solution, it can also be strips from an old T-shirt, etc. Let's inflate balloon, we prepare a stand for it where it will dry. This could be a regular bucket. 
We wrap the ball with a rope in cement mortar.
After the solution has dried, use a needle to blow off the ball. All! Our garden art object is ready. Can be painted if desired.
Original crafts for the garden made of cement.
Agree, it looks like dragon eggs)) We will make this from cement.
We take it, still the same balloon and cover it with cement mortar. Here you can add a tablespoon of gypsum to the solution, but you need to work quickly.
After the solution has dried, remove the ball and paint inner part eggs. Can be used as Easter decor at the dacha - by making it flower arrangement from primroses.
Crafts for the garden. DIY garden gnomes made of cement.
These are cute garden gnomes They are also made very simply.
For the gnome we need cement, a metal rod, stocking and rope. We pour the cement solution into the stocking, and insert metal reinforcement into it for strength. By twisting the rope, we form noses and legs. Let's not forget about the beard - this is an additional piece of material under the gnome's nose. Hang the gnome by the top of the cap and leave to dry.
When the cement has dried, remove the gnome and polish the top with a more liquid solution of cement and gypsum. We are waiting for the gnome to dry and we can tint or paint it. Pretty guys, aren't they?
Garden fountain with leaves.
We will not talk about the principles of creating a fountain in the country. This is the topic of a separate article, and you can read about it in detail here. We will make leaves from cement.
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We need enough large leaf, and with the help of cement, we form a copy of it.
After drying, the sheet can be worked out in more detail and painted.
And you will become, almost free of charge, the owner of such a beautiful fountain.
Original do-it-yourself flower beds.
Are you not a sculptor at all? But believe me, you can make these creative flower containers.
We need plastic container, foam plastic, reinforcing mesh. We make a cement solution by adding a spoonful of gypsum directly into the palm with the solution and thus form our “sculpture”
But not all of us are fans of modern abstract art. But you can easily make garden crafts in a classic style.
But, because You are not a sculptor yet, you need a template - it could very well be an old doll.
Because If this is not just a decorative garden figurine, but a flower bed in the shape of a girl’s head, then the top part needs to be cut off.
Then the head is painted. To add texture, the template is first painted with dark gray paint. Allow to dry and apply a layer of more light paint. After drying, apply a layer of even lighter paint with light strokes.
This is a very simple process, and all the examples of this style that you see in the article were made by teenagers in a craft class.
Beautiful crafts for the garden. DIY garden figurines.
For those who liked the process of making concrete crafts, we will also tell you a simply stunning technique for creating garden figures OK.
Yes, we will need the old doll again!
First, we strengthen the doll using hot glue and a bamboo sushi stick on a heavy stand. By the way, we can also make it from cement. We cut out angel wings from foam plastic and attach them to the doll with hot glue. Let's give the doll a new dress and, with the help of strokes of hot glue, create a more interesting texture on the wings and hair.
We coat our template with a solution of cement and gypsum. Let's paint.
Now, with the help of old toys, you can make almost any garden figurine yourself.
Cat flowerbed.
This cute flowerbed cat is made from a plastic bottle and cement. 
We will need: cement, sand, plaster, water, large plastic bottle, wire, paint, wooden slats, varnish 
The owner of this cat, Natasha Koneva, will tell us how to make such a funny figurine with her own hands. We cut off a plastic bottle - this container will be our flower garden. To prevent the cement from slipping off the plastic, we tightly wrap it with wire. Knock down from slats wooden frame. We attach our plastic container to it. 
Knead cement mortar consistency of thick sour cream at the rate of 1 part sand, 1 part cement. We will add gypsum only to the finished portion that we have in our hand, because... the solution with gypsum hardens instantly. We work in rubber gloves. 
Take a handful of solution in your hand and add a tablespoon of gypsum to it. Knead it in your hands, roll it into a sausage and attach it to the frame. So, step by step, we apply portions of the solution on top of each other, creating the necessary bulges and smoothing the surface. 
We sculpt our cat’s face from small balls of solution in much the same way as we sculpted from plasticine in childhood. In order to small parts held on better; before attaching them to the body, we lubricate the surface of the figure with water. 
With a damp hand we polish the surface of our garden figurine. To dry, cover the figurine with cellophane for 3-4 days. On the first day, the figure must be periodically additionally moistened with water. After drying, sand the surface with sandpaper. 
You can paint such a figurine water-based paint, enamel, car paints. After painting, coat the surface with varnish. For the winter, the garden figurine must be removed from the street, because... It may crack due to frost. You might also want to get yourself such a wonderful cat. 
The great thing about cement figurines is that they are cheap to make compared to metal or wood garden figurines. You can start with simple crafts for the garden, which can be no less interesting than some particularly complex ones. You can combine cement with other materials. - for the face of this little one garden fairy"Ladybug" took the head of an old doll. 
Or walks in the fresh air. The process of creation is a great way to take your mind off everyday problems and get recharged positive energy. And then there are handmade crafts for the dacha and garden for a long time create good mood, decorate the house and the surrounding area.
Any business can be approached in different ways. Even an ordinary souvenir, with all its beauty and uniqueness, will simply gather dust on a shelf or bring real benefit. It depends on its functionality.
The same applies to decorative elements. suburban area. Figures and devices purchased or made independently can only decorate and complement the landscape, or they can perform quite practical functions.
An old bathroom can be used as an element landscape design at the summer cottage With a certain amount of imagination, you can, on the contrary, turn ordinary and everyday elements of the site into unusual works of art. Then a simple barn, woodpile or barrel will become a source of pride for the owner and the object of attention of random passers-by and guests.
To find something worthy of attention that will complement the look of your yard, you don’t have to run to the construction hypermarket. Serial products are presented there, mass production, which will surprise no one. Most of your neighbors have exactly these figurines and decorative items on their property. To create a truly unique piece of jewelry, you only need great desire and time. Even most of the details will be at hand. A wide variety of unexpected materials are suitable for this.
- Used plastic bottles.
Suitable bottles for water, milk, beer, technical liquids, different color, volume and texture. Other plastic recyclables will also come in handy. These can be cups, bowls, disposable food containers, buckets, bottle caps, plastic sheets, mats - whatever you have on hand. Plastic - universal material. Durable, not afraid of water, high and low temperatures, if it is not subjected to mechanical stress, it is easy to operate. And the variety of recyclable materials and its abundance is simply a Klondike for those who love to create.
Usage plastic bottles as a fence for garden beds - Old car tires.
If your winter tires have reached the end of their service life or you have a punctured wheel that cannot be repaired, do not rush to take it to a landfill. Better yet, find a few more wheels for his company. Craftsmen create real masterpieces from tires.
- Natural materials are also suitable for crafts.
We are talking about wood, logs, stones and other gifts of nature. By themselves they are insignificant, but when correct selection angle, couples, decorative processing you can create real works of art.
Unusual crafts for the garden made from stones - Plaster figures and decorative elements.
Most of the store products are made from this material. Inexpensive and easy to use, it can become yours faithful assistant in creating exclusive things. True, it will take some skills or just time and patience to master the basics of architectural and sculptural craft. - Second life of high technology.
The bright reflective surface of CDs makes them an excellent material for making various jewelry. They can be used as mosaics for cladding walls and other surfaces. And you can create three-dimensional and 3D crafts from disks. They look quite futuristic, and also have security and repellent properties, and are effective against pests of garden crops.
Peacock with a tail made of computer disks - Construction materials, including used ones.
If they can be used to build real houses, why aren't they suitable for making small decorations? For these purposes, remnants of plywood, polystyrene foam, MDF sheets and anything else that remains from the renovation and tolerates the street climate are quite suitable.
You can make a completely utilitarian thing from any material. The main thing is to understand at the very beginning what you want to do and why you need it. And the means to achieve the goal are all good.
Before you start working with your own hands, prepare fastening materials: glue, preferably several types, sharp scissors, a stationery knife with replaceable blades, wire, tape. And, of course, brushes, solvent and waterproof paints. How brighter colors- all the better. When everything is ready, you can start decorating.
Such a different flower bed
The flower bed is always in demand and relevant on the site. And there are a great many options for execution.
Tire flowerbed
- Take old tire and install it in place of the future flower bed. Fill it with soil. Black rubber can be painted as desired. The remaining tread pattern will create its own pattern. If desired, you can additionally paint the tire.
- If you need a large flower bed, you can dig up its perimeter and fence it with tires installed vertically. They can be placed straight, at an angle, obliquely - depending on the problem that needs to be solved. And, of course, paint the resulting flowerbed.
Flowerbed made of plastic
- The simplest option is to make a low fence out of bottles turned upside down. To do this, you need to bury 1/3-1/2 bottles in the ground. The flowerbed will look more attractive if you make it a non-classical regular shape, and add curved, broken lines or even depict the outline of some animal. The color of the fence must be chosen to match the overall color scheme, then it will complement and emphasize the composition.
- You can make multi-level flower beds. To do this, add more soil to the already completed perimeter and fence off a separate area. It should turn out higher, creating a second stage.
- More difficult option crafts made from bottles for the garden, but also more interesting - a flowerbed right in a bottle. Take a large container, place it horizontally, carefully cutting upper layer. And then add characteristic ears, draw a muzzle, and equip it with paws and a tail. Next, pour soil directly into the bottle and plant flowers. This is how unique pigs, cats, hedgehogs and other cute creatures appear on the site.
The video shows how to make a flower bed from ordinary bottles
Flower bed made of stones
Flower beds made of stones look very impressive in almost any landscape. It could be fake diamond or natural cobblestone, sandstone or pebbles - any option is a winner.
- Flowerbed without fasteners. To do this, you need to stack fairly large stones on top of each other, forming a low wall. And fill the inside of the resulting well with soil. The fence should not be made strictly vertical, but slightly tipped inward. Thus, the stones will lie under their own weight, additionally resting on the ground.
- Flowerbed using a solution. Here the stones need to be used like bricks, laying them on cement mortar. Also a nice solution. If you do not spare the solution, then it begins to play not only a functional, but also a decorative role.
Flower bed made of logs
Retaining wall made from logs, made by hand - Small round chocks can be used to fence a flower bed. Install them vertically, specially select logs of different heights. This will give the florist a cozy, rustic look.
- A flowerbed can be made directly in a log. To do this you need a fairly voluminous log. The larger its diameter, the better. Select the required length according to the length of your flower bed. We place it horizontally, and then there are two options. If you need a stationary flowerbed, then cut out a through rectangle in this log, fill it with soil and plant flowers. Over time, they will reach the ground and will receive nutrients from there as well. And if you need a mobile structure, then you need to cut off the bottom edge a little so that a plane is formed and the flower bed is stable. And then carefully cut out a fairly deep, but not through, rectangle from above, which is covered with earth.
Gnomes, mermaids, goblin and other garden inhabitants
Less utilitarian, but more attractive are garden figurines made from various materials. They serve solely to decorate the site and complement the overall picture.
Wood crafts for the garden
Wood and plywood crafts for the garden - Various logs, logs, and logs are suitable. If it is an unusual natural material, and with bizarre growths, chagas, mushrooms - even better. They are taken as a basis, and hair, facial details, arms and legs are made from scrap materials. Such goblins are usually found in pairs and placed on miniature benches. The result is not just one figure, but a whole composition.
- In addition to fairy-tale characters, animals are made from wood. These can be either miniature copies or more significant compositions. For example, a figurine of a horse or a giraffe.
- Decorations for flower beds in the form of mushrooms are made from logs. A very common figure is the old forest man from Russian fairy tales. In this case, both specially purchased logs and stumps remaining from cut down trees are used.
Crafts made from plaster
Here everything is limited by your imagination. You can create anything. Almost all store-bought garden figurines are made from this material, so if you have little imagination, you can go through shopping centers(or look at photos on the Internet to save time), choose your favorite sculptures or entire compositions, and then make them at home with your own hands, adding a signature touch.
Foam figures
Foam plastic in the country can be used along with other materials. However, if you take it into account unique properties- lightness and buoyancy, then you can create figures of a certain direction.
- Figures for placing on trees or bushes. Easy to cut, glue and paint. Thanks to this, a wide variety of birds can permanently settle in your garden. You can create a bright spot of color using foam products not only on the ground, where there are already enough emotions thanks to flowers, but also above. Vertical decoration of a site is usually more difficult to achieve.
- Figures for placement in and near water. Polystyrene foam floats perfectly, and therefore bright artificial flowers, birds, frogs and other living creatures will great solution. The main thing in this matter is to choose moisture-resistant paint.
Plywood decorations
Most often these are flat figures, in what is called a 2D format. Therefore here main role plays the contour and artistic abilities of the master.
- Figures for utility rooms are made from plywood. For example, a cat walking along the ledge or climbing out the window. Or a bird flying up to a ledge. And banal flowers, patterns and ornaments made of plywood will look fresh and elegant.
- Flat figures for placement in space. Silhouettes of summer residents weeding beds, or various birds and animals. A small illusion of volume can be created by overlaying different parts from plywood. For example, you don’t have to draw the cat’s paws, but cut them out separately and attach them to the main figure. But still, such a craft will look good only from the frontal view.
The video shows examples of do-it-yourself plywood work
Useful tips
Made from plastic bottles, stones, old tires and others at first glance unnecessary items, can be done a huge number of things.
DIY crafts can be used for home or garden decorations, and also to give as a gift to a loved one.
Kids will love it too participate in the production of colorful and original crafts, especially if these are crafts for themselves.
Children's crafts from plastic bottles
Whether it's summer or winter, cute toy animals will always delight children.
In this master class you can learn how to make penguin crafts using plastic bottles.
You will need:
Clean plastic bottles (any size)
Acrylic paints
Scissors.
Below is a diagram to follow to make penguins:
Kindergarten DIY crafts. Living stones.
This can be a very creative and useful decoration for any garden or vegetable garden. You just need to find a few simple stones and with the help of paint and imagination, start working.
It will be easier if you use smooth stones. But at the end of the day, it all depends on the design and pattern you are going to apply.
Here are a few simple examples- animals, bugs, fish.
Children will not only find it interesting to color, but also to play with such pebbles in the garden.
In addition, such painted stones can be used to decorate the interior and exterior.
You will need:
Pebble
Acrylic paints
Clear varnish
Simple pencil
1. Prepare the stone, wash it and let it dry.
2. Using a pencil, draw the desired design on the stone.
3. Start coloring with gouache.
* It’s good if the color of the stone matches your drawing. Drawings with a black outline turn out very well.
* When the paint dries, you need to coat the stone with colorless varnish, thereby the paint will not be erased.
You can make something more complicated, for example a snake and a turtle.
An even more complex option is the image of a rabbit.
Children's paper crafts. A whole paper platform.
This kind of craft is very easy to make.
You will need:
Colored paper
Scissors
Glue (glue stick)
You need to cut out strips, squares, etc. from colored paper. and make swings, slides, ladders, tables, paths and much more.
Everything is limited by your imagination - create what you want and build the site you dream about.
Crafts for the playground. Giraffe made from a tire and a log.
A very cute giraffe can be made for a playground or kindergarten.
You will need:
Old tire
2 logs (short and long)
Plastic bottle.
Eyes from an old toy
Watering can (for tail)
1. Bury the tire halfway.
2. Make a muzzle from a short log and connect it in the shape of the letter L with a long log using nails. The body of the giraffe in the image is about 1 meter long, and the head is 25-30 cm.
3. Dig in a long log next to the tire (see picture).
4. Prepare a plastic bottle and use it to make ears for the giraffe. Next, attach these ears with glue or nails to the muzzle.
5. Animal eyes can be made from plastic bottle caps. Glue eyes from an old toy onto each lid (or you can draw them with a marker).
6. You will need the spout of a watering can to make a giraffe's tail.
7. All that remains is to paint the craft so that it looks like a giraffe.
Crafts for kindergarten. Zebra made of tires and logs.
Just like a giraffe, you can make a zebra, and the African savannah will be filled with another animal.
You will need:
1 tire
2 logs
Eyes from an old toy
Plastic bottle
1. First dig the tire in halfway.
2. Make a muzzle and neck from logs. The body of the craft in the image is about 70 cm long, and the head is 25-30 cm.
3. Dig in a log next to the tire.
4. Make ears from a plastic bottle and attach them to the face.
5. You can make eyes from plastic bottle caps or use parts from an old toy.
6. Make a tail from the spout of the watering can, and insert a brush made from an old tire inside.
7. The nose can be made using thick rubber.
8. All that remains is to color the craft.
Children's craft from a plastic bottle
Using plastic bottles you can make many beautiful and sometimes even useful crafts.
Take, for example, this outlet for every little thing. It’s not difficult to make, but it will be useful for a little fashionista who can store jewelry, brushes and pencils in it.
This craft can also be used as a flower vase.
1. Prepare a bottle and use stationery knife cut off the top part.
2. Using scissors, cut thin strips of the same width on the bottle (to the middle).
3. Now the strips need to be folded. Do this so that they are perpendicular to the bottle.
5. All that remains is to design the outlet.
Children's crafts from bottles
So many interesting crafts for home, garden and vegetable garden can be found in our articles.
Alena Turyeva
Plywood is one of the lightest and most convenient materials for creating crafts. It is so easy to work with that figures can be made from it quite quickly, and most importantly, it is interesting. I will present to you my work that I did for my group at plot. I chose two figures: giraffe and cow. These are not just animal figures! They functional: ring throw (horns and tail cows) and playing with a ball.
If you plan to install the figure without resting it on any support in the garden, you must also consider making pegs for its base. Their size depends on the dimensions of the figure itself. But, in any case, expect that the pegs should go at least 50 cm into the ground. I did the work with my good friends.
To create a figure we will be required:
Plywood 2 cm thick;
Drawing;
Simple pencil;
Fine-grained sandpaper;
Screwdriver and screws;
Gouache, paint for painting (enamel, brushes and clear varnish.
I was drawing cow and giraffe without stencil, if anyone is comfortable, you can do it with him. Using a simple pencil, I drew the silhouette and other details of the animal directly on the plywood. The silhouette and circles were cut out with a jigsaw and passed sandpaper. Then the most interesting part - coloring) And at the end they were covered with colorless varnish.
I also decided for plot to plant Pinocchio. My friends helped me make Pinocchio.
You need logs, a hatchet, nails, screws, two bottle caps, fabric (a cap, plywood (for a key), yellow paint, brushes and clear varnish.
Such a miracle happened)
Thank you for your attention, I hope you liked my work. And also thanks to my friends! It's good to have such helpers)
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