Painting a Plaster Blank to Resemble Natural Stone

Step 1

If you cannot buy cabochons for leather jewelry, or the selection does not suit you, make them yourself. They can be made from epoxy resin or plaster. Read here about making plaster blanks. Use any suitable jars, containers, or molds. You can paint or decoupage the finished blank, or even make a leather cabochon; see here how to do that.

There is also a way to create multicolored swirls on a pendant that resemble natural-stone coloration.

Step 2

Dilute several shades of acrylic paint with water in disposable cups to the consistency of thin sour cream. Pour the acrylic in layers onto a palette or sheet of paper. Do not pour every layer equally: use less paint for each higher layer.

Step 3

Paint the plaster blank with acrylic, choosing the shade most prevalent in your poured paint. Inflate an ordinary balloon. It should hold its shape but dent easily under your fingers. Dip the balloon in paint and press its painted area onto the blank. If you do not like the swirls, dip and press the balloon again. Do not repeat this too many times, or the acrylic will mix into a muddy color. Let the blank dry and coat it with varnish.

Step 4

Then use these stones to create necklaces or bracelets.