Live Edge Concrete Bowls

I’m a nut for nature and always marvel at the amazing textures that miraculously appear. Have you taken a close look at a stone or rock lately?! These Live Edge Concrete bowls mimic the beautiful layers of colour, texture and grain that nature offers. It’s really not as crazy as it sounds and nature has been inspiring artists for centuries. Make a concrete bowl and amaze yourself!

The process starts the same as my ‘Rustic Concrete Bowls’ here to create the vessels. Keep the concrete on the more textured side with less agitation and let the top stay rough. The less uniform and conventional the more it is like nature.

You will need:

• rustic concrete bowls
• acrylic paint (black, white, orange (or red and yellow) metallic (copper,silver) teal optional
• paper towel
• brushes, wide and thin, cheap ones will do
• Clear acrylic varnish optional

The Shapes:

Here are a few starting pieces. Rough eh? Don’t worry, it’s not an exact science and you can take it any direction you like.

Ever torched the sugar on top of the Creme Brulee? I torch the polyester fibres that happen to poke out of the concrete. I love tools and often reprimanded for ‘stealing’ other’s. (hehe)

I had recently bought a slice of a stone (not exactly sure of name as I was in awe of the layers) that gave me the idea.

The Paint:

My palette included black, white, copper, red, yellow, and teal acrylic paint. I like the flecks of metallics to add depth to the colours.

The idea is to make it look like there are layers in the stone that the bowl was cut from, so anything goes. Doesn’t matter if you have a steady hand or not. Think of the last time you drove by a hill cut through a mountain. Imagine away… maybe there is a vein of copper (?) or turquoise, you are inventing your ‘nature’! The texture is already there.

Isn’t it fun?! Thick, thin, wavy. Add some small bits for even more detail.

One of the ‘magic tricks’ of painting is ‘Dry Brushing’. It makes texture stand out so much and could not be easier. I always strive to empower all who think they can’t paint or be creative. Just get a bit of paint on the brush and wipe most off on towel, then brush over the textured and it only hits the top surfaces making them stand out.

Much live edge wood has a layer of bark, which I love. Sooooo, why not add a dark layer on the top here?! Dry brush it and it comes alive! This bowl was an experiment with layering some small marble rocks when pouring. How cool is that?!

Keep the edge of the ‘bark’ quite dark as it represents the cut and go crazy on the top. Wowsa, so much effect for so little effort.

Some were more ‘graphic’ meaning less small details. Try some odd colour combinations, using nature as your inspiration. Veins of silver or gold…

Small marble stones accented this bowl surface. Try what you like, it is so economical, you can’t go wrong.

Plant your masterpieces with some great plants, here is the propagating of Paddle Plants (Kalanchoe thyrsiflora) as they compliment the stone so nicely.

Need a bunch of gifts? Pour some Live Edge Concrete bowls and then propagate some plants and voila… ridiculously easy cheap gifts. Table centrepieces for a unique wedding? Think outside the usual.

Good job! Be proud, you made these wonderful easy Live Edge Concrete bowls!