How to Make a Faux Rock Mirror with Paper Mache Clay
It is no surprise that I’m inspired nature’s stones and rocks again! I’ll also blame this on Pinterest since I see so much amazing fake stone sculpting. Here we go; How to make a faux Rock Mirror with Paper Mache Clay – amazing stuff!
Don’t worry, it isn’t that complicated! These mirrors can be very expensive so you guessed it… make one! I’ve included 2 videos as well.
The Mirror Start;
As you know I like the excitement of finding a treasure at a thrift store (especially on senior’s discount day). This Oval mirror that I found had a bevel edge (22″ x 28″) was just too amazing to pass up and I have been searching for one for a while now as a base for this envisioned project. It could be any shape or edge, it will depend on your own design.
I had initially thought that I would just use any rectangle and then cut it but opted to keep it simple. Maybe you have a broken mirror that can be adapted. For a plan I did sketch a few designs…
The back was prepared for hanging either vertical or horizontal; great.
Have you discovered Pinterest?! I have folders for all kinds of ideas, maybe it’s as full as my brain… and there’s over 144k following me! Whew! It’s a great way to collect inspiration in an organized way. From my collection I made some sketches to scale.
Planning the Rock layout;
After my initial sketches I laid it on a paper to start the assembly. As you know sometimes ‘things happen’ so don’t fret too much. It is a natural element so the rules are really not existent. That’s the great thing about nature!
The areas outside the oval will need some additional attachment of some type of board. To keep weight minimal I opted for small pieces of canvas board that could be cut with an xacto knife.
If you feel inclined you could cut some plywood for the entire shape and glue the mirror onto it. That does mean more tools and mess…
TIP: If you place the mirror on a ‘Lazy Susan’ it makes it so simple to work all around easily.
The Sculpting Material:
I really hate to buy supplies if at all possible, so I assess any throw-away items for possible recycling in projects. Styrofoam comes in handy as a base for many projects (like my Concrete Garden Face & Faux Stone waterfall) and is very light weight.
A sharp knife and a low temperature glue gun makes shaping the stone quite easy. Do be aware that too much ‘breaking’ will make some static mess.
After the initial large blocks some smaller pieces are added to make the form more consistent.
Grab a few rocks or use pictures for reference, there’s many types.
Tools for sculpting the Paper Maché Clay:
- Palette Knives
- Rolling Pin
- Spoons
- Spatula
- Brush
- Special Sculpting tools
- Real Rocks with texture
Adding the Paper Maché Clay:
In this project I decided to not use tin foil to sculpt the form since I like the way the styrofoam is quite planar (angular).
Using some sheets of cotton fabric the Clay will be rolled into sheets to cover the base foam form. Multiple flat sheets can be pieced together until it is all covered. The sides should be wrapped around to the back to secure good adhesion,
After coverage the smaller details can be added by pushing into the base structure.
Generally speaking, realistic stone and rock has angular planes. There are often cracks and small textures.
Try not to smooth too much. After drying you can you can still adjust if necessary.
The palette knives are quite handy to make the angular planes, pushing rather than cutting since the fibres keep the clay together.
Scrubby brushes do make some tiny sandy texture into the clay. Turn and check from all angles, as well as the sides. Cut some lines to represent cracks.
Notice the edges that are quite angular, with light these will look quite realistic especially once colour is added.
The sculpted clay is left to dry. To make sure it is bone dry it was left for a few days.
The back is not pretty but does not matter to me.
Adding the Colour:
To add the colour and finish acrylic paint works great. For realistic stone colours mix some colours into the black and white. Sometimes only white and black is too ‘cool’ of a colour, again use some actual rocks for reference.
The paint does soak into the clay quite well so it does not need to be thick. You do not want to lose the textures in thick paint. Use thin ‘washes’ as that will also actuate the cracks and crevices.
Just like in nature the protruding surfaces will be lighter in colour. Wipe the paint to easily accentuate the texture. It’s amazing how much it will pop!
Initially I had thought I would add some powder like calcium carbonate ( ground egg shells) to make more texture but I do not see a need. Using the dry-brush method sparingly with white paint can bring out the textures even more. The contrasts are usually not that strong in rock tones and colour values.
This step was quite easy and so pleasing. Now that I have made so many faux stones and rocks my advice would be to keep it angular and irregular.
It is so much fun to have the power of Mother Nature in your hands…
The Final Finish:
This clay is not waterproof since the flour & joint compound in the recipe mix. For indoor use it should be fine. To assure any moisture resistance add a layer of an acrylic medium or varnish in a matt finish (to reduce shine).
You will have to clean the mirror so it does need to be protected.
Clean off the tape and protector film. Pay close attention to the edges as they will be quite noticeable.
What do you think? Not that I have seen how much fun this is I am starting to dream up other ways to use this method. This finished mirror is not much heavier than the original mirror.
It’s hanging and I am thrilled! There is a definite influence of natural elements in my style. Where could you see this hanging?
The warm interior light adds to the colour. Give Paper Maché Clay a try! I am going to push it to the limit. It is so inexpensive to make, easy, and strong when done!