DIY Network

Drywall Carving Create an original carving with a cheap, forgiving medium. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-151

If you can draw it, you can carve it—and make a cool drywall sculpture.

If you’ve always wanted to try carving but have been too intimidated by wood or stone, drywall may be the medium for you: It’s easy to carve and cheap enough that you can afford to experiment without stress.

Michele Beschen offers a primer on how to B. Original and carve out your own masterpiece with a few tools and a little imagination. Scroll down for her easy how-to.

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Drywall Carving

• Start with a piece of standard-thickness drywall; you can find very inexpensive drywall remnants at home improvement stores. Be sure you don’t get the water resistant drywall designed for use in bathrooms.

• Cut your piece to the desired size. To do this, mark where you want to cut your drywall and score along the line with a utility knife or box cutter (figure A). Snap the drywall along the line, then cut the paper backing (figure B).
  

  Figure A

  Figure B

  
  

• Glue a stiff backing to your drywall to give your piece some support and make it easier to hang. Michele Beschen used 1/8" thick masonite. Clamp and allow the glue to dry.

• Peel away the top layer of paper from the drywall as much as you can by hand
  (figure C). Gently rub remaining paper with a sponge soaked in warm water to loosen, then gently remove the rest of the paper with a scraper or putty knife (figure D). Be persistent and make sure you remove all the paper.
  

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

  Figure E

• Carve out your design using carving tools (figure E). You may want to lightly sketch the design before carving.

• Remove all debris with a vacuum or with compressed air.

• Add color to your creation with acrylic paints, or leave it natural (figure F).

• Seal and protect the final piece with a coat of gel medium, a mixture of white glue and water, or spray polyurethane.

• Attach a hanger (figure G), and you’re ready to display your work!

Figure F

Figure G