I can honestly say at this point that if Rachel Maksy decided one day that she wants a dragon, she’d manage to figure out the biology to craft a real one out of lizard DNA, foam armor bits and hot sauce. Set to a cozy vintage soundtrack and dressed as a hobbit. We stan
@@jessicaclakley3691 Indeed. Let's see if we can dance with the algorithms to get this all the love it so mightily deserves... - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
Oooh, yes. A little Ms. Frizzle and a little who else... I feel like the proper definition needs to be a mash-up... - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
I don’t think “spiteful” is the word you’re looking for. I can’t imagine Rachel being spiteful in any regard. Perhaps you meant something more along the lines of “devil may care” ???
@@friendofmaglor Combined with hot chocolate mixed into your morning coffee. With enough hot chocolate coffee, anything is possible... - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
Pro tip from an old theatre person. Create a rollable slurry for the grout texture and use a foam or fluffy roller over the whole area first. Then draw out the stones and go forth. Makes the grout texture much faster. You can also throw sand at this over all area for more grout-y goodness. Also, super messy but worth it. Another tip -after first layer of rock texture you can add cardboard, bits of plaster soaked foam or even tinfoil to make an armature for bigger texture. Just plaster over it. Almost forgot, glitter under/ above the last layer of paint will make it look more like quartz granite. Mica works best, much finer.
Came here to say this! Also for large rock structures you can use insulation foam and rough sculpt it with a rasp, then plaster over it. Knew that degree in theatrical design would come in handy somtime.
I feel like Rachel's entire Aesthetic can be sumerized as "theater stage chic". She's the costume designer, the set designer, lighting and sound (editing rachel, we see you
I like to imagine Nick coming back home from something, and finding Rachel in the kitchen like “sup babe I built us a conservatory entirely from scratch 🥰”
If you ever want to add more depth/weathering to the stones, I highly recommend doing a wash of brown or green! I see a lot of miniature model makers add warmth and variation to their stone with washes and it looks SO good
That's what I was going to say. Real rocks are not usually straight gray. Most have brown tones in them. Even slate is a bit bluish rather than pure gray.
I think the Problem with the washes is, the plaster is not very stable with water. No Problem for a wall itself, but i think it will melt away with wasched. But the tones of green, brown and blue are a good idea
green wash would make it look like it had moss on it, great for an outside rock, not so good for indoors. Brown is more like it, with yellow ocher maybe.
I love love love how much less stressed Rachel is now! The vibes are immaculate, the energy level is pristine, and that wall makes me wish I wasn't a renter
As a fellow renter, wondering if this could be done on a panel and then set onto the wall? Then it can be taken anywhere and isn’t actually on the wall, loopholes man gotta figure it out 🤔 thinking like the brick panels Rachel used in the basement renovation video from a while back.
@@zingleberrie That might be a brilliant idea :D I also live in a tiny little apartment, where I'm not even allowed to stay long-term, so most decor-ideas get flushed down the drain right away 😭 But ONE DAY! We will all live in our own glorious little fantastical cottages! 🥰
As someone who lived in a house made of actual stones (big round river ones): variation of colour! Stones aren't just grey, there's browns and reds and yellows in there, muted but present. Also darkest colour first, then progressively dryer dry brushes, gives really good depth of colour because it adds false shadows. Washes also help tie colours together!
This was awesome to see! I did a ton of plaster sculpting in college (when I should've been mold-making... Lol). One thing though, if you do more of this: PLEASE wear a particulate mask! Drywallers wear them for a reason. Plaster dust is super fine and can really damage your lungs in the long term. I've heard horror stories of chronic coughs and white lung cropping up later in age.
I’m so glad this comment was already here when I came to post it- silicosis is no joke and literally only takes a couple bad exposures under the right conditions to potentially do permanent damage
Seconding the advice about a particulate mask from another commenter. Silicosis and other respiratory conditions are no joke. A tip I picked up while doing terrain building and scenery is to add some warm sepia and brown tones to the rock paint so it’s not completely monochrome black and white. This was a joy to watch, as always! Rachel’s energy always inspires me to get going on my own projects and to have fun with them.
Definitely. I was excited to watch her paint all the rock colors 😢 that’s one nice thing about the stick-on rocks, they got the colors pretty spot on. Still loved this video, though. ❤
I just can't stop picturing when you sell this living art project of a house the next person being all "why is there 12 different techniques of faux rocks and beams in this place!?” amazing. 😂
This is the forever home. She will live there til her eleventy-first birthday, at which point she will go poof into the next adventure. And then it's someone else's problem!
We sold my parents house last year. Hidden behind the fireplace is a massive mural of all the thunder bird vehicles, the tardis, Batmobile etc. we follow the new owners on social media and they are renovating. We can’t wait till they get to that room……
Rachel, your ability to focus while having self-proclaimed tornado mind is the most wonderful thing about watching you finish a project. I want to thank you for not just wandering off when your projects get tedious (sculpting fake rocks, gluing tiny mirrors on a dress, etc). Your focus is the real rock star of your videos.
@@theodore_honeybee6104Yessssss, that's the Artist SuperPower...the hyperfocus and detailing.Can be annoying to your friends family or partners... But when it's done AH.... . It's like the character in the musical Sunday in the Park with George - he sings this phenomenal song called Finishing the Hat. It's so deep that he has to finish the hat( he's a painter). Even in the face that is a defining moment where his woman finally gets tired of him and his Artist Way and he knows it but he still has to finish it. And even though he lost her the art lived on and we see it affecting and shaping his grandson today. Sorry to pull in references that may seem obscure but if you have a chance, check out that musical and hear the wonderful Mandy Patinkin sing FINISHING THE HAT.🎩
I love the difference the drybrushing made. Really brought out the texture. Adding some colour would also add depth and even more texture. Real rocks aren't just grey, they've got browns, greens and reds mixed in too.
Rachel, they make a sand additive for paint. You can mix it with your wall paint and get your grout texture. You might even be able to put it in a piping bag if you keep it thicker. I think the texture will really help if you can make a bowl of sorts between your rocks. Rocks in a wall don't generally have such sharp defined lines and undercuts. It needs more of a valley between each rock. You could do an undercoat of a dark color similar to what the grout will be, draw on top of that with a marker, and do like you did. There is also premixed drywall mud, it does take longer to dry, but the amount of time saved when you don't have to mix up batch by batch is huge! There is a technique called monster mud, where you mix paint into your drywall mud. Generally it's done with oil based paint so that it can be outside. It's a quick way to make a tombstone! Be careful with that as oil and water based paints don't jive. This would give you a base color that isn't white. You can also throw in some sand to give added texture for the occasional stone. Another painting technique would be doing washes and glazes in subtle tones, pretty much across the sepectrum. It would help to get more variety. You could choose a "stone type" for certain rocks in both texture and color. Also you might try finely spattering the rocks to get both color and texture, basically a fine stipple. A tooth brush or trimmed chip brush works great for it. I love what you do and I can't wait to do similar things to my house one day!
I use to work for an equity waver tiny theatre in L.A.(Hollywierd), whatever paint they had, I mixed for the right color and didn't care if it was moldy, oil based or water based, it all worked. I was a scenic painter...They had very little budget for anything and I got what they had. Somehow it worked. This was a long time ago. I never worked for nicer people all having fun. many years ago.
Couldn't you also tint the mud itself to save time on painting the base colors of the rock? Granted, this would work best if all the rocks are supposed to look the same!
@@hambeastdelicioso1600 Yes, she could have added tint/paint to the joint compound...that would have given her a wall of the same color. However, she could have then gone over them with more paint to get the shading that she wanted. I thought this turned out really cool and I want to rip off the stupid tiles from my fake fireplace and put up fake rocks instead. 😁
TIP FOR ROCK PAINTING: SPATTER/STIPPLE ALL OVER IT take any large brush with fairly stiff bristles and start with a black or very dark shade of paint, MIX A SMALL AMOUNT WITH WATER OR THINNER (enough that its kind of a whole-2% milk consistency and isnt especially clumpy or sticky), dip the brush but don't oversaturate it with paint, then, take a board, solid object, or your other hand and repeatedly smack the brush against it so you're flinging the tiny droplets onto the canvas/thing youre painting, if the drops dont come off or fling globs, thin the paint more, if the drops are too big or runny squish off excess paint before smacking or add more paint/mix ut again but thicker. Spatter adds free texture and breaks up a solid color similar to the way microscopic textures and depth would in the real deal. We did this to EVERYTHING in my scene painting class and it makes it so much more realistic. If you overdid the black, you can go in with a light or midtone color to tone it back and spatter with more of a hue to add some subtle color variation/imply ores/sediment/moss/environmental lighting etc. After that, add some shading and highlights (and maybe some hairline cracks or other small details) and you've got gorgeous realistic rocks!
I think the spacing between the rocks is really good actually, my house has a wall of real rocks like that and they look about the same spacing. I think the only thing you could do differently is maybe dry brush on a rust color to get the “I found these rocks in a field and used them in my house from scratch” look
I saw something similar on instagram but they added plaster to the whole wall then just used their finger to create the negative space so it had texture too and you didn’t have to individually create each rock
@@prettiecake the 'moat' thing she references is that little dip in grout that looks like someone pulled a fingertip through, so this would be perfect for the texture she wants
So, I've been honestly thinking about how to fix the grout/stone glue situation for walls. Rachel, you may never see this, BUT I had to put it in here. Nerdforge did a video a little while ago about doing a miniature house for under 10 dollars. In the video, she made something called "concrete paint," which I think could help you here. It was a textured paint she made with baking gravel for 2 hours, sifting it, then mixing the fine power with glue and grey paint. The nice thing about this method is you could try it on what you've already done! I think it could make the texture you're looking for in between the stones ;)
I absolutely love the fact you took more time to make jokes in your videos and to give attention to them like it’s your own dang movie!! The hand prints and the sensual wall touching bit had me cackling 😂😂
The two weeks in between videos flies by, so seeing a video pop up is such a happy surprise. And she seems a lot happier it just makes it all the more worth it.
Looks great! A couple of things you might want to try next time (or might not, lol): the rocks can have different textures from one another: some can be craggier than others, some more striated, etc. Also, if you look closely, real rocks are not just shades of grey, they have many muted shades: desaturated browns, purples, greens, etc. I think adding just a hint of a few different colors to some of the rocks (acrylic paint is completely compatible with latex, especially in tiny quantities, so just use cheap craft paints) will really liven up the wall and make it look more realistic.
@@janmoore6340 Yes, while the paint is still wet to hold onto the sand and grit and... maybe even some dried moss... - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
I've seen the baking soda + paint mix for texture in many diy videos, might be useful too🤔and they've also used actual sand/dirt water or paint mix to make an item look old and weathered. Love the whole elderly bog witch aesthetic! I would gladly follow that Arts and Witchcraft movement 😁
Hi!! Pro-tip hot-take: if you want to have an even grout texture in between the stones, lay down an even layer of plaster, covering the entire surface, and apply the grout texture to that entire layer. Then once that is dry, draw the stones onto that texture and apply the plaster to make the stones accordingly.
You had so much more energy this time around, and had SO MUCH MORE FUN. I know the home projects are where you get a lot of joy but I see you’re upping the editing- and the asides- I really think the new filming and posting schedule is making a difference. I’m so glad!
Giving major me in high school theatre vibes painting rocks for sets for not one, not two, but THREE shows. Miss my rock saga days. They look great Rachel!
If you redo the “grout” between the rocks, maybe consider adding some sand to the compound, it could add some extra texture like there is in real grout. (I’m not sure how this would affect the setting of the joint compound, but it’s worth experimenting with!)
I literally shouted 'IT WAS A LIE?!' at 6:24 because the whole time I had just been transfixed by the gorgeous hair 😂 I'm loving this retake at the stone wall!
A suggestion for future walls, maybe try adding some warm tones (red and brown tints). The wall looks especially realistic in the stylized shots with the warm filters and lighting. :)
The absolute (but totally on-brand) madness of sanding plaster and dry brushing white paint in all black clothing 🤣Rachel inspiring all of us to live on the edge while DIYing!
Rachel Maksy, you are without a doubt, my absolute favoritest influencer/content creator to have ever made content for the internets. Thank you for blessing us with your channel! Hope you have the best week!
This turned out so cool! I will say, in my opinion, it does look a little unfinished with the stones not going all the way to the edge of the wall, but that’s just me. Also those vintage hats were amazing 🤩
I feel like Rachel is the crafting version of the chocolate guy. Can basically make anything look real and then you find out it's just chocolate (or plaster, plastic, paint, and foam) 😂
Looks awesome! One technique im curious you trying out next time is using color washes. Basically watered down paint (usually blacks or browns if you are looking for shading; other colors if you're looking for color variations, and you can add some dish soap to break water tension) that you can put over the surface, and it will get into all the cracks and crevices and really create extra depth and realism. People in the miniature making/ tabletop community use this all the time when making rocks and it always ties everything together nicely.
The plastic stone wall always reminded me of a similar type that was popular in the 80s around fireplaces. So many retro memories of little fingers, breaking plastic stone. 🤣
I enjoy Rachel's more artsy crafty videos because there is a level of joy and excitement that you don't get with her sewing and cosplay videos. Those videos are still good but watching her get excited while sculpting makes me want to do it.
See also: Getting plastered at home aesthetic version. As someone who’s done this, you can combine steps by mixing paint into the “stone” material and mix stone colors on a board as you trowel the stones onto the walls. This gives the stone layers of color when you sand rough edges off.
You could always make plaster rocks, and set them into the base layer, and clean up the grout line levels. Crumpled aluminum foil makes a great template to pour plaster into for a rock texture. Then just bust it apart, pre or post painting!
In miniature/wargame modelling we often use a technique called leopard spotting when painting plaster rock moulds. You basically use diluted colours to add some tonal variation giving you subtle warm ang cold hues to the rock, then usually a dark wash to mute everything down followed by a light colour drybrush. It works so well with plaster because it is porous and really soaks in the colour which means if it gets chipped in the future you don't get bright white bits that are very obvious. You can find many vids on youtube using this effect and I think it would be great at this scale too!
Rachel!!! Amazing! You are so good at weathering! Recommendation for next time: do a light coverage of the full wall with ur grout texture BEFORE you put the rocks in so you don’t have to go through and do the grout texture in between after all your lovely rocks are built up. :) Can’t wait to see the next one!
You have given me a permanent smile all day. Love your content…your personality…your hat wearing dog…and your creativity. If my day is gray…I just have to see what Rachel has to say… and I can get through it! Thanks for being such a bright light in a sometimes dim world!
My mom used to make seasonal displays for a restaurant that had a stage that was no longer in use. One year it involved rock wall. She made them out of sheets, papier-mâché, and some kind of coating that dried to a rock like texture but was super lightweight. A section of it hung in our living room for years. I like your method for a more permanent and realistic effect.
I am confident that just putting real stone tiles up would be so much less work, but it looks great. Also, blessings for providing essential Frodo hat content
Add sand to grout paint and maybe add some creamy plaster to the left side to make it appear like the plaster is coming off and the old stones are showing through I love it. Great job
I'm so glad I've found someone else who will happily stand there for hours creating something bespoke just for the aesthetic 💕 you're my absolute favourite youtuber, thank you for sharing these wonderful videos to the internet!
Loved this so much! It looks so great! Next time, please ware a mask, plaster dust is SOO bad for your lungs. But also, please more wall plastering! Your so creative and I love it!
Easy tips: adding some play sand to your grout paint will add texture there, and using a thicker plaster mix to get a deeper layer, then going over it while still wet with a wad of aluminum foil for a rough rocky texture.
Hey editing Rachel, I absolutely love the editing and music and lil title day cards on this one! 👌 Always making my Saturday mornings a joy 💛 (also, the sims-childhood to adult-interior-design pipeline is real)
I am just flabbergasted by your ability to do things like draw, create, shape, and paint plaster rocks over and over and over and over again until you have a whole wall full. Mad respect!
As someone completely committed to achieving the lifestyle aesthetic of your dreams, ma'am, you are an inspiration. I hope to one day achieve your level of mastery in crafting my ultra-femme pastel pink dream home and wardrobe.
What I love about Rachel is that I know she has so many skills and will be so okay if RU-vid becomes not a thing someday. But I’m so glad we get to witness all this loveliness ❤
Rachel, I think every other Friday posts are really working for you. You just had so much energy! I love all your videos, but this one is an instant fave. I hope I can own my own space someday, I might try this! My landlord would not appreciate it, though.
Looks awesome! For your future ones a big thing that might help with the weathering is before you dry brush do some washes (I like a burnt brown colour because it really makes it look old and stained) then when you add the dry brushing on top… it becomes history
I have that same skirt and YEAH it cuts you in half right at the middle. I even sized up and I still have to lace my corset down TIGHT in order to not have it pull at the buttons
If you want to fit in with the contractors at the home reno store, make sure your pants are smeared with lots of drywall mud and spotted with paint, helps if your footwear is also painted/muddy. Wearing a high-vis vest over your jacket helps too... If you do this again and have more time to let things dry, you can wet-sand with a damp scrub pad to keep the dust to a minimum if you're not going to wear a respirator/dust mask. Also makes cleanup easier. And for more texture between the stones, you could try using a scuff pad to blot more mud in betwen once the stones have dried, it's how I fake a stippled ceiling when I have to do a repair. You can also get texture paints that sorta have sand in them, that might work. And I agree with the posters who've suggested to add a bit of brown to the paint, though maybe a very faint brownish wash coat might work, we do that with miniatures to bring out textures once the base colour has been painted on, generally we do it before drybrushing but sometimes if the drybrushing is too obvious, it can be done afterwards to tone it down a bit.
I just started the video but I'm hyped to see you try this. I sculpted some ginkgo leaves on my mom's bedroom wall a couple years ago using the same technique. I did zero research whatsoever and they came out perfect so I know the rock wall is going to look GREAT 😂 Edit: 1. I was correct it looks amazing! 2. If you ever feel like going back and adding grout texture you could just paint it again but put sand in the paint maybe 🤔
that wig pull NAME A MORE ICONIC MOMENT I’LL WAIT 🔥🔥🔥 This was such a fun video! Thanks so much for posting!❤ Edit: oh my gourd Frodo and hats so cute too cute im ded
The wig pull was very cool 🙌 I think that should have been the surprise reveal back when you cut your hair. Similar to when Karen Gillian took off her wig when she’d shaved her head. Both iconic.
Great experiment and first attempt! For your main wall here are some helpful tips, if you don't mind: Highlights should have gone on top; always a last step to drybrush highlights. You could also have done a wash with black or brown watered down a lot; this will help give dimension to those "lady lumps". Also, probably should have blended in some warmer and cooler colours; you wouldn't have had to add much, it could be very subtle. Another point is that you should paint the whole thing with a base colour. This eliminates any white that may show through and is far easier than just painting the grout and then the rocks. Painting miniature terrain is a good resource to look up online as it's about making something that's obviously not that thing look like it.
If you mix some baking soda with paint you could do another layer of the grout. That would add a bit of a "chauky" texture which would help give the grout more dimension. The wall looks SO cool - love it.
I think you'd see a huge boost in dimension if you added rust and lichen colors. Part of that fake-y feeling is because that's some very clean stone you've got there. XDD Mimicking cracks and gouges would also help. ovo This is such a cool project. I love art nouveau architecture, and I think plasterwork is going to be one of the requirements if I'm ever going to reproduce it for myself.
You truly are amazing Rachel. The ideas you come up with. You find a way to make them happen. Sponges and using your air brush can help with texture and shadow too. You are so creative and the result is fantastic. Don't forget to water seal that wall you don't need your beautiful work crumbling with non purposeful cracking 😊
Kay so I'm a professional. I make fake walls and rocks for film, and I have very little notes. First, paint the whole wall in your grout colour. It minimizes white coming through, and adds an undertone of grout to your colors to keep the piece married. You can mix things like sand and vermiculite for texture. The vermiculite in your first layer will add a lot of dimension. You can pipe the grout in with a piping bag. Use a wet brush to even it out. Consider taping off your stones. Remove tape before the compound dries. Don't use full on black and white for your high and low lights. Use earth tones. Use small dry rollers to apply colour after you block in the stone bases. This will keep the colour out of your grout (mostly). You can use water down paint in a spray bottle with a mist setting to add a grain to the colours. Overall really amazing. I think it reads really well on camera, even on a focused inspection. You should be really proud
