Mould and painting workshop for a gnome garden

The idea

3D printing is often seen as the final product of a maker project. This workshop turned that idea on its head: use the printer as a tool to make something else. The result was a miniature gnome garden made up of three pieces, each fabricated with a different technique and combined into a single characterful object.

The pieces

The garden consists of three elements:

• The garden with fence: a small 3D-printed base with a perimeter fence and a central recess for the pot to press-fit into. Designed by Omnia Makers so the pieces click together neatly.
• The pot: made by the children themselves during the workshop, by pouring a cement and plaster mix into a 3D-printed mould. Once set, the mould is removed to reveal a solid pot ready for planting.
• The gnome: also cast in cement and plaster using a 3D-printed mould designed by Omnia Makers. Each gnome came out slightly different depending on how the mix was poured and set.

The workshop at Ornitocyl 2025

The workshop ran at the Ornitocyl 2025 stand. Children took an active part in the process: they mixed the cement and plaster, filled the moulds, and waited for the material to set before unmoulding their own pot. The experience was very tactile and hands-on — very different from simply seeing a finished printed piece.

The activity sparked a lot of curiosity about how the moulds were designed, opening a natural conversation about how 3D printing makes it possible to create fabrication tools that once required industrial machinery.

What we learned

This workshop showed that 3D printing is just as valuable as a tool for making other things as it is as an end product. Using printed moulds to work with cement and plaster is accessible, inexpensive, and produces unique results. Above all, it is a great way to help children understand the full design-and-fabrication process.