Oops. Selected Post instead of Preview.I wanted to say that you use the "hy-rib" mesh technique already mentioned for the fresco. The first coat of coarse stuff, which goes onto the mesh should be tinted with pigment, and don't worry too much about making it square. The effect should look like someone hacked it off a wall, this may even require "jags" cut into the mesh, to hold the cement into non straight edges. The second coat, of finer stuff, again tinted a complimentary color. The final two thin coats of finest stuff (20-25 minutes apart) in pure white please. Then you transfer your drawing. After the painting cures, you can lightly sand it with 100 grit sanding sponge, I prefer wet, and can chip away at different layers. You can also keep the final coat away from the edges of the second coat to give the piece a more obvious handmade look.
As Ilia pointed out, hanging is a problem. I make fiberglass frames but on the piece I am doing now, I looped stainless steel through the "hy rib" before plastering, I cut a small slot on my work surface so the piece would lie flat. You can get stainless steel "wire" from welding shops.
Maybe Ilia should consider a spot in the Cafe where we can download "copy right free" images suitable for beginner fresco artists such as myself? I guess downloading them from Cafe to home computer might be a problem? I found a program at www.sgdesigns.com called rapid resizer. You can take jpeg images, enter the dimensions you want, it then prints them out in panels the size you want. I found another program called "Fetch" which rips apart websites to give easy access to images. Again, do not use copyright images, and ask permission from photographers or graphic designers if you plan on referencing their work. For Virgin of Guadalupe, I am working on today, I cut them, and taped them, and then stuck a piece of kitchen shelving plastic on the back. Now back to work - its looking way too clean around here :=).
