Supplies
Tools
- Base or mold
- Molds:
- To give a form to your paper mache, you can use all sorts of containers (glasses, bowls, or objects with unusual shapes).
! - Make sure your container won't absorb any dampness.
- To keep your mixture from sticking to your mold, coat your mold with petroleum jelly (Vaseline) or cover it with plastic wrap.
- Different types of bases:
- Cardboard to make templates, that is, the shapes you'll be putting your paper mache on.
- Wire mesh (small-mesh chicken wire that's easily shaped) if you're making a frame for more complex objects.
- Other necessary tools:
- Something to protect your table. This is a very messy project, especially with children!
- 1 large bowl
- For paper pulp: 1 saucepan, 1 electric hand mixer, and 1 wire strainer (not a solid one with holes) or a piece of mosquito netting
- Final touches:
- Prepare the surface for decoration: sandpaper to sand away small imperfections, then Gesso or acrylic varnish to limit absorption of moisture (especially absorption of paint).
- Paint, items to glue on, items to inlay, varnish, etc. There's no limit to your creativity!
Materials
- Paper: try what you want, you could be happily surprised by the result!
- Newspaper: very flexible when it's covered with glue and very strong when it's dry.
- Paper you were going to recycle: avoid glossy paper that's not absorbent.
- Blotting paper or brown paper
- Tissue paper: for delicate objects or for the final layers of an object that's made mostly of stronger paper.
- Crepe paper: its little pleats give projects a unique texture
- Glue of choice:
- Wallpaper paste
- Wallpaper paste usually comes as a powder that will be diluted before using (generally a 1:10 ratio powder to water).
- The majority of wallpaper pastes contain fungicides (made of a type of warfarin): this allows it to combat mildew when the objects are in humid atmospheres, but know that this substance is toxic and shouldn't be used around children. You can also buy wallpaper paste without fungicides.
- Advantage over other glues: all the layers can be applied without waiting for them to dry.
- Ecological glue
- A mixture of flour and water (1:4 ratio flour to water).
- Advantage: this glue is very easy to make and very frequently used in paper mache.
Directions
Preparation of materials for paper mache
- Prepare an amount of glue according to the size of your project. The mixture should be smooth and homogeneous.
! - The glue can't be saved for more than a week because it will mildew.
- Build your base or protect your mold (so the glue doesn't stick to it).
- Tear the paper in strips measuring about 8 x 3 cm (3-1/4 x 1-1/4 inches). Tear the paper along the grain so that it won't break and the result will be more solid.
NB: Never use scissors.
Apply the paper
- Dip a strip of paper in the glue, drain it briefly, then apply it to the mold.
- Smooth it with your finger to eliminate air and folds. If you use a complex mold, make sure to emphasize the angles and details clearly in the paper with your finger or a thin instrument, taking care not to tear the paper.
- Drip a new strip of paper in the glue and drain it briefly.
- Apply it to the mold, overlapping the first strip by about 1 cm (3/8 inch) and perpendicular to it.
- Continue this way until you've got 7 or 8 layers of strips. It's generally recommended only to do 2 or 3 layers at a time, depending on what glue you're using, in order to avoid a long drying time and an increased risk of mildew.
- Let your work dry in a warm place for anywhere from several hours to many days, depending on the size of the project and the glue used.
- If you used a mold, remove your work from the mold after it's dry.
Final touches to the paper mache
- If necessary, use sandpaper to sand away any imperfections.
- Apply some coats of Gesso or acrylic varnish.
- Let your imagination run free as you decorate your project!
Going further
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