From the category archives:

Cheap Art

Paper Clay – An Alternative to Paper Mache for Young Artists

April 24, 2010

Since this is a blog devoted to paper mache, what I’m about to say may seem like blasphemy–I’m going to suggest that paper mache may not be the best craft material for very young children. First, I’ll tell you why I think that’s true, and then I’ll tell you why I think paper clay is [...]

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Self-Publish an Illustrated Art Book, Part 3

April 6, 2010

So – let’s say you’ve finished the manuscript of your illustrated art book. Now what? How do you transform your manuscript from a file on your computer into a real-life book that’s available for you to buy and sell yourself, or for the public to buy from Amazon.com? The company discussed in the video is [...]

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Self-Publish Your Illustrated Art Book, Part 2

April 1, 2010

This is the second video in this series. In this one, I show you the software that I’m using to create my illustrated art how-to book. These are not usually recommended by self-publishing “experts,” (they usually prefer the much more expensive Adobe versions), but my total software investment was $100. Compare that to the total [...]

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How to Build a Book – Part 1

March 30, 2010

This video is the first of a short series showing you the tools I’m using to build my new book about paper mache clay (coming soon – I promise). If you’ve ever considered writing or illustrating a book, but you let the idea drift away because you thought it would cost too much money or [...]

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Bluebird Ornaments – 7-hr Bluebirds Revisited

November 30, 2009

A few weeks ago, Donnisha asked for some tips for making the 7-hr paper mache bluebirds into Christmas tree ornaments. What a great idea! I wrote the bluebird tutorial almost exactly 1 year ago so folks would have a fast, easy way to create a present for someone who loves handmade gifts. (I think most [...]

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My New Makeshift Photo Studio

November 24, 2009

This post shows the new tabletop photo studio I set up for taking pictures of my paper mache animal sculptures. The total cost includes a new Fujifilm FinePix S1500 camera, new daylight florescent bulbs and colored fabrics to be used as “seamless” backdrops. My little makeshift photo studio seems to work quite well for close-up [...]

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Two New Lion Cubs

November 4, 2009

My last two life-sized lion cubs are finished. This one is sleeping with her head on one paw. Her brother, below, is stalking one of the other lion cubs from the same litter, which I showed you on a previous post. This is the last of the big cats, at least for a while. They [...]

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Halloween Skeleton – in Progress

October 20, 2009

A few weeks ago a reader named Addie sent me an email describing her latest project – a full-sized skeleton made from PVC pipe and paper mache. Just thinking about all the challenges in a project like that makes my brain hurt, so I had great respect for Addie, even before she sent photos of [...]

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Easy Paper Mache Clay Recipe

October 14, 2009

12/10/09 – I’m editing this post and putting up a new video, because I’ve now had a few months to play with my paper mache clay recipe. The new video will give you instructions that you’ll  need to make sure your toilet paper rolls contain the same amount of paper as mine. The new mixing [...]

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