Paper Mache Animal Sculptures

Paper Clay Hen with Siamese “Chicks”

ShareThis hen and “chicks” is the first project I’ve completed using my paper clay recipe. The base is paper clay over particle board, and the hen and kittens are made from paper clay over a crumpled paper and masking tape form. The feathers are paper clay over plastic mesh drywall tape (you find it right [...]

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2 Angel Cat Sculptures

ShareThis week I’m working on a series of four winged cats. I haven’t really decided if they’re cat angels, super-hero cats, or a half-remembered scene out of the Wizard of Oz. But I do know I’m having a lot of fun making them. Two of my very non-angelic cats posed for me. Their modeling fees [...]

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Museum-Quality Paper Mache Sculptures

ShareI just found this newpaper article about a Canadian sculptor in Yellowknife who creates museum-quality sculptures out of paper mache. SOMBA K’E/YELLOWKNIFE – Sculptor Monique Robert is marshaling a myriad of monsters in midtown Yellowknife. Her work space on Forrest Park seems more like a whimsical museum than a home studio. Sculptor Monique Robert depicted [...]

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Kids Make Giant Dinosaur Come Alive

ShareWhen I saw this newspaper report of a giant dinosaur, completely kid-designed and built, I couldn’t resist showing you. According to the newspaper report, the project started months ago in a class for 3 to 7-year old kids who were learning about these ancient creatures. They decided to make one of their own, so they [...]

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Oops, Elephant Needs a Bandaid…

ShareI was so excited this morning when I woke up.  This was the day that Elsie the Elephant would be finished. But dang -  it looked like she’d come down with some rare disease during the night. In five or six spots on her legs and tummy perfectly round areas about the size of a [...]

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Paper Mache “Bronzed” Dog Portrait

ShareOne of my readers just posted a fully detailed and illustrated blog post, telling how she used some of the techniques shown on this blog to create a fantastic “bronzed”  paper mache portrait of a friend’s dog. In fact, she created a sculpture that is so lovable you wouldn’t be able to stop yourself from [...]

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Baby Elephant is Progressing

ShareMy paper mache elephant project got sidetracked temporarily by an Elizabeth George novel, and I’m now working at my computer because a yellow-jacket got a bit too interested in the paste. (I’ve already been stung twice this week, so I get a little nervous around the little beasts). But all in all, I think the [...]

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Next Progect – Baby Elephant Yard Sculpture

ShareMy house has run out of room for any more critters, even if they don’t eat or shed, so I’ve decided to be brave and try to make a paper mache elephant sculpture that will survive outside.  I’ll try to waterproof the paper mache with marine varnish, like I discussed in a previous post. Wish [...]

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New Horse Sculpture – “The Old Gray Mare”

ShareThis sculpture was a  lot of fun to make. I worked off a sketch and exaggerated the features to emphasise the heavy bones of a typical draft horse. Then I spent a long time painting all those varieties of gray on the coat. The colors – dappled gray for the body and blond for the [...]

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Bulldog Sculpture is Finished

ShareThe inspiration for this sculpture came from one of my first websites, which contains many original articles about choosing a dog from your local animal shelter. While I was doing the research for those articles I visited many Humane Society websites as well as taking a lot of trips to the shelter in Portland, Oregon. [...]

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Polar Bear Sculpture, From a Busy Week in My Studio

ShareThis polar bear is a small sculpture, about 6″ high and 11″ long. I used a very thin wash of pearl white acrylic paint to give it a soft sheen. The project used the basic techniques shown in the lop-eared bunny sculpture. I did not use a cardboard pattern, as I did for the panda [...]

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Paper Mache Jackrabbits

ShareThis pair of jackrabbits are made over a solid pressboard armature, and are finished with natural pigments. They are almost lifesized. The huge ears of the jackrabbits were a real challenge – I took a lot of time to make sure they were very firmly attached and strong enough to stand up to a reasonable [...]

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Playful Paper Mache Panda You Can Make

ShareThe paper mache panda I promised is finished, and you can make one of your own using the following photos and instructions.This is a fairly advanced project, but if you have any prior experience with paper mache you should be able to make a very nice panda of your own. Before making your panda, be [...]

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Make a Paper Mache Echidna

ShareWhen I saw a photo of a long-beaked echidna in a New York Times article, I knew I had found my next paper mache project. This critter is so absurd, he’s adorable! This is a fairly advanced project, and you will need to use some sharp tools to cut the wooden toothpicks and for making [...]

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Paper Mache Horse, Last Post

ShareIf you’ve been following this series of posts, you know I started this paper mache horse almost exactly two weeks ago. It stands two feet high, not including the ears. There are a few things I would do differently if I started over, and I’m not entirely satisfied with how some areas of the horse [...]

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