Project Difficulty Level: Challenging
Paper Mache Dragon Sculpture
My first project for this new blog is a paper mache dragon, which I made in honor of my readers over at my other site, DrawFluffy.com
This dragon is made from newspaper, paste, masking tape and paint. The total cost was under $5 – an art project for the true cheapskate!
Photos of this project are after the jump. Feel free to use the ideas and instructions to make your own paper mache dragon, with your own individual creative touches, of course!
Dragon, Step 1
Step 1:
The first step in making a small sculpture from paper mache is to create the basic form. For this project I used newspapers twisted into a general shape and then wound together with masking tape. For inspiration, I looked at the beautiful drawings of dragons in the book Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons
Note: be sure to keep any books or other items a loooong way away from your paper mache projects – you’ll be making a big mess, and you wouldn’t want to ruin a nice book.
I create both hind legs before attaching them to the body, so I’ll know they’re both basically the same size. The legs are attached so the top (hip) is near the dragon’s backbone.
I don’t pay any attention to details, like toes, in this stage. I’m just trying to build the general shape of the dragon, and give him (her?) an interesting posture.
Dragon, Step 2
Step 2:
The back legs are on, and now the front legs are being attached. I include the shoulder section in the leg, and I continue to add masking tape to cover the paper. The masking tape helps make the inner form stronger.
Dragon, Step 3
Step 3:
Now the tail has been added, along with some spiny points along the backbone. Then the tail and hind legs are taped securely to a board.
Dragon, Step 4
Step 4:
The wings have been added. The wings are first made with a twist of paper in the same shape as a front leg (arm?) and attached to the body. I then cut some cardboard from a cereal box and folded it like a fan. This has been taped securely to the wing’s ‘bones’.
Adding wings to an animal that already has front legs is a real challenge, because the front legs are attached in the place where wings would go. (Wings are front legs, with feathers added). One can only hope that the final sculpture will look halfway reasonable.
Dragon, Step 5
Step 5:
Now for the fun, messy part. I dip each torn piece of newspaper into the flour and water paste, and then wipe off the extra paste against the side of the bowl. Then the paper is laid on the body and pressed down as smooth as possible.
This is continued until the entire dragon has been covered. I also covered the masking tape that holds the dragon to the board.
Dragon, Step 6
Step 6:
The weight of the wet paper will cause the form to lose it’s shape, so a paper roll props up the dragon until the first layer dries.
Once the first layer is completely dry, another layer is added, the form is propped up again, and allowed to dry again.
This sculpture will not be played with, so it only needs two layers of newsprint and paste. Once these layers have dried, the form is strong enough to stand on it’s own.
Dragon, Step 7
Step 7:
Now the features are added with tiny bits of paper towel dipped in paste.In this photo you can see I’ve added the mouth, eyes, nostrils, ears, and chin whiskers.
The toes have also been added, and a layer of paper town has been added to the rest of the dragon, because it produced a very nice leathery texture.
The features are left to dry, and then the entire sculpture is covered with a layer of paste, diluted with a small amount of carpenters glue. This helped to smooth out the texture and gives the dragon a smooth, slightly bumpy skin. Once the top layer of paste is dry, the dragon is covered with white primer.
Dragon, Step 8
Step 8:
The dragon is now painted with antique copper paint, which I purchased from the crafts section at the local Walmart. The base is painted black.
Dragon, Step 9
Step 9:
Using a fairly dry brush, I start to add the color to the dragon. The first layer of green has been added in this picture. Some of the copper still shows through. (I could have stopped at this point – but I’m not too excited about the bright green as a color for a large, imposing and scary creature. I thought he (she?) needed some more work.) As I continue painting, I mix some of the green with silver paint, and I add some copper, black and silver spots along the dragon’s side. I paint the eyes last.
Completed Paper Mache Dragon Sculpture
The finished paper mache dragon:
After all the painting was done, and all the paint was dried, I finished the sculpture with water-based verathane mixed with a small amount of copper paint. This protects the sculpture, and the copper helped pull the colors together and made the skin patterns more subtle. The dragon is finished – now, on to my next project!
- My favorite online bookstore.
{ 91 comments… read them below or add one }
If you’re into dragons, be sure to see the videos at http://www.metacafe.com/channels/Danthemonsterman/
Your dragon is gorgeous, Jonni. I especially like the idea of the paste/carpenter’s glue “smoothing” layer.
I have Dan Reeder’s book and found it helpful. Another paper mache artist I admire is Scott Stollow. Here’s a link to his paper mache dragon tutorial: http://www.stolloween.com/?page_id=51
Thanks for sharing your work and your knowledge.
Whoops, that’s Scott Stoll. (Stolloween)
I don’t know how I missed this website until now. I really like your technique Jonni. And the dragon is beautiful. I really like the movement in it. And the paint job is perfect. In fact, I really like what I’ve seen so far with all of your projects. I love them. Thank you for such in depth sharing!
Dan
PS. I fully intended to write this before I saw your very flattering comment. I am humbled. So “cheers” from one paper mache artist to another. Keep up the great work.
Gosh Dan – thanks for visiting! Your videos are a real inspiration. I know they take a lot of time and effort, and they’re remarkably well done. I sincerely hope that anyone reading this who hasn’t already found your site will hop on over there right away and check out your incredible designs.
Dang – I was just over at your site checking out that video of your paper mache fish (not your grandma’s goldfish, for sure!) and I saw that you wrote a book called The Dragon-Maker’s Handbook. I’ve added it to my wish list…
Hi again Jonni,
I love this site. I check back often. You have a great style. At the risk of sounding self serving, I actually have a number of new videos. And a new book, “Papier Mache Monsters” ,2009, Gibbs Smith Publishers. I love this medium. Obviously you do too. And I love that you love giving it away. I feel the same way. And since you invite self promotion and photos, I hope you don’t mind that I’ve taken advantage of both.
Thank you Jonni. Keep up the great art work (and the great blog!)
Dan Reeder
http://www.Monster-man.com
woa~ Dan Reeder is on the blog! hi! i was wondering if the link above goes to Dan’s website… i guess i’ll find out! I was wondering, though, do you think Dan’s coat hanger method (i don’t think i’m spoiling anything~ that was on Amazon) or Jonni’s method of making a wood or cardboard “skeleton” would work better for making my peacock? If either of you could give me a pointer, that would be great! thanks for your earlier pointers on this matter, btw Jonni. I was going to start soon, but then i saw Dan’s method and i wondered whether that might work better. thanks!
~Leah~
Leah, either method will work just fine. Dan’s wire frames are made from really heavy wire, so it might actually be stronger than using the cardboard pattern. I made my lion cubs, snow leopard and bobcat armatures using Dan’s method. I still made a full-sized pattern on a large sheet of paper so I’d know how to shape the wire. If your bird’s neck will be rather twisty, Dan’s method might make it easier to position the neck the way you want it – although you can get a lot of movement using the cardboard method, too.
I guess I’m saying that both methods work, so go ahead and use the method that best fits your own working style.
Y do u need 2 use ducktape ??
Huh? No duct tape needed.
If you mean masking tape, it’s because it a) holds your shape together while you mache it. b) strengthens your product c) works way better than scotch tape (trust me)
Good Luck!
~Leah~
Hello:
I’m a chinese artist,would you tell me do you have the Invitational Exhibition or Academic exchanges in your country every year? or Sculpture project tendering? and do you need art teacher in your area? can you help me sell my sculpture?
would you like Contact for me?(you can my sculpture).
Sorry – I don’t know anything about these things. Perhaps one of my visitors might know…?
That’s so cool looking! It’s so amazing what you can do with paper mache!
Your art is amazing! It is creatively lifelike…if that makes sense. I would like more information on how you paint the eyes because I think that is the detail that is bringing such life to your projects. Thanks so much for sharing your artwork.
Thanks for the idea, Sharon. I just put up a new post about painting eyes. Hope it helps!
i love dragons i just dont know were to draw them step by step can u guys tell me were to go
Hi Jordan. I do have another site that has a tutorial on how to draw a dragon. I built the site years ago, but it does get a lot of visitors. You might want to check it out and let us know what you think.
Cool Dragon. My sister did paper mache dinosaur. It turned out incredible.
So did I! they are so fun! i did mine for a school mural project. my dino was nearly 4 feet tall. unfortunately, my teacher didn’t think through whatever plan she had in her head and ripped the body to where it was unreparable. i did manage to salvage the head, though and the jaw still moves! Tell your sister i give her an electronical hi-five!
Hi. Love the dragon. I am in process of trying to do something similar and your video has been a great source of ideas on techniques. I am just wondering tho, what type of paint were you using?
Hi Bob. I used acrylic craft paint for the dragon. I think if I made another one I’d add some metallic wax on top, to give it that reptile sheen. I hope you’ll let us see your dragon when it’s done…
I am trying to use up all my junk mail paper and magazines by using them in the paper mache. Have you experimented with magazine paper and junk mail paper, like credit card application paper(haha)? I would rather make something out of the paper then have to save it for the monthly trip to the recycling center.
Hi Stacey. I haven’t used magazine paper and the slick stuff in junk mail because I assume it wouldn’t soak up water from the paste very well. If it doesn’t get damp from the paste, it’s hard to get paper to make a smooth layer on a sculpture. However, that’s just my guess. You could do a really fast experiment by whipping up some paste from white flour and water, and then tearing your paper into big strips. Stick them on something – maybe a cardboard box you don’t need for anything, and see if you can get the paper to go around corners and lay flat. If it works, there would be no reason to not use the paper on a real sculpture.
In fact, it might be kind of fun to use the colors from magazine photos in a final layer of a sculpture, instead of painting it.
The only time I would say that isn’t true is if you’re making something for a small child who might eat it – the inks on colored magazine pages aren’t made from soy, like newspaper ink is.
If you decide to do your experiment, please let us know how it turns out!
i’ve used magaziens before. in my experience, they take a little longer to dry and may be a little trickier to work with, but they do work. good luck!
~Leah~
This is a fantastic site.
I am woundering if somebody would help me.
I would like to make a lifelike body so as to make dresses that would fit
Thank you
You’re the second person to ask me how to make a paper mache dress form, so I put up a new post. I have a few ideas of my own, but I’ve never tried it myself. I hope other readers will add their own ideas – perhaps someone has some personal experience they’d like to share. You can find the post about paper mache dress forms here.
it’d be really cool if someone wore a paper mache dress to prom. my friend wore a duct tape vest to promotion…
Nice work! I do love the steps in form, limb and wing attachments! I’ve done a number of storybook characters in papier mache using screen mesh that I’ve used to form the armature,and then applied the mache mix. Using newspaper is a lot easier to use and not as harsh on the hands when twisting!
I only went by methods used in years gone by suggested by those who created characters for theme parks in the 50′s and 60′s.
I, like you, followed reference photos myself and came up with characters that turned out to be true winners! Its the area of creating for exhibiting and possible selling that escapes me and is not in abundance!
I’d dearly love to exhibit my work to share with others for their viewing pleasure!
Hi Bruce. You have a very nice website. If your paper mache characters are nearly as well done as your airbrush art, I can see why they were winners.
I just picked up an ebook on selling art online that seems to have some great advice on the subject. (That’s not an affiliate link, by the way. Just a plain old link.) You seem to be doing many of the things they suggest already, with your own website. I’ve slowly come the realization that I’ll have to sell some of my sculptures if I want to keep making them. Even though the materials are less expensive than many kinds of media, prices to seem to keep going up. And there’s only so much room in my house, after all.
i know exactly what you mean about room in your house. i am no good at all at selling things online, but i am setting up a booth at our next festival. you might try something similar. good luck!
~Leah~
Leah, we would love to see some of your sculptures. Do you have any photos you’d like to share?
I was looking for info on P M, I loved your dragon. I’m working on a final for a college Art class and want to use P M. Thanks for all the information. S
this is great and will help me on a project im am doing in school, a real inspiration. thank you!
this is a great website! your projects give me lots of inspiration! i’m trying to make a dragon myself but i hit a few roadblocks. i’m doing tons of projects and i could use some help. could you make a bald eagle?
I’ve been intending to do another dragon, using an internal cardboard pattern to help form the armature, and using paper mache clay on the outside instead of paper strips and paste. But I don’t know when it will be done. Bookmark the main page of this site, and check back often.
And for your question – yes, I could make a bald eagle, but that’s one more thing on my to-do list. I have figured out how to make nice feathers with the paper mache clay, and they’d be great for an eagle sculpture. One of these days….
could you detail how to do your feathers please? thanks!
~Leah~
I didn’t take any photos of the chicken feathers, and it’s been so long I’m not even sure how I did it. But I think you could make them just like the butterfly wings if you reinforce each feather with wire. You’d need to experiment a bit to find a technique that works the way you want it to.
hi we did the pig the legs ended up to short unfortunately, but luckly we have not painted him yet so we can sort that out. I know its a big or even giant jump to have a go at the dragon well if it goes wrong it goes wrong not much I can do. By the way my picture is my hamster the one was going to do a sculpture off!!!
from emily
What a darling photo. I hope you’ll let us see the sculpture you make of the little guy when it’s done.
wow this is awsome!can you make me one? it looks just a wee bit complex for a 10th grader. (even if i have all the dragon books ive found.)
I don’t do dragons on commission, but you might want to give it a try, anyway. You might be surprised at how nice your dragon turns out.
I think a tenth grader could manage that! if you follow Jonni’s steps mentioned above, you shouldn’t have that much trouble. i’m younger than 10th grade and i haven’t had too much trouble at all. give it a try! good luck!
~Leah~
Hello,
For my high school homecoming decorations we wanted to create a life sized dragon out of paper mache. Do you have any tips for simplifying the instructions or anything else? Our materials are chicken wire, newspaper, paste, and wood.( maybe styrofoam)
Wendy
For large dragons, the “expert” is Dan Reeder. I don’t know if he has time to answer emails, but he’s got some great videos on his site, and his latest book gives good instructions for making large “monsters.” The instructions could be easily modified to fit your dragon.
You might also want to check out my baby elephant video – I used a plywood armature on the inside, and it worked very well.
Good luck!
Hi!
I love your creations! I was wondering if there is a way to make the dragon weather safe. We would like to make one with our kids at the preschool were I work and use it in an outside display. Thank you.
You can see my latest experiment to waterproof paper mache was not very successful, although others have said that using spar varnish will work. Check that post, and read through all the comments. You might get some ideas that you could use for your dragon.
You can get a spray -on wheather proof varnish at the hardware store that works really well. i use it when i paint rocks. they go in my yard and thy’ve all held up well so far. good luck and have fun!
~Leah~
Hi!
I Love your paper mache Dragon along with everything Else. Do you Know if it is possible to use the technique of your Baby elephant on the Dragon to make it possibly Bigger? Another question, is it possible to make a easier Dragon sculpture because in sixth grade i cant do much.
Hi Andy. Yes, you can use the basic ideas from the elephant video to make a larger dragon. If you don’t think anyone will sit on the dragon (with those points on his back, who would?) you can use cardboard for the pattern instead of wood. Just make a fairly simple drawing of the dragon you want, and blow it up onto a big piece of cardboard. Add the legs and wings, and start adding crumpled paper. You can make a great dragon.
Hello again,
Can you make a 30 inch Tiger out of paper mache and make a Tutorial.
Hi again. That sounds like a nice idea, but I doubt I’ll have time to do that any time soon. I have several projects in mind for myself, once I get done with the owl. Don’t wait for me – you can find all the basic techniques in my book.
ooh youre doing an owl? how cool! if you post that on your blog, let me know! have fun!
~Leah~
The owl project is done, and there’s a series of posts showing how it was made. The first one in the series is here.
cool,
do you know if it is possible to build an actual life size paper mache dragon? I mean really life size!
Umm… yes, you can make a dragon any size you want. If you imagine dragons being the size of a large dinosaur, you can make your dragon that big. If you need to move it, make sure you can get it out the door.
The best resources for making really, really big paper mache sculptures are Dan Reeder’s book Papier-Mache Monsters and Monique Robert’s book Papier Mache Design. These two folks like to make really big sculptures, with light-weight armatures. My largest piece, so far, is a life-sized snow leopard, which may (or may not) be dragon-sized. Depending…
Andy, you do know that dragons aren’t real and therefore, any size is lifesize and yet is not at the same time, right? have fun anyway.
~Leah~
i just wanted to ask how to do the details
i also just wanted to say that im a six grader who just found this and now im makeing a dragon piggy bank for a school project i cant wait to see how it turns out
Hi Addyson. You might also want to watch the videos about making a dragon with the paper mache clay. The details are a bit easier with the clay than the paper and paste. You can find the videos here and here. I never finished that dragon, unfortunately.
i love your dragon. a lot. my favorite animal is the wood frog. do you think you’d ever make one of those? if so id love to see pictures!
Hi John. I did make a paper mache frog, using the paper mache clay recipe (link at the top of this page). A reader told me it might be a wood frog. You would probably be a better judge – you can see it here.
Enjoy!
Thank you for your pictures and information. Do you have suggestions for a good size hippopotamas for a pattern? I want to use your newest method for placing in the back of a pick up truck with children for a summer parade. I see plenty of hippos, but not a good side view like you have of your elephant. I’m planning on purchasing your book/books as well. Hope your daughter is improving.
Hi Sandra. I always check Google’s image search first when I’m trying to find a good photo for a sculpture. Sometimes you need to use several photos to get all the shapes right. Also, there’s often many pages of photos, and the one you need might be way down on the page. If you click on that link above, and get out your sketch pad, I’m sure you’ll get a good likeness for your hippo. Be sure to let us see it when it’s done!
Just seeing step 1 helped me to create my awesome dragon. Thanks
nice dragon
hi jonny!
when i add the second layer of newspaper with paste the color of the dragon isn’t white so how to make it white
O.O
opps!
i have to cover dragon with white primer.
but how to make the nose and the eyes ?how to use paper towel?
The damp paper towel can be scrunched up to form the eyes and nose. You could also tear off small bits and add them to build up the shapes.
I do hope you’ll let us see your dragon when it’s done.
yes sure!
but it will take some days because i am just 13 years old!thanks for your help jonny!
Hello again! i was working on my dragon again today and i started thinking… why did you do a dragon? you seem to like to do real animals. Of corse i’m definitely not saying your dragon isn’t amazing… I also read somewhere else on your blog (can’t remember where…) that your daughter painted a gourd. does she have a blog or website? If so i’d like to see it. i paint gours and it would be interesting to see some others. thanks a bunch!
~Leah~
I don’t think my daughter has ever painted a gourd, but another reader might have – you might find the comment again using the search bar. However, I won’t waste an opportunity to give my daughter another link to her oil painting blog –
okay! i’ll check that out. but why did you decide to do a dragon?
I made the dragon because the very first website I built, years ago, has drawing tutorials showing kids how to draw the mythical animals from the Harry Potter books. The dragon was the most popular page on that site. It’s still online, and it still gets up to a 1000 views a day, although I think I could do a much better job on the tutorials if I did them over. This dragon was a way for me to say “thanks” to all the readers who have visited that old site through the years.
I think the idea of dragons is particularly interesting because almost every culture on earth has this “mythical” creature somewhere in their traditions. I suspect that people thousands of years ago found dinosaur bones, and they were able to see what kind of animal the bones originally belonged to. For me, the existence of the stories is more fascinating than the stories themselves.
I am in the process of making my dragon, but i did (accidentally) make one slight change in the instructions. I am paper macheing on roughly 3 layers of paper every step. So before the legs and other various body parts were even attatched to the body, i had paper mached them. and then even more when i put them on the body, and so on. As i don’t have any masking tape, i figured this might work just as well. so i’ll either have a dragon that is so heavy it can’t stand up or an extremely sturdy one. oh well. i’ll let you all know about the final product! have fun, all of the paper amche loving people on this blog!
~Leah~
I think that adding paper mache to the limbs and letting it dry before attaching them is a good idea. This is the first project I made when I started this blog, and my dragon’s legs tended to sag every time I added a new wet layer. I had to prop her up during the drying time. You won’t have to do that because the legs will be supported. Excellent idea, Leah.
Hello =)
I love this dragon! The details are perfect and the with this collors it looks awesome and like real dragon =D. I love dragons but i can’t find a tutorial about a clay dragon. I havn’t paper mache
But: Nice work =D
Im 12 and im making a giant paper mache drgon so far i have the main body , the head and two of the legs done, so far it stands at about a meter and a half but when the wings are added it will probably be about 2 metres and i was just wondering if this has been done before? it is made out of a bit of cardboard and lots of newspaper and lots of celetape
Hi Elizabeth. I haven’t made a dragon that large, but it sounds like a fantastic project. I hope you’ll let us see it when it’s done.
i hae tried realy hard to make it myself but i just ant do it. How much are you willing to take for it?$$$$$
I’m sorry, Jessica. I don’t take commissions. Maybe you could get together with some friends and make him – it will mean so much more to you if you make him yourself, even if the first one doesn’t come out quite the way you wanted him to.
Be sure to watch my videos about making a dragon with a pattern – the series starts here. There’s a pattern for the dragon below the video.
hi im making a bigger 1 than u did and i was wondering if u had to what would u price it.
I’m the wrong person to ask, because I don’t actually sell my work. I live too far away from anywhere, and shipping is too expensive. You might be able to get some ideas for pricing from a local artist.
Hi Jonni. My name is Victoria, and I am 14 and I am in 9th grade. I’m creating a school project based on Americans. I figured a Bald Eagle could represent freedom. I want to do it out of paper mache and blow my teacher away. But this is a big project and I obly have ’till at least the 11th. I fear I won’t have enough time, but I’m confident I can do it. Its a bit of a challenge, and I have had very little experience with paper mache. The bald eagle will be at the most 2 feet tall, perched on the ground, wings spread open. I would probably round up newspapers and tape them like you did with the dragon. But I am not sure how to do details and if I should do your home-made paper mache clay, or just use paper strips and paste? I think the clay will have much more work to make then just strips. But I wanna get an opinion from an expert. Thank you for any infromation or websites or advice you can give me.
Hi Victoria. I mentioned on your other comment that you might want to take a look at my tutorial about how to make a cardboard armature for a snowy owl. I know you want your eagle to have a different pose, but you can use the basic technique for your armature. Then you can finish it with the paper strips and paste, like the dragon, which will probably dry faster if you only use a few layers. I think I added one final layer of paste to the dragon to smooth it out, but I would skip that step if I was in a hurry. Gesso dries faster, and it’s less likely to crack. It can also be sanded nice and smooth, and makes a great base for your paint.
Good luck. Be sure to let us see your eagle when it’s done.
Do you know where I can find that other post that I made? I can’t seem to find it. And thank you. I think the grid and cardborad would work perfectly. Your sculptures are amazing and look so realistic. I will be sure to post a picture of my eagle when I’m done.
Thanks for all your help!
It looks like you found it.
PIcture is coming up pretty soon!!
Im a BFA sculpture student @ the University of Kentucky, and im loving your material! I am currently working at a much larger scale with the material
When you say “much larger scale,” how much larger, exactly? That sounds intriguing. And can you tell us just a bit about the photo you sent? You have me curious.
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