Comments on: Paper Mache Dress Form?

By: Jonni

Jonni — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 23:02:09 +0000

Good ideas, Nan. Thanks.

By: Nan

Nan — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 22:42:25 +0000

Hi all,

I, too, have been thinking about making a full-sized dress form – but purely for decorative purposes. I saw an article in the magazine, Mary Janes Farm, on page 16 (Feb./Mar edition) just today! They have a couple of beautiful forms that were made from everyday items. They suggest thinking outside the box and looking for things like appropriately shaped – bottles, lamp bases, etc. You could duct tape it all together and then paper mache’. You can look at the above mentioned forms at http://www.etsy.com/people/missmollycottage/feedback
She’s sold a bunch of them!!! Good luck!

By: Jonni

Jonni — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 17:10:09 +0000

Hi Lisha. I think the best place to get ideas for a paper mache figure based on a real person is this blog about making your own dress forms. They have several variations – maybe one of their ideas will help.

By: Lisha

Lisha — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 04:35:14 +0000

hi! my name is Lisha and i am currently a high school student, im not really an artist but for a major project i am doing i would like to know if it is possiable to replicate a simple womens body out of chicken wire and maybe an old bra? those are my basic ideas but some inspiration and advice would be very much appreciated!

thank you!

Lisha

By: Jonni

Jonni — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 01:18:24 +0000

Hi Barbie. This sounds very strange. Is your sculpture dry all the way through? If so, and if the mold is only on the outside (what brand of glue did you use, by the way?) then you should be able to kill it by mixing up a weak solution of chlorine bleach and water, and lightly dampening a sponge with the solution. Dab the sponge on the moldy areas to kill it (or just shave off the mold, if that would be easier), dry thoroughly and fast (put it outside in the sun or in front of a fan) and then, when completely, absolutely dry you can seal it with acrylic varnish or polyurethane. If the mold can’t get in, there should be no further problems.

I don’t know where you live, but here in our area we’ve had way more rain and humidity than I’ve ever remembered. I’m being especially careful to dry my sculptures quickly, and then seal them up so they won’t get damp again just sitting in the air. If that happened, the mold would sit on the outside of the sculpture, like it does on bathroom walls when the ventilation system isn’t working correctly.

Good luck – please let us know how it turns out.

By: barbie

barbie — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:21:38 +0000

hey!

i think my sculpture just developed mold out of nowhere… it seems to be only in the little rock-solid balls of white glue… i had mixed flour, glue and water as a paste. really, a dash of glue. i’ve spent 2 months working on this. and so much money. i don’t know what to do. it was supposed to be given away next week. someone is waiting for it. is there ANYTHING i can do other than throwing it away??? i am so confused, why is it molding on the outside??? when i cut those little lumps off, there is no mold underneath. i thought when sculptures mold it happens from the inside. please help! any advise is so greatly appreciated!

By: paper mache dress form

paper mache dress form — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:04:30 +0000

is there a swimwear that is not stretchable? all of them are. where can I find one for may material here

By: Jonni

Jonni — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:28:15 +0000

Hi Mandi. There should be no problem with rot if the sculpture does not get wet. I have paper mache items that I made years ago. Fungi cannot live without water, and it’s fungi of one sort or another that causes paper and paste to rot.

Good luck with your project. It sounds interesting!

By: Mandi

Mandi — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 18:34:48 +0000

I have a quick question…off the dressform topic….I want to make a curved sculpture to hang on the wall. I’ve built a form already and am ready to put on the paper mache, but my end result isn’t the end. I want to then cover this with some hand dyed and quilted fabric. I’m wondering if the flour paste recipe will eventually rot? I know I have to let it dry thoroughly, and I was thinking of then covering it in just watered down white glue to seal it, but is that enough?
Thanks!
Oh, and I adore your little bluebirds. Really cute!

By: Mandi

Mandi — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 18:26:37 +0000

There is an article in Threads, I think, on how to do this. But it’s basically wrapping the person who the dressform is for (you need someone to do this for yourself) in a brown paper tape. I think the paper tape is somehow dampened as this is being done so it will mold to the body shape. I’m pretty sure this is repeated a couple of times and then carefully cut apart on each side, removed, and then taped back together.