Your Paper Mache Sculptures -
Paper Mache Pumpkin
We’ve been receiving some wonderful photos of paper mache sculptures from our readers, like this paper mache pumpkin from Angie and Alex.
And now we want to see yours. Just upload your photo (small file sizes, please!) into your comments. We would all love to see your latest creations.
- My favorite online bookstore.
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Whoo hoo! This will be fun. I love seeing all these creative spin-offs!
Did I post a pic of the Buddy portrait I did? In case not, I’ll go ahead and throw it in here. Not sure this will work …
The portrait was of my friend’s dog, in traditional paper strip and flour paste pm, surfaced with joint compound, then painted with a metallic bronze finish just for fun. It worked well enough that it was surprising to pick up: you kept expecting it to weigh a ton!
This is just beautiful – just love it!! Can you elaborate on the paint finish and how you achieved that wonderful polished stone took? Really quite extraordinary and professionally done.
Thanks, Joanne!
After sanding with fine sandpaper, I used Triangle Crafts’ Sophisticated Finishes Blackened Bronze Metallic Surfacer (2 coats, I think), and their Primer and Sealer as a top-coat. I think I got them at Michael’s. It was ridiculously easy, and looked great from the first brush stroke. It’s hard to see in the picture, because of the all the highlights, but there are lots of tones to the color. Very bronze-y.
I love the playful action in this little guy!
Thanks for sharing, Xan. Yes, little Buddy did get his picture online a while back, but I’m glad you posted him again. Your sculpture is just as lively and full of character as your paintings are. Lovely.
Speaking of sculptures, did you finish the little greyhound you were working on?
Oops! Sorry to be butting in with repeat exposure! *blush*
Nope. The greyhound sculpture stalled out in the early armature phase as I needed to get back to “work-work”. You know, the kind that makes money! *grumble*
How’s your greyhound sculpture coming along?
You can post Buddy as often as you want. Actually, it makes it easier to see what the instructions are all about.
What do you think of this new “newest first” comment thingy? Is it confusing, or helpful?Never mind. I changed it back.My greyhound sits, as yours does, on a shelf, because I, too, have to work occasionally. But as little as possible…
I love your clay recipe, Jonni. And your book is inspiring. I made two life-size dogs, the littlest in the image of my Westie. The only thing slowing me down is a lack of enormous boxes! This is so much fun!
They’re adorable! When you mention boxes, do you mean you need to ship them somewhere? Are you selling paper mache dogs, and do you have a website? Am I being terribly nosy?
Janny, if you just happened to post a review of my book out on amazon.com, that would be so totally awesome! And that goes for anyone else who’s read the book, too, of course. And now I need to brag a bit here – amazon just put my book in the #3 slot in the “Also Bought” section under Dan Reeder’s book. He’s my all-time favorite paper mache author, so I’m very happy that my critters are showing up so close to his monsters. woo hoo!
I use the boxes for the armature. I haven’t tried to sell them yet. I have sold smaller pieces, but the dogs are going to the Farmers Market this weekend to catch the attention of all the dog lovers at the market !!!
I’d love to see the reactions you get at the market – I’m pretty sure you’ll have folks gathered around to see them.
I’ve heard that you can sometimes get really big cardboard boxes by asking at furniture or appliance stores. They probably have to pay the local recycling place to cart them away, so they should be happy to let you have some. We can’t let the lack of boxes slow you down!
Oo! I’ll trade you boxes for sculptures! These are wonderful! Where is your farmers’ market?
Gosh, thanks for the kind remarks! The market is in Des Moines, Iowa.
A bit too far to make it this weekend.
Well, best of luck! Let us know how it goes!
I love them both!!!
So, here’s a loaded question. Any thoughts on what a fair price would be ?!!
I’m useless with this type of questions, but I do hope we get some suggestions. This is the hardest thing about selling art. Tell us how big they are, and how long you think it took from start to finish. That might make it easier for people to come up with a helpful answer. Do you intend to put a price tag on them before taking them to the market?
I hate hate HATE coming up with prices, but the best way I’ve found is to look aaa-lll over the internet, and compare prices on items:
1. in the same medium
2. about the same size
3. in a similar style
4. in a similar level of skill
5. by artists at various levels in their careers.
For instance, I figure I’m about in the middle of my rise to ultimate fame and stardom (you know me, right? No? Hm. Maybe I need to re-think this!), so I shoot for somewhere in the middle or high-middle range, unless I think I’m offering something pretty unique, but still marketable, in which case I go higher. I’ve evolved this technique on my own and through reading other discussions along these lines. It works for me, anyway!
If you sell everything, you’re prices are too low. If you don’t sell anything, prices are either way too low (damaging the perception of value), you’re not in the right market, or the prices are way too high.
Good luck with these!
Not as keen on the new-comment-first thing, since it means reading backwards to find out who’s talking to whom about what. The nesting isn’t deep enough for that, either (like how this comment doesn’t nest with your last).
Stupid work! Oh. Mm. Speaking of which … Those holiday cards aren’t going to paint themselves!
I’m not sure why the nesting thing isn’t working quite right. I might have poked the wrong button – it happens more often than I’d like. But it does make it easier for new readers to find the more recent comments, so maybe we’ll leave this way for a while – or until it gets voted out.
Never mind – I thought about it last night and decided the upside-down comment idea just isn’t the natural way that English-speaking people read – so I changed it back. It was kind of fun having Dan’s comment on top for a while, though…
He’s my paper mache-makin’ hero, although his monsters would eat my critters if they got the chance.
You are too funny Jonni! And an amazing artist. And teacher. And author. And your blog is simply amazing. I ordered your book. It looks great. Congratulations.
Gosh — Thanks, Dan. Now I’m blushing…
Wow Jonni,
These are magnificent pieces! I love them all! You have really inspired many, many people. It shows in their art. I’ll bet you feel like I do when you see these, like they are your grandkids in a way. I must say, I like that we have different styles and methods, or I’d be jealous as can be.
About pricing art. Impossible. I’ve never done it well. Don’t know any artist that ever has. If you price by the hour, on some projects (many times your favorites because you tend to put in more time on details) you will undoubtedly price yourself out of the market. And some you will price too low. But you’ll never know if you did or not because you don’t know what someone would have paid if the price were higher. And of course there is no objective way to judge the art value (the value of catching that special expression or perfect pose) using money. So here’s my secret, and it really sounds too simple, but it’s not easy. I start with a price that I hope someone will not pay simply because I want to keep my art. Then I’ll move down if I find a reason to give it up for less, like I like the person who wants the piece. I hope you have a way that is less tortuous.
Keep up the great work. I love popping by once in a while. I always find something inspiring.
Hey, Dan, thanks for stopping by. What a nice surprise!
It’s good to know that even people with as much art-selling experience as you and Xan have still find the whole pricing thing a pain in the behind. And I’ve heard that it’s no use asking a gallery for pricing advice, because they expect you to have that figured out before you walk in the door. My daughter’s currently going through the same angst with her paintings.
Money is a terrible way to value one-of-a-kind artwork. There is simply no rational way to do it, because money itself contains no value of it’s own, while a sculpture or painting often feels like a member of the family by the time it’s done.
Good luck Janny – be sure to tell us how your day at the market turns out! We’re all on pins and needles now.
I like this pricing concept. More from-the-heart, more artistically true. Thanks for sharing this.
Here are some of my projects. I made the tree out of wire
This is interesting, Monica. Very “wind-swept.” Do you have a specific purpose or place for it? (nice snowman, too, by the way.)
I was going to put it in a pot and give it to my doctor
And this
Here is my favorite one
Here’s another picture
love the shape, very good
This was my first paper mache creation and it’s made out of an egg!
Oops – the photo didn’t come through. Try again?
The dog you made has great proportions – did you make a cardboard pattern like I do?
Yes. And it’s going to be a wolf
here’s another picture
Hi Jonnie. Thank you again for giving papier mache artists a chance to show off their collective talents! Take care, and good luck with the book.
DiVitto
Cool! I just took a look at your website again. I love checking out those octopi and really big fish.
I posted a pumpkin photo more then a year ago, I had stopped smoking and wanted to find something to do with my hands, still not smoking a year and 4months later
and still doing lots of paper mache projects…actually too many, I’m running out of room here!!! and I keep getting inspiration from many other paper mache artists!
Laurie – these are stunning! And now we get to add “stop smoking” to one of the benefits of paper mache! (congratulations, by the way.)
Readers, be sure to see the original guest post where Laurie’s first creations were displayed. It’s really fun to see an artist progress so much. Keep sculpting, Laurie. (And by the way, do you have a website yet?)
no, still no website and not sure if or when I’ll have one.
thanks for the congrats on the stop smoking, it was very hard after 33yrs, and seriously paper mache really helped me through it.
I absolutely love looking at others paper mache creations, it’s just a wonderful thing that just about everyone can do.
Here’s another very big creation of mine, I used spray paint that looks like stone on him, you can’t see detail that well.
Hi Jonni, here’s more of what I’ve been doing with paper mache
this guy’s about 4’5″ tall only weighs about 40lbs and I use glass taxidermy eyes now.
so beautifull! Amazing!!!
one more paper mache dragon wall hugger with glass taxidermy eye, aprox 42″ long. I have MANY MANY more things as well…..
Is there a blogroll of participants who have submitted photos here? I’d love to expand my list of papier-mache artists whose blogs I can visit for inspiration.
I would love to have a more complete list of paper mache sites. So far, we only have what’s listed on the sidebar.
I’d love it if you’d add my site to your list. I don’t have a lot on it, yet, but I’m hoping to add more in the future. yesterday’s news
Thanks!
amy
Thanks, Amy. One of these days I’ll put that list together, and your site will definitely be on it.
Jonni
Feel free to post my website on the sidebar if you like.
Ken
Thanks, Ken. I’m trying to pull together a nice list for my blogroll, but other projects seem to keep getting in the way. Someday, soon…
Jonni
I compliment you on the quality of your website…and the people who respond are class acts! Not including me in the class act.
Ken
Hi!
This is my first papermaché horse. I have a little company and produce normally carved wooden horses. I wanted to try a new material and I think it is big fun working with papermaché. I am going to have an exhibition with my horses here on the island of Öland (Sweden) october 1-3rd. (Hopefully with 8 or 10 black and white horses!)
friesian horse
Sylvia, they’re beautiful! Good luck with your show. Do you have a website?
Thank you so much, Xan. I have a website, but we are just now changing it. So it will soon be a new one. I am a trainer for friesian horses, so the website contains “living” and “Less living” (wooden/papermache´horses). I will send the new adress as soon as it is ready!
What a beautiful breed!
I look forward to seeing more of your work.
Thank you! I will take some pictures from my show.
I love your little bronze dog, he is marvellous!
Greetings. My name is Patience, and I’ve been meaning to introduce myself for awhile — as well as to thank you for posting and sharing your paper mache clay recipe. I used it in my latest commission project — a ten foot tall, paper mache replica of the Statue of Liberty. I was able to use the clay to sculpt her face and elements of her hair and hands, etc., with satisfying results — and found it to be a good alternative to using a commercial product such as Celluclay (which shrinks so much in the drying process). I will be looking to use it again in the very near future. In any case, very much admire your work — here’s wishing you the best of luck with your projects and book, and thanks so much for allowing us this opportunity to post our pictures…..
Sincerely,
Patience
Lovely. And 10 feet high? Wow.
Well, 10 feet to the very top of her flames that is. I designed her with a detachable arm (it’s there in front, posing on the floor next to her), so she could actually fit under my puny 8 foot ceilings while I was working on her, lol
(plus make shipping and storage easier as well). In any case, thanks for the reply and complement!
Wow! That tiger is fantastic! I love the idea of creating faux taxidermy from paper mache, so I created a piece of my very own. I haven’t done much work with mache in the past, so some of the detail in this one is done mostly with epoxy clay (like the wrinkles in the nose and detail around the eye). But here’s a shot of my life-size lioness shoulder mount.
Lovely. And I must say that you have one of the most interesting Etsy stores I’ve seen. I hope you do well with it.
What do you make for a 5yr old boy who loves dinosaurs?
This is my first paper-mache attempt (as an adult LOL), and followed that elephant tutorial here to make this. Unfortunately I couldn’t get that papermache clay going for me, but overall I don’t think it turned out too bad.
Here is the framework for the triceratops head…it ended up much bigger than I planned LOL
That’s an interesting armature. How big did it come out? I’ll bet your son was very excited when he saw his very own dino.
It’s about 2.5′ long and 2′ tall…the original plan was for half the size.
Oh yeah…he loves it, now i just have to find a way to mount it in his room.
When I did my lioness, I put two sheets of recycled cardboard on the back and put a hole through it so you could mount it on a nail. Perhaps you could do that for the dino? Otherwise, string might work out well.
Thanx for the idea….I am toying with the idea of mounting it to a wooden plaque, then hanging the plaque on the wall.
these are all amazing! i love looking at them and finding inspiration again. i am doing chirstmas decorations for everyone in the family this year. we make instead of buy.
anyway this one is my halloween tradition. i make something spooky or fun. this year wrinkly old man pumpkin. this is the first stage dryed and waiting for paint! anything to add or ideas let me know!
and he’s got quite the beak on him!
working at some new horses for my show…in black and white…this horses name is “Love”, thats is a swedish name (ponounced Lu-we), an name, which is as well male as female, but of course it is also love if you want so…
Sylvia, since you also make horses with wood, can you tell us how it feels to change the material and make them with the paper mache clay instead? They’re turning out very nice – I hope the show goes very well for you.
Thank you, Jonni!!
I think it is really big fun working with paper mache. Our wooden horses (“Lindströms hästar”) are my design, but I only do the painting, the carving does my ex-husband Christer. he is much quicker and better with the knife, he is origionally a fisherman and when I saw him cleaning the fish from their bones, I first hade the idea that we could start making wooden horses (I am a professional horsetrainer). he said, he had never tried carving and I answered: then it is time to try it. We have started with the wooden horses 15 years ago and are still producing them-it is now about 2000 horses we made and they are sold to Japan, USA, even Australia and a few ones to Afrika and many countries in Europe of course (unbelievable for us!!) The papermache horses I can do on my own and I am not depending on my ex husbands time (this time of the year he is fishing and has no time for carving horses!!)-and that s the best of it (although we are still very good friends…)
Thanks for your amazing homepage, Jonni. It is a pleasure for me to look at it reguraily and to admire all the fanastic work….
another black (friesian) horse..it will get a black and gold bridle and gurth…
I’m a published writer that uses paper mache objects to illustrate my books at book signings.
Just happened on to this wealth of paper mache info. Enjoying it a bunch! Thanks!
Ken
Hi Ken. It’s always nice to meet a fellow author. And I love the Hippo. Which one of your books did you make her for?
Just curious – I see that your books are published by PublishAmerica. Can you give me some feedback about why you chose that company rather than publishing yourself through CreateSpace or Lightning Source? I wanted to use CreateSpace but my own book has too many illustrations and they wouldn’t accept the large file. (I put up a post about it here). Since you have experience with another company, it would be fun to hear how things are going – I hope you’re selling a ton of them. I’m so jealous of people who can tell a good story.
Jonni
After trying all the major publishers, I entered list publishers in the computer. From the list I selected Publish America. They have been okay, but don’t do much PR. The prices on Barnes&Noble, etc. are ridiculous. They are viewed by some people as opportunistic and will publish most anything. That’s not my problem so I have stayed with them so far. I have sold a lot of books (around 700 myself; they….couple of dozen maybe.) I sell them at my cost or sometimes less even. I write to be read. I’m not in it for the money which is a good thing. Ha.
As for the hippo…I made her and now am writing a children’s book about her… Cart before the horse this time.
My 6th book is almost editied by my sister, cheap labor! Ha. Elmer Grubb is a character in it, but am having trouble finding his picture to share with you. His hair, moustache, and eyebrows are dryer lint.
I am not familiar with the publishers you listed. Perhaps I should be….
Ken
I like the idea of creating the character in 3D before writing the book. It sounds like it would be easier to build a story around a character you can actually see.
CreateSpace is the print-on-demand wing of Amazon.com. You send them a PDF of your book, including cover art, they print it and put it on amazon for sale. You set the price, of course, but they determine their cut, which includes the printing charge and commission if it’s sold through their site. Since your publisher seems to be simply printing your books, it might work out better for you to switch – the CreateSpace printing charges are quite reasonable. Lightning Source is also a print-on-demand company, the biggest in the industry. Your publisher probably had them print your books – almost all author services companies go through Lightning Source. Set up costs more than CreateSpace, and it’s a lot more work to get the files right so they’ll accept them – but you do get to set your own discount – my book has a 20% discount, instead of the 40% or so that Amazon’s CreateSpace requires. Since that considerably reduces my own costs, I could pass on the savings and offer the book at a competitive price.
Probably more info than you were looking for… I want to publish more books, but I haven’t thought up the next theme yet. Maybe the dark days of winter will keep me at my computer long enough to whip something out.
My McKay’s Island series (5 volumes) was started about the same time I made a paper mache model of the island (see on website). The model gave me a number of ideas for scenarios in the books. It was invaluable to me in the writing.
I find your discussion of CreateSpace interesting and promising. Thank you!
Ken
More of my projects on my website. Please visit and sign my guest book.
Thanks.
Ken
Jonni
I will be using paper mache clay in my next project. Wish I could decide what the project will be! So many ideas running through my mind.
On my giraffe; I covered it with glue and threw sawdust at it…then painted on skin pattern.
On my vulture (work in progress) I am using dryer lint alot.
Ken Ralls
Interesting way to get a nice texture, Ken. Thanks for letting us know.
Just a note; I used an old broken folding camp chair for the basis of the vulture. Won’t do that again…to difficult to work with.
Ken
That is Elmer Grubb on the table by me at the book signing. My sister edits my books.
Amazing work you do, Ken. Can you give me the adress of your homepage. I was googling for it but never found the right one.
Best regards from Sweden!
Sylvia
H Sylvia – I thought I’d jump in here just in case Ken doesn’t see your question. Whenever you see a name in blue in the comment area, it should be a click-able link to their website.
Jonni
Am I correct? You live in Des Moine?
I live in Moberly, Missouri. A couple of hours or so from Des Moines. Small world if that is where you are….
Ken
No, Ken, I live a very long way from Iowa – I live in rural Oregon, on the dry side.
Oh, well, Jonni, cyber space makes us neighbors, huh? While I am on here, I just want to say hello to my fellow paper machers! Hope your day is exceeding your expectations!
Ken
Hello,
I would like to thank you for your tutorial on making a paper mache
elephant. I and a few friends have spent the last couple of months
putting it to good use. I belong to a Medieval Recreation Organization
and produce Period Feasts. One of the significant elements of a
Medieval/Renaissance feast can be the presentation of a specially
crafted item. I used your instructions to produce a facsimile of a
16th Century Ottoman Sugar Sculpture for my 16th Century Turkish
feast.
Pictures of the process can be found here.
Beast mask for a Beauty and the Beast ballet. Lightweight and strong!
What a wonderful mask. Did you make it?
I did! It took me over a week, mostly drying time in order to continue. I guess that’s one of the things you need in order to work with paper mache! Patience!
Since I have started training to run the Kansas City, Missouri Marathon in October of 2011, I have decided my next paper mache project will be of me (if I can create my face) crossing the finish line. Today is Day One of my 39 week countdown. Wish me luck and perserverance and not listen to other people’s negative comments!
I will be 75 years old by marathon time next year.
Ken
Wow – good luck on both the marathon and the sculpture! Be sure to let us know how both projects turn out. And by the way, we never see negative comments on this site. We have a wonderful group of people who are always supportive. I guess paper mache brings out the best in people.
Will do. Enjoy!
Hi Jonni….
I must say your work is absolutely beautiful and you have inspired me and the little ones to make small projects at home …it sure keeps us busy!!!
I decided to make my own small sculpture, well my version of an african mask as a wall decor…its my first attempt…would love your feedback and maybe some advise on making it look better.
Loved your elephant!!!! But I think I need alot more practice in order to get to make one as beautiful as yours.
Is there any way that the pieces be made water – proof I have a couple of ideas for the backyard .
Again thanks for making our rainy days alot more exciting!!Our best regards, from Costa Rica….joanne
I love this mask!!!
Thank you Sylvia….. it was my first attempt in paper mache…. it’s still not finished…well it needs the framing…i’m working on another one now… I’ll post it as soon as I’m done…Thank you again….
warm wishes…joanne
the tiger is absoulutely amazing
!!!!!!!
Love your site .I find your work very interesting. Your animals are so beautiful.
I’ve made a couple of birds and a big frog .I’m adding pictures please let me know what you think of them Thanks.
I love the owl, and the way you’ve painting him. He looks very wise.
Alice
You have caught the essence of the oriental look that owls have. The eyes have given the work life. Great! Creating a feathered look is a challenge. It is there.
Ken Ralls
Hi Jonni, Promised to send you a picture of my project chair when it was finished. It was fun to do, and thank you for your paper mache recipe and for the paper mache clay recipe. I wanted to make this look as if it had been carved from a living tree. It’s titled “Ghillie Dhu” Chair.
hi jonni, i stumbled upon this site last week and fell madly in love with it .
i was wondering if you could do a snowy owl tutorial. why a snowy owl ? because i love the harry potter series and i would like to incorporate that into my room decor. thank you with love and hugs-ana
Hi Ana, a snowy owl would be fun – when I get a chance I’ll see if I can make a tutorial. Good suggestion.
Since it may be a while, be sure to sign up for the email updates, if you haven’t already, so you don’t miss it.
thank you jonni!! i look forward to seeing more of your work!!!
Hi Jonni
I have just found you amazing website and love your work. It is great to see you share your experience with others. I would love to create a large Buddahs head for my garden, could you give me some idea how to start the shape?
Best wishes from London
Janet
Hi Janet. I always make a armature made from crumpled paper and masking tape, because you can create any shape you need. If it will be in the garden, you might want to see the recommendations for waterproofing paper mache that we’ve been getting from readers. More research is needed before we know for sure a paper mache sculpture will stand up to rain and sun.
hi jonni….
Yesterday my son Ayden came home from school saying that all the children from his preschool class had to go dressed as fishermen today….so we decided to make some little fish on a pole to go with the outfit….it was a last moment thing…so my 5 and 4 year old helped in making the fish…..
This morning the teacher saw them and loved them and now wants me to make a dinosaur for a new lesson shes giving in two weeks …any tips on how?
thanks for your great site…ad think you’ve just created a paper mache monster!! lol!!!
best regards and warm wishes….joanne
Hi Joanne. What a handsome son you have. And nice fish, too.
You didn’t mention how big your dino is going to be. If it’s Tyrannosaurus rex sized, you can use the ideas from the elephant sculpture. You can substitute the paper mache clay for the paper strips and paste that I used back when the elephant was made, or, if the kids are helping, just stick with the paste and paper. If he’s going to be small enough for a cardboard pattern inside, you can follow the basic steps found here (using a dino shape instead of an echidna, obviously).
Have fun. It sounds like you’re the new paper mache expert in town!
Hi Jonni,
.
I have an up-coming workshop with kids on “Mahatma Gandhi” and applying his values in day to day life. My activity is a papier mache bust of Gandhiji and I had been looking all over the internet for istructions and my search ended here! Here is the photo of my very first attempt at a sculpture and a line drawing of Gandhiji. Am going to add wire-spectacles too! Not too bad, I say
You caught the character perfectly. I hope the kids are having fun with this project.
Thankyou Jonni for your comment….this site has truly been great for me…the kids had a wonderful time. Their first gasp on seeing the “activity” was quickly replaced by a spirit of can-do and here is the picture of Gandhiji made by 8-10 yr olds! Thanks again!
Wow – these little portraits are quite nice, especially for children that young. Congratulations on a very successful project.
Here’s my first paper mache sculpture, called “Sleeping with the Fishies”. Made using your mache clay recipe with the addition of some self-drying modeling clay to the mix(as I mentioned in the paper mache clay recipe thread). The plants are felt soaked in glue. I was pretty pleased with how the clay handled…I think the next piece will come easier as I get used to working with it.
Wow. I’d say it’s lovely, if it wasn’t for those concrete boots…. Fantastic detail. I probably asked you before, (forgive me if I repeat myself, it’s a sign of age, probably), but do you have a website? Is there a particular brand of self-drying modeling clay that you’re using? And tell us why you’re not using the self-hardening clay on it’s own, instead of adding the paper mache clay to the mix. Does it improve the working texture, or is it because of expense? (I love all this experimentation and sharing – we learn so much from each other).
Well, yes, this squat fella could have been made with just regular clay, but would have been very heavy. I have some ideas for designs that would be much larger, with thin appendages or features like antlers that would be prone to cracking with just the self-dry clay alone(or even fired clay). Some pieces I intend to hang on a wall, or even from the ceiling—no way could traditional clay ceramic be used that way. Cost too would be an issue—I shudder to think how much a life sized figure or your elephant would cost in traditional modeling clay. Mostly I’m drawn to how light yet strong paper mache can be. And how easy it is to rip apart and reassemble if any part needs it. One idea I intend to sculpt is a cartoony five-person circle of falling skydivers(not life size), suspended from the ceiling—-a version of that in traditional ceramic would be so heavy I’d fear it might fall and kill someone!
The self-dry clay does add a modeling clay-like texture to the mix and I intend to keep using it. I can’t vouch for permanence at this point. Also worth noting is that it’s MURDER on a mixer—I’m going to have to go heavy duty on a new one. I think I’ll use your regular recipe for the bulk of my figures and add the self-dry-included version only on faces and hands where I really want my details under control. It is still not nearly as malleable as modeling clay alone–more like halfway between that and your papermache clay. The clay brand I used is Amoco self-hardening.
I’m a newspaper cartoonist by profession and have stuff scattered on a number of sites. I’m doing these sculptures for fun. You can see some other art I did just for fun here:
http://www.dripbook.com/stevesack/style/illustration/
this site features images I created using a 3D computer program called Zbrush. Now I’d like to make some similar stuff in real life. When I found your website I figured paper mache might be a good way to go. I’ll probably create a website dedicated to my sculptures after I’ve completed at least three or four.
Again, I thank you for your knowledge and inspiration.
What fun illustrations, very au courant! That program looks like a fun one to use for this kind of thing. I hope we do get to see the sculptures you’re talking about. The one you posted here is so funny, and so well-done! (I used to color comic books, and the style of this reminds me of Lobo. How geeky is that?)
Great work on here right down the line.
Here’s the humble beginning of the marathon model.
Took a picture of a marathon finish line winner to use for proportion. (built like me…sorta)
Ken
Here is a new horse I made…
Fabulous!
Began to apply the chicken wire to “The Marathon Man”.
Oh, Sylvia, I’m sorry. I did not see your question. Thank you, Jonni, for “covering” for me.
I never cease to be amazed at the quality of work shown on here.
Steve…is at the top of his game I’d say. Great characters on his site.
No worries, Ken. I get to see the comments when they come in. Sylvia’s comment was only approved about 10 minutes ago, so I think you were pretty fast off the mark. Bodes well for your marathon adventure, I’d say.
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