Paper Mache Recipes
Paper Mache Clay
Update: 1/5/10: I have been messing around with paper mache for over 50 years and up until a few months ago I always came back to the easiest paper mache recipes, using plain old white flour and water paste with torn strips of newspaper.
Now, however, I have abandoned the traditional layered paper process and use my new paper mache clay recipe for all my sculptures. Although most of the tutorials on this site were made before I came up with the clay recipe, any of the patterns and instructions can be easily converted for use with the clay. Just use a thin layer of paper mache clay in place of the layers of paper and paste.
Since most people are not yet familiar with the new clay recipe, I’ll leave the flour paste recipe below. However, I encourage you to give the new clay a try. It isn’t for young children, because it isn’t edible. However, for artists who no longer eat their art materials, it’s a great way to create life-like sculptures with less mess, and less frustration. You can find the new clay recipe here. If you’d like to see what your sculpture may look like after the clay has hardened and the paint has been applied, check out the big cats (bobcat, lion cubs and snow leopard) on my gallery page.
Paper Mache Paste Recipe:
Paper Mache Recipe #1
White flour and water make a remarkably strong paste. In fact, some folks think paper mache is strong enough to build houses with. Your finished sculptures might not be strong enough to hold up a house, but you can sand them and drill them, just like wood.
Boiled Flour and Water Paste:
Many people use a paste that is made of white flour and water that has been brought to a boil. I did some experimenting and found that this paste is not as strong as raw paste, so you’ll need more layers of paper to make your finished sculpture stiff enough. However, it does dry clear, so many people prefer it. To make boiled paste, mix a heaping tablespoon of white flour with a cup of water in a small saucepan and stir until there are no lumps. Put the pan on the stove at medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool. The paste will be very runny at this stage, but it will gell as it cools.
Raw Flour and Water Paste:
This is the paste I almost always use, because it’s stronger than boiled paste and you can complete a project with only a few layers of paper. To make up the paste, just pour some white flour in a bowl, and add water gradually until you have a consistency that will work well. (Use a small kitchen mixer so you don’t have any lumps).
How thick should you make your paste? It’s actually up to you. Experiment with thick pastes that resemble hotcake batter, and thin pastes that are runny and watery. You get to decide which ones you prefer.
Keep in mind that it is the flour, and not the water, that gives strength to your paper mache sculpture. And also remember that each layer of paste and paper that is added to your project must dry completely to keep it from developing mold.
Speaking of mold, why not use wallpaper pastes that contain fungicides? There are two reasons why I choose to use white flour pastes, instead of ingredients that prevent mold. First, white flour is ridiculously cheap when compared to any other type of art supply. And second, I hate the idea of dipping my hands in something that contains poison. If small children were helping me with my projects, this would be even more important.
To prevent the development of mold in your projects, you just need to remember that molds cannot grow without water. Therefore, take every effort to dry out your projects completely. I usually put my small sculptures in a warm oven (not over 200 F) or place them near a radiator. Next summer I intend to build a solar dryer that will be large enough for bigger items. The main trick is to make sure the sculpture is dry all the way through – if any dampness is left inside when you apply paint or other finish, the sculpture will eventually rot from the inside out – a truly disappointing development, I assure you.
Paper Mache Recipe #2
Paper Mache Recipe #2:
I like to add a ‘skin’ to most of my paper mache projects. To do this, I sand the sculpture after it is completely dry (paper mache can be sanded, sawn and drilled – just like wood). I then mix some carpenter’s glue into my flour and water paste. I sometimes add coloring, as you can see in the photo above. You can use powdered pigments (for the orangutan mask I used powered coloring used for concrete, which is available at a hardware store). You could also add acrylic paints to this paste recipe.
The carpenter’s glue adds a warm color to the paste and prevents it from cracking when it dries. If you add several layers of this paste to the outside of your projects and sand between coats, you can create a completely smooth surface that is perfect for painting or finishing. I leave this last layer off when I want the underlying paper to show through on the finished item, like the paper mache piggy bank.
Papers to Use for Paper Mache:
The traditional paper to use for paper mache is newspaper, which is torn into short strips. (Cut edges should be avoided, because they don’t blend in.) Newspaper is cheap, and it is a soft paper that is easy to bend and mold around a sculpture.
However, you can also use brown kraft paper from paper bags, which will give your sculpture a naturally warm color if the piece is left unpainted.
You can also use softer papers, like paper towels and even tissue paper. The softer papers are used to fashion delicate details, and textured paper towels can be used to add an interesting final coat. The paper mache dragon on this site used the bumpiness of paper towels to represent the dragon’s leathery skin.
Finishing Your Paper Mache Sculpture:
You can use any type of paint on your sculpture. I usually use acrylic craft paints, and a final glaze made from water-based verathane mixed with a bit of brown, or copper paint from the craft store. This final coat is put on with a brush and then immediately rubbed off with a paper towel, leaving the darker color in the dips and valleys of the sculpture. I happen to like the effect, but it is certainly not required.
Another way to make the paste:
If you don’t want to mess with flour and water, and you don’t mind spending the money for some Elmer’s glue, I found this video for a glue-based paper mache paste that you might want to use instead.
- My favorite online bookstore.
{ 4 trackbacks }
{ 151 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
I am making a 1993 White Power Ranger helmet and am trying to use the paper mache idea to make it. Do you have any tips for sculpting the helmet to fit the design? How thick should I make the helmet for costume play? Thanks!
Hi Ryan. You could use the basic construction ideas that I used to make a ceremonial African mask. It’s a helmet shape, with paper mache over cardboard. With the cardboard inside, just two or three layers of paper mache would make it nice and strong.
Thanks! That was a lot of help trying to design the shape for the helmet. Is there any way I can sand and paint to look like a fine gloss finish? Is that possible with paper mache?
Hi Ryan. Yes, you can sand paper mache to be as smooth as wood, and you can then finish it with a glossy paint.
Thanks for this information. My 9 year old son wants to make a Spartan Helmet so I’m researching paper mache. If we manage to get it done I’ll post results.
Hi, I have been making some paper mache projects myself. I usually use flour, cornstarch and water to make my paste. And then also I was wondering if anyone had any tips for making a 3 foot dragon with expanding wings (this is going to be my next project)
The expanding wings will be a challenge – have you checked out Dan Reeder’s book? He’s the go-to guy for paper mache dragons. And his technique involves cloth, so it might give you some ideas about those wings.
Yeah I have checked it out, I like his dragons, but I was looking for a more fierce looking dragon. Also I was wondering what I should make the structure out of. Either wire, cardboard, or etc.? Do you have any advice for that?
For larger pieces, I think Dan’s armature method is the best. That’s what I used for my snow leopard and lion cubs – you don’t have to stick with Dan’s designs to make his armatures work. The combination of heavy wire and crumpled paper, covered with masking tape, makes a strong armature. And if you need a really light dragon, you can remove the paper from inside, like he does.
If you want specific ideas for actually sculpting your dragon, you might want to do a search on YouTube.com. They have some pretty good videos about dragons.
I’m 8 months pregnant and I’ve been looking into using paper mache to make a belly cast. I know many of the kits they sell use plaster based materials, but I just don’t have the extra money for that. Do you think a paper mache version would hold up? Is there anything I could do to reinforce it or make it stronger so it holds its shape?
Hi Jessica. You might want to look at this site that one of our readers found last year. It seems that a paper mache dress form and a belly cast might be made in basically the same way. That site gives four different tutorials, using different materials, and one of them might work for you.
HI! Thank you for this wonderful website. I haven’t played with paper mache in years and after reading your articles and seeing your beautiful artwork, I am inspired! My son will play football this fall, and I need to make a BIG horse head for the 4th of July float (a pick up truck – on top of the cab). I am guessing that I will use like an upside down T shaped cardboard to start, then build up the girth of the neck and head with balled up paper and masking tape. Any other ideas of how to build up the neck and head? Then raw paper mache, then skin paper mache. My guess is that the skin is applied the same way as the first layers? I thought it would be cool to put christmas lights as it’s eyes so they glow! I want to attach something that blows in the breeze for the mane. Any ideas? I will send you a pic if it turns out well! Thanks for the great website!
Wow – the Fourth of July is only four days away. Your ideas will certainly work, but you’ll have to get started right away. Another possibility is to use plastic bags stuffed with crumpled paper, and taped together to form the basic horse shape. Then cover with paper mache – you’ll need to let them dry, and that’s going to be a challenge unless you can put them outside in the shade, with a nice warm breeze blowing over the head. Rope or cotton mops would make a good mane.
Good luck – now go get started! Let us know how it turns out.
thanks! Decided to bag it for the parade, but we’ll give it a go for the kickoff game. Thank you!!!
Hello Jonni, I need to make Cupecake Piggy bank for my cousin as a Baby Shower Gift. I thought of paper mache but now I don’t even know where to start?? Or is there something easier like making a cupecake gift box?? I am soo lost.
Hi Desiree. Until I saw your comment, I’d never heard of a cupcake piggy bank. After a real fast Google search, I found one on eBay for $7.50. Call me lazy, but that’s probably how I’d do it
You can make a bank out of paper mache, and I do have a tutorial on the blog for making a pig-shaped piggy bank. You could use the instructions, but change the shape. I’m not sure what you’d use for the hollow inside form. However, a word of caution – babies chew on things, and even if you use all non-toxic materials, I’m still not sure a paper mache ornament or bank is the best idea for tiny babies, unless it’s always kept out of reach.
This isn’t very helpful, is it? Check out the paper mache tutorials page – you might find some hints that you would find useful.
If y
Hi Jonni, I’m making a T-rex paper mache model for my preschool class and I noticed that you use white flour. Is unbleached flour okay to use, too?
Yes, unbleached white flour is fine. Good luck with your dino!
I need advise on making a 4ft. tall snowman. I don’t know where to start…can you help?
Yes, I posted a paper mache snowman tutorial, believe it or not.. Just make your snowman bigger than I did. Enjoy!
Came across your site while I was researching fun gift projects for a 1st anniversary and love your site, so much information will definately be having a go with the children.
Thank you!
Suz
Wow, This is a great site! thanks Jonni you give great advice to everyone.
I’m making a “Where the wild things are” costume for my son’s 2 year birthday party and I’m making the “wild things” masks for my husband and I out of paper mache and I’ve started with very basic glue+water and paper strips on an excersise ball for the first layer I was wondering if the clay would be too heavy to wear on our heads? Thank you! hope to hear soon.
If you put on a very thin layer of clay, it shouldn’t be too heavy. Don’t make it too thin, though, because you need enough to make the finished mask stand up on it’s own, without a permanent armature.
Please let us see the masks when they’re done – this sounds like a wonderful project!
hi jonni,I would love to make a mache guitar for my sons b-day party! My wife and I haven’t done paper mache since school, so we wanted to no if you had any helpful advice ? We got the concept of making the mache, but was wondering about the shape? You know, how would we build a form to wrap the mache around? Any advice would be awsome !
Hi Christopher. I’d use cardboard and masking tape – you can easily cut the cardboard to the right shape, build a hollow “box” and cover with paper mache.
I wonder if it’s possible to make a paper mache guitar that you can actually play? That would be pretty cool.
I like working with oil based and polymer clay because of the fine details you can achieve. But, weight is a factor because I want to ship things. I’ve made several things with a base of regular paper mache strips, and I want to use your clay to spread on top and add the fine details. I’d like to know the work time of the clay, before I start using it. Say if I’m making a life size bust. Would I have time to cover the entire bust with a layer of clay, then have time to go back and sculpt in the fine details? Or will the clay begin to set? Also, would the bond between the regular paper mache strips, and your clay, be strong? Is there any worry of cracking or chipping off the paper mache strip base?
Thanks for a great site and sharing your paper mache clay recipe with everyone.
The working time of the clay is quite long – several hours at the least. It doesn’t set up like plaster or some of the commercial instant paper mache products that contain plaster. However, since you’ll be using it for items that may be for sale, I strongly suggest that you do some experimenting before investing a lot of time into your projects. Make up a test piece using the techniques you’re thinking of using, and then test the finished piece to see if you see any cracking or other problems. I haven’t run into any problems like that, myself, but we all use it in slightly different ways, and I use the clay for items I keep in my own home. As I suggest to everyone – try it out and see if it works the way you need it to. And if you do decide to use it in your projects, we’d love to see how they turned out.
Hello Jonni. After trying to make balls about 1″ around, I found your recipe and will be trying that as it seems much easier. My question is will it work as well in a larger solid object as it does when you spread it on as thin layers? Also, I want my finished balls to be very shiny and durable. Can you tell me what I can use to get that finish? I’ve tried Modge Podge but it seems to be milky in color. Thank you.
Paula
Hi Paula. I’ve never used the recipe for a solid object, using clay all the way through. If the beads are small enough and you allow them to dry completely throughout, it will probably work – but you should do some experiments first to make sure.
You might try Verathane or Minwax for your shiny finish. They seem to dry quite clear, and they come in water-soluble formulas. You find them at the hardware store. I have never used these products for beads, so you might need to experiment with this, too.
Good luck with your project. Please let us know how they turn out.
Hi
I love your blog. I am writing an article about paper mache and I was hoping I could link up to your site. I am not into just paper mache but I enjoy working with it with my kids. I want to send people to where they can really get good recipes for the paste and i see that you have some great information here. Let me know what you think I added my website for a followup if you like…..
Yes, Lucia, you certainly may link to my blog. I like links – links are good
I like your blog, too, by the way. Thanks for letting us know about it.
I have a question.Can you use alot glue with some water?
Hi I would like to try and make a Venetian style mask. But I can’t work out what paper they are using. Some websites say they use wool paper. Where can you buy this from or do they just mean wall paper? This is properly a stupid question. But if you can help that would be great!
Many Thanks
Clarice
Hi Clarice. According to one of our readers from Australia, they use actual sheep’s wool in Venetian masks. She suggested adding wool to the paper mache clay recipe. I’m not sure how you would use wool if you’re making a mask with traditional paper strips and paste.
I just discovered that you can buy wool roving (carded but not spun) wool from a variety of animals, from Local Harvest. This might be well worth experimenting with, as Meryl suggested, but I haven’t tried it yet myself. If you figure out how it’s done, please let us know.
Hi, I am trying to make a paper mache pinata of mickey mouse for my one year olds first birthday party. I am making it with my 3 year old so I thought that it might be easier to do the last layer in black paper instead of painting the newspaper. I havn’t used paper mache in years so I don’t remember how it dries. will it work with the flour water paste, or shoud i try elmers, or should i just paint it? What do you think?
Hi Kerry. The flour and water paste will dry sort of white, on top of your black paper. I’d use diluted Elmer’s for the last layer.
I hope it turns out the way you want it to.
Hi, Thank you for the Elmer’s glue tip. It worked great. Looks awesome, we’ll see how it flys tomorrow.
) Thanks again!
Hi, I am trying to help my daughter make an ostrich egg shaped water container using paper mache, only problem is that the previous layers when dry are falling off. Any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong? (used cornflour and cold water to make the paste)
Hi Angie. I’ve never used corn flour to make paper mache paste. I know people sometimes use corn starch – is it the same thing?
I would suggest that you make up a new batch of paste using white flour made from wheat. You can just mix some into your cold water until you get a nice smooth paste. Put on several layers, and let it dry completely. I’ve never seen paper strips and paste made with flour fall off.
However, one time I can imagine that it would is if the egg is built around a balloon that changes shape or size with the changes in the air temperature. Are you using a balloon for your armature?
i’ve been doing the traditional paper strips lied down in four layers instead of the .pulp. time is not an issue. i want to use the pulp method for details can i do that over the layered technique. i have a recipe that seems to be strong.
flour,water,white glue,raw linseed oil ,salt ,arylic. nedium and oil of gloves. it seems to dry moderately fast and very hard.since iam an artist i have these materials in my studio.
thanks for your good advice
Hi! I am trying to make a Cheshire Cat mask using the flour and water paste and after I do intend to paint it too. I was just wondering though do you think I should sand before painting it or would it be better to leave it for this particular project? and how many layers of paper should i use before doing the final layer? i was thinking of using just plain white paper that you would get for your printer for the final layer… will that work?
Hi Sabrina. Whether you sand or not depends on what texture you want. That would be totally up to you, and how you want the finished piece to look. For a mask with no supporting armature behind it, you’ll need at least 8 layers of paper and paste, and you’ll need to let them dry completely before you paint. The white paper is a great idea. It should make it nice and easy to paint. This sounds like a really fun project!
Hi Jonni, I love this blog! It’s very helpful. I am planning on making a paper mache form as a base for a shard project. I am planning on glueing china shards to it and later grout it. Do you have a paper mache recipe that would be sturdy enough to accomodate the shards? Thanks! P
Hmm. That’s a tough question. If you intend to move your sculpture very much, you’d need a very sturdy base so it doesn’t flex and pop off the shards. If the base has no “give” to it, you could cover it with any paper mache recipe, whether it’s the traditional paper and paste, or the new paper mache clay (link at the top of this page). The trick would be to build the base of your sculpture out of something that was rigid enough on it’s own.
If you need to make a rounded sculpture, so you couldn’t use plywood or similar product for the base, maybe you could make a form with crumpled paper and masking tape, maybe give it one or two rounds of wire, like Dan Reeder does with his monster armatures, and cover the form with any paper mache material you like. Once it dries, it might work to cut it in half, remove the crumpled paper inside, and put it back together – leaving a small hole. Then you could fill the form with expanding foam. This is just an idea off the top of my head – I have no idea if it would work for your purposes.
Good luck with your project!
Good Morning~
I am hoping to make some paper mache spheres that can be illuminated with battery operated LEDs, so they need to be translucent. I plan to use punch-ball balloons and white tissue paper. Any suggestions or tips?
Thanks so much~ your blog is amazing!
Hi Ruth – this is another project I’ve never tried. I have another question from a reader I received yesterday that’s going into a blog post, so we can get some feedback from other readers. I’ll include your question in the post, too, and we might get some ideas.
Hi there! I’m going to attempt to make a paper mache vase using a balloon as a model, which will be for my sisters wedding present, and then cover it in both tissue paper and Fimo clay. Cooking the clay on the vase takes 230 F for about 30 minutes, and I was wondering if this will be too much heat stress for the paper mache underneath, especially with the tissue paper on, and with the vase been already previously ovened to harden it? I was worried that it might ‘over’ dry the vase out, and I would’nt want to ruin my efforts in any way. Is it possible to only oven it once when the Fimo is in place? And will the delicate tissue paper be ok in the oven?
Many Thanks!
Hi Krystal. I have dried paper mache in ovens that hot before, but you do need to be careful about warping and scorching. However, I’ve never used Fimo over tissue paper, so I’m not sure I’m the right person to advise you. If I had a project like this planned, I’d do a test before making the vase. Try to recreate the materials that you intend to use, but in a little experimental shape – you don’t need to make the test piece very big. Then give it the same treatment that the big piece will receive, and see what happens. And let us know how your vase turns out.
Hi Jonni, Thanks for the tip. I’m planning on making cone shaped Xmas trees with the paper mache and covering with china and mirror shards so, yes, it would be moved some and stored off season. I could use styrofoam for the smaller ones but I want one about 3 feet tall. I guess if I keep it narrow it would not buckle. Well, it’s worth the try as I would like to craft the entire project. I’ll let you know how it comes out. I’m planning on using the clay recipe. Thanks, P
Hello Jonni,
You have a wonderful site! I actually took a sculpture class in highschool and wasn’t able to do the paper mache mask project other students were assigned. My memory is really bad, but I’m a complete amatuer when it comes to letting out my creativity, I jump around from ideas to other ideas. This seems like a very in-expensive art and the creations are beautiful and unique. I’ve been wanting to make a mask for quite some time now ( I’ve been trying to get ideas for using some oven-baked sculpey, but I came across your site instead), and I’ve been inspired to try my hand out on this. I’ve done two plaster masks before and I used my own face and a class-mates for the moldings, this seems a bit easier and not as messy. I will definitely keep coming back for advice and tips during my process. Wish me luck and it’s wonderful to see such unique and creative work!
Good luck!
← Previous Comments