Comments on: Paper Mache Tutorials

By: Jonni

Jonni — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 01:08:38 +0000

Hi Sree. I think you can make your peacock like I made my snowy owl, but with a much longer neck. Since the tail will come down to the floor, it should be easy to make two legs out of wire covered with paper mache, and then also add a third wire loop that goes from the back end of the bird down to the floor, to act as a third support. That should hold up your bird quite well.’

I do hope you’ll show him to us when it’s done.

By: Sree

Sree — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 23:23:12 +0000

Hi Jonni,

I want to make a peacock body with paper mache and put real feathers to it. I want to make little bigger body so i can put long tail falling down. Can you please give me suggestions how to make the body with some support.

Thanks in advance
Sree

By: Gary Jackson

Gary Jackson — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 02:24:00 +0000

This helps! If it turns out well, I’ll send you a picture.

By: Jonni

Jonni — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 02:06:44 +0000

I included several helmet-style masks in my how to make masks book. Nothing quite as big and heavy as that guy, but the principals are all the same. I use the same materials and techniques in a video series that I did, which shows how to make a popular carnival mask. That mask doesn't cover the entire head, but you can see the basic methods in those videos. I hope this helps.

By: Gary Jackson

Gary Jackson — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 01:13:47 +0000

I’d like to make a big, wearable mask, a lot like this guy (warning, this is a still from the movie Alien):

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm4196243456/ch0027252

How do I get started on something like that?

By: Jonni

Jonni — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 02:04:22 +0000

Any other brand will work. I like the Sheetrock brand, but it really doesn’t matter, as long as it isn’t made by Dap. Their product works great on walls, but it turns into rubber when you try to use it in paper mache clay.

By: nfitz

nfitz — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:08:05 +0000

what compound do you use instead of dap

By: Jonni

Jonni — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:35:16 +0000

Can you add a bit more clay and form it into a sharper point?

If you want a smooth finish, you might want to use the very smooth gesso recipe I came up with for my how to make masks book.

1 tablespoon (15 ml) white glue
½ teaspoon (2 ml) cold water
¼ teaspoon (1 ml) vinegar
½ tablespoon (7.5 ml) plaster of Paris

You have to work a bit fast because it starts to harden in about 15 minutes. If it still isn’t as smooth as you like, you can polish it with lightly damp sponge.

Your idea for coloring the horns sound like it will work quite well. The fingernail polish will give off a lot of fumes if you use enough for the horns, but it will work just fine.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:04:12 +0000

Hi Jonni,

I’ve begun work on my horns – the clay was really easy to make and very workable! The first batch I made are a little to ’rounded’ for my liking – the effect I was hoping to achieve was like jagged talons or teeth protruding from my head. Do you have any tips for how best to form the armature? I used a plastic horned mask, by covering the horns in tin foil and then applying the clay over the top. I then took the whole lot off the mask and did some more moulding with my fingers and small tools, but I wasn’t too sure how to make it more ‘sharp’!

Also, on a related note, when it comes to painting them do you have any tips? I’m after a yellow-brown kind of colour with a slightly shiny/polished finish, so I thought about tea-staining the clay, then touching it up with paint and then sealing with clear nail varnish, mainly because all of those materials are ‘to hand’ and I’m trying to complete this on a budget. Do you think that would work?

Once again, thanks in advance for anything you can offer.

Chris

By: Jonni

Jonni — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 01:57:23 +0000

I don’t have one. You can do a Google image search to find out what raccoons look like – if that’s what you need.