A Quick Review of Paper Mache for Beginners: Sculpt a Colorful Character by Sarah Hand on Domestika
I had a few days off over the holidays and thought it would. be a good time to take my paper mache course that I have been wanting to do. I found the class over on Domestika. This is my third class that I have taken off of the website. I have enjoyed all three. Creating with paper mache reminds me of elementary school and I really wanted to see if I could sculpt one of my little girls with paper.
There was quite a list of supplies, but I had almost everything at home besides tacky glue and foam core. I sent my husband Dan off to Micheal's two days before Christmas, he was not thrilled. The project itself was a flat character that had a shadowbox in the chest. I thought I would make two character's at once. I mean, if I am going through the process, why not make two?
The hardest part of the class was the beginning. I already had an idea of what I wanted to create as far as the character goes. Cutting the foam core with a box cutter was no fun. My hands got tired (it didn't help that I decided to make two at a time.) Once I got the characters cut out, I then realized that we had to cut out each one twice! AHg! You have got to be kidding me! I pushed onward, made a Nespresso, and carried on. After finally cutting out the second pieces I then covered the edges in masking tape.
I was at this point thinking that this project was not going to turn out at all. I felt it looked bumpy and terrible. The instructor was so amazing and kept reassuring not to worry, and it would look good at the end. The class itself was easy to understand, and Sarah made you feel confident through the whole process.
After masking tape, I then began to apply the paper, and oh what a fun mess that was! It was so fun to place the gooey paper on them and it took me right back to third grade! She had great tips on how to apply the layers, make the hanger, and inside of the box. I applied a few layers and they started coming to life! So fun!
I wanted to be able to paint them the next day so I did bake them in the over for a while to get the process of drying a little faster! The next day I pulled out the paints and started painting. Here is how they turned out:
I really, really recommend taking the class if you are interested in learning the basics of paper mache. I had such a fun time learning how to do it! She was a wonderful teacher and I am hoping she does a second class on how to make three dimensional animals. You can find the class HERE.
Xoxo,
Carla
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