Paper Mache Tutorial Part 1
O.k boys and girls lets talk about paper mache. For one it's cheap and it's eco friendly. I love this method of prop making and I want to share a method that I use. There is no one way to do paper mache. There are lots of ways!!! I have done reseach on the internet and read books on paper mache and it is by far the best technique for your prop making needs if you are in the postion of wanting to have cheaper alternatives to prop making. 2 things that prop makers want out of there props: Realiablity and Reinforcement. Yep the 2 "R"s. Before we begin I want to give credit to Amethyst Angel for her amazing work with paper mache. Her prop blog is very informative and I higly recommend that you vist the site. Also she has a paper mache turorial on her propblog that has piqued my curiosity on using paper mache. http://proplady.livejournal.com/tag/paper+mache This is a quicker way.
The technique I'm gonna show you is another way and a cheaper way by using what you have in your household. I got this recpe off of the internet and it's by far the best if you can't get your hands on wall paper paste. O.k lets get started!!!
First let me introduce you to 2 methods of molds. Oh in case your wondering what molds are. They are objects you are gonna use in order to shape you paper mache. You can use bowls, bottles, balloons, balls, and anything that your shape requires. In this turotial we are gonna make round shapes. Plus I am gonna teach you how to use 2 mold methods.
The first is a desposable mold. The second is a relaease mold. Lets start with a desposable mold.
Supplies:
1 Stack of newspapers. ( Torn into long strips or squares. Please do not cut with scciors because you will shorten the fibers of the newsprint. Tearing them will allow them to lay down smoother. )
1 Cup of Flour
1 1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of elmers glue
1 bowl
1 balloon ( Any size)
1 teaspoon of bleach (to prevent molding)
1. T-Pin Or any pin that can pentrate the mold
Here is our supplies.
First pur you flour in first. Then slowly pour the glue in and slowly mix the flour and glue together. This is a easier way to mix.
Next pour in the 1/2 cup of water and then mix it.
Next pour in the 1 cup of water. Mix and when you are done you now have a thin mixer. The reason why I did'nt mixed the water all at once is because then you would have a lumpy mixtrue that would take a while to smooth out.
Add a teasoopn of bleach to the mixture because paper mache is known for molding and atracting insects and vermin. The bleach is like a preseravtive. Molding is one of the reason why people tend to stray away from paper mache. O.k Place a strip of newspaper into the mixture and have the entire strip coated. Taking two finger run down the stipe to take off the excess paste of of the strip.
Blow up your balloon to whatever size you want. For shoulder paulderns I would blow mine up the the maxium size.
Start applying your strips. You want to do a criscross motion onto the ballon. That way you can have it evenly coated.
Now this ballonis evenly coated. Let this dry for 24 hours or 10 depending on the room tempt. Then start on the next layer. I recomend 8 to 10 layers. If you want to let this dry quicker then time it. I started this at 8:00 p.m and when I got up around 9:00 in the morning it was slightly dry so I turned it over ( make sure to prop it onto something like a cup so that it can dry evenly). By 12 noon it was dry so that is another way of having to to this quicker.
Take a T-pin and stick it into the balloon and it should pop inside of the mold. Next coat the entire mold with varnish. 2 coats is good since varnish helps portect and seal the paper mache.
And your done. You now have a round mold for your prop. You can cut this into a shape for shoulder armor, knee shins, or a helmet. The possiblities are endless. Next lets talk about realese molds.
Supplies:
The same as before except you will need
Water 1 cup or 2
Beach ball or any other deflatable object.
Vaseline ( optional)
O.k lets get started.
First rip some newspaper print into strips. Using the water you want to coat the strips in water and then apply them to the ball. The reason why you are doing this is because this will gaurantee that the ballon will be able to come out of the molds once it is dry. The wet newspaper acts as a release. Vaseline is another option, but it tends to be messy so in this tutorial I opt to use the wet newsprint.
Apply
And coat. You don;t have to wait for it to dry. Just one layer will do.
Now dip your strip into the flour paste and apply like you did before in the last tutorial. Coat the wet newsprint. Now you should have 2 layers. One wet and one with paste.
Also notice how I covered the ballon and not the plastic knob. You want to keep that uncovered because later on you want to be able to let out the air and then remove the ballon from the mold.
Once your are done with the coating you let it dry. I did 3 layers. Once they were completly dry I removed my ball by deflating it and pulling it out or the mold. It came out easly. You can cover the hole as you apply more layers because you want at least 8 layers to make it hard. You can use the hole as a placment for a staff top or cover it and make a ball out of it. In the end you will have a light weight hollow mold.
That conclude this tutorial the next part will be paper mache pulp and next coating your paper mache to give it a more profesional look. See you then!!!
The technique I'm gonna show you is another way and a cheaper way by using what you have in your household. I got this recpe off of the internet and it's by far the best if you can't get your hands on wall paper paste. O.k lets get started!!!
First let me introduce you to 2 methods of molds. Oh in case your wondering what molds are. They are objects you are gonna use in order to shape you paper mache. You can use bowls, bottles, balloons, balls, and anything that your shape requires. In this turotial we are gonna make round shapes. Plus I am gonna teach you how to use 2 mold methods.
The first is a desposable mold. The second is a relaease mold. Lets start with a desposable mold.
Supplies:
1 Stack of newspapers. ( Torn into long strips or squares. Please do not cut with scciors because you will shorten the fibers of the newsprint. Tearing them will allow them to lay down smoother. )
1 Cup of Flour
1 1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of elmers glue
1 bowl
1 balloon ( Any size)
1 teaspoon of bleach (to prevent molding)
1. T-Pin Or any pin that can pentrate the mold
Here is our supplies.
First pur you flour in first. Then slowly pour the glue in and slowly mix the flour and glue together. This is a easier way to mix.
Next pour in the 1/2 cup of water and then mix it.
Next pour in the 1 cup of water. Mix and when you are done you now have a thin mixer. The reason why I did'nt mixed the water all at once is because then you would have a lumpy mixtrue that would take a while to smooth out.
Add a teasoopn of bleach to the mixture because paper mache is known for molding and atracting insects and vermin. The bleach is like a preseravtive. Molding is one of the reason why people tend to stray away from paper mache. O.k Place a strip of newspaper into the mixture and have the entire strip coated. Taking two finger run down the stipe to take off the excess paste of of the strip.
Blow up your balloon to whatever size you want. For shoulder paulderns I would blow mine up the the maxium size.
Start applying your strips. You want to do a criscross motion onto the ballon. That way you can have it evenly coated.
Now this ballonis evenly coated. Let this dry for 24 hours or 10 depending on the room tempt. Then start on the next layer. I recomend 8 to 10 layers. If you want to let this dry quicker then time it. I started this at 8:00 p.m and when I got up around 9:00 in the morning it was slightly dry so I turned it over ( make sure to prop it onto something like a cup so that it can dry evenly). By 12 noon it was dry so that is another way of having to to this quicker.
Take a T-pin and stick it into the balloon and it should pop inside of the mold. Next coat the entire mold with varnish. 2 coats is good since varnish helps portect and seal the paper mache.
And your done. You now have a round mold for your prop. You can cut this into a shape for shoulder armor, knee shins, or a helmet. The possiblities are endless. Next lets talk about realese molds.
Supplies:
The same as before except you will need
Water 1 cup or 2
Beach ball or any other deflatable object.
Vaseline ( optional)
O.k lets get started.
First rip some newspaper print into strips. Using the water you want to coat the strips in water and then apply them to the ball. The reason why you are doing this is because this will gaurantee that the ballon will be able to come out of the molds once it is dry. The wet newspaper acts as a release. Vaseline is another option, but it tends to be messy so in this tutorial I opt to use the wet newsprint.
Apply
And coat. You don;t have to wait for it to dry. Just one layer will do.
Now dip your strip into the flour paste and apply like you did before in the last tutorial. Coat the wet newsprint. Now you should have 2 layers. One wet and one with paste.
Also notice how I covered the ballon and not the plastic knob. You want to keep that uncovered because later on you want to be able to let out the air and then remove the ballon from the mold.
Once your are done with the coating you let it dry. I did 3 layers. Once they were completly dry I removed my ball by deflating it and pulling it out or the mold. It came out easly. You can cover the hole as you apply more layers because you want at least 8 layers to make it hard. You can use the hole as a placment for a staff top or cover it and make a ball out of it. In the end you will have a light weight hollow mold.
That conclude this tutorial the next part will be paper mache pulp and next coating your paper mache to give it a more profesional look. See you then!!!