Papier Mâché Bunny Head Part I

Spring is in the air and some bunny's in the enchanted forest. This little hare peeks out through the leaves with its big eyes and floppy ears.  It's hard to just make one.  I hope this project will inspire several whimsical creations for your home or indoor fairy garden.  Enjoy!

This bunny project uses paper napkins and recycled paper mixed with liquid starch.  I also used a skewer to support the head.  It can be a pen/pencil topper or an art doll head.
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Note:  Dampen the paper frequently with liquid starch as you press together.
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1.  Crumple ordinary paper & cover with paper napkin.

2.  Add liquid starch a little at a time and hand/finger press the paper into an egg shape.

3.  Press more pieces of crumpled napkin to shape forehead, nose & cheeks.

4.  Allow to dry.

 

  

Press to create indentations for eyes and continue to shape towards the nose.  Add more paper napkin pieces to build up the nose and cheeks.

 

This will continue throughout the entire piece.  Allow to dry in between stages.  When it is tacky enough, insert a skewer or pencil. Add more napkin pieces to hold it in place.  Dampen & press around skewer.  Allow to completely dry so that it can be handled better.

  



PLEASE READ PAPIER MÂCHÉ BUNNY HEAD PART II FOR THE REST OF THIS PROJECT.  THANK YOU.

Papier Mâché Bunny Head Part II

Welcome to the continuation of making a cute bunny head.  Let's now work on the rest of the features.

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1.  Use a pen or pencil to draw on each side of the head.  Roughly outline where your eyes, nose, mouth and cheeks will be.

2.  (Eyes) Roll two little balls out of paper napkin pieces and liquid starch.  Allow to dry.

3.  Create sockets for eye balls by pressing down under the forehead.  Do this on both sides.

4.  Insert the eye balls.  Cover them with little strips of paper dampened with liquid starch.  Allow to dry.  Now continue to cover the entire surface of the face in the same way.  This holds everything in place.

5.  Re-trace outlines of the features.

  



6.  Make two ears.  Cut them out or tear them and twist into shape.  Attach them with dampened paper strips dipped into the liquid starch.

  
7.  Look at all sides to make sure the features are in the same places.  Add enough paper napkin pieces to make it more rounded.

8.  If it looks even, cover with another layer of Papier Mâché strips over the entire surface.  I used cream colored copier paper strips.  Now it is ready to paint.


 

9.  Begin to add paint.  I used acrylic craft paint.

 

Note that I removed the skewer and added a pencil to give the head more support.  A smoother surface made it easier for me to begin painting as shown here.  This is the other side of the bunny face.  I tried a few different color schemes before deciding on a final look.  Try to get both sides of the face to blend even though they may not be identical.

Here we are!  I will stop at this point and give my little bunny a name.  I welcome your comments below. Thanks for stopping by and have a Hoppy Easter!

Papier Mache Pulp Dough Part I

I would like to share my process for making a clay-like papier mache pulp modeling dough.
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SUPPLIES:  Sta Flo Liquid Starch & Newspaper
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Simple Recipe:

1.  Tear pieces of newspaper or moisture absorbent paper.  (No glossy paper.)
2.  Soak overnight in container of hot water.  Boiled water speeds process but not necessary.
3.  Squeeze or strain the water from the paper.  The result will be pulp.
4.  Place the pulp into a container and cover completely with liquid starch.
5.  Mix and mash the saturated pulp with a fork until it sticks together.
6.  Knead and roll the sticky pulp into a ball until smooth on the surface.
7.  Repeat steps 4 -6 until all fibers are tacky enough to stick together.
8.  Test by smoothing the surface with a finger dab of liquid starch.  Draw a line over the surface of the dough with a toothpick or pointed tool and poke a hole into the dough.  These actions will leave impressions similar to pressing into clay. There should be no tearing.  If there are tears in the dough,  it is not wet enough.

USE THIS PROCESS TOGETHER WITH TORN PAPER PIECES.  USE TORN PAPER PIECES DIPPED INTO LIQUID STARCH OVER THE DOUGH TO CREATE A SMOOTHER SURFACE AREA.

Inquiries welcomed.  Hope you'll give this a try.  Please visit me on Facebook @WhimsyRoz.

Sta Flo Liquid Starch in Bottle.

Fork is used to mash pulp and liquid starch together.

Fork should stick straight up.

A line and 2 poked holes.  The Smiley Face test.

                                       

READY, SET, SCULPT!  Put some shapes together and see what happens.

Adding wet paper pieces dipped in liquid starch.

Smoothing out the details.

Fairy Shape Sculpt WIP

Welcome to the continuing preparation of a lady figure.  Once the main shapes are connected, the detailing can vary. The forms can be pressed into smaller, thinner shapes.  Also, they can be trimmed or filled in, sculpted over, etc. It's up to your imagination to transform the shapes.

I've decided to give this lady a fairy look. The arms and torso are shaping up, as well as the hair.  Here's my work in progress.

Gradually, I've begun adding twisted strands of paper for the hair, as well as torn paper pieces to the skirt.  The torso takes shape gradually with pieces of pressed craft tissue paper.  The paper is dipped in liquid starch each step of the way.

Next, I'm adding wings to achieve a fairy look.  I have also continued to improve the torso and arms.

This work in progress will continue with layering of paper and other additions if necessary.  Please stay tuned and let me know if you will give this a try.

Fairy Shape Prep

Welcome to the continuation of this paper shape sculpt.  The shapes will be used for two (2) distinct projects. Therefore, today's preparation  will utilize only the previously shown cone shape in addition to the following:

Wedge - Torso shape.

Elongated - Thin twists for arms.

Small Ball -  Head for attaching to torso.


Figurine:  All of the shapes mentioned will be connected to create a basic armature for a lady shaped figurine.  To recap, these include a cone, ball, wedge and elongated pieces of paper.

Tip - Moisten paper with liquid starch to shape more easily.

Note:  These shapes will be enhanced later.  Please also note that we will use a smaller head for the purpose of attaching to this torso.

Now, the pieces are ready to start taking shape.  It's time to connect the pieces as follows:

1.  Torso to Skirt - Attach with masking tape.
2.  Arms to Torso - Attach with masking tape, one on each side.
3.  Head to Torso - Cover with paper and twist to create a neck.  Test excess paper.  Attach neck to torso with masking tape.

This form will be the basic figure shape.  Stay tuned for finishing touches, as well as preparation for the second project.

Fairy Project Prep

Welcome paper mache' enthusiasts and beginner sculptors, alike.

This year (2014) begins with preparations for seasonal sculpted pieces. That is, choosing the right paper/paper products used for each paper mache' creation.  So let's take a look at the shapes of things to come.

My season begins with recycling magazines and paper backed books, as well as newspaper, flyers and gift wrapping tissue paper.  These items will be used to create forms and/or armature for each project.  These include, but are not limited to fairies, fantasy creatures and other works of whimsy .

Magazines - Folded pages into cone shapes.  Applied to fairy/art doll skirts.

Scrap Paper - Pressed into round shapes.  Begins head  form.


Please check back to learn about these works in progress.