Made by Janice Erickson
To the people that have made a cement Giraffe……I have started making my Giraffe. I plan on a Giraffe with a full body and legs, which I also have started. My question is, did you stabilize the head by filling it with something to make it stronger????? If so, what did you use, and how did you apply it. Thank you!
Hi Janice , You can fill the head with blow in foam – Gap filler . It is lightweight , will support the cement clay . Paver sealer will give it a much stronger protective finish then clear spray.
Lee, how do you keep the foam from continuing to expand beyond where you want it to, and breaking the tape loose? I’ve had some bad experiences with spay foam, especially if I try to fill a large void. I recently filled in a big hole in my wall that was left from removing a metal chimney, and it kept expanding for over a week. What did I do wrong?
I just spray a little at time wait a few minutes for ir to set and add a bit more little by little. You can easily carve and shave to refine . Just go very slow spritz wait , spritz . I just did this last week on a new bird body , because I didnt want too much weight in the center of the design . The gap fill comes for window gaps , and large gaps . Get the regular kind . I don’t see a way to add a picture here in this thread.
Thank you!!!!!
Hi Janice. I don’t remember seeing a giraffe made with cement. It’s possible that someone did submit one, but I can’t remember it. We usually use either paper strips and paste or a very thin layer of the original paper mache clay recipe. However, the elephant head, the bear, the jackrabbit and the giant frog wall sculpture patterns are made with card stock. Because it’s such a lightweight material, I recommend filling the head with something to support the pattern pieces from inside. You can use anything lightweight, like foam peanuts, perlite, or even lightly crumpled foil. Are you using cement because you intend to put your giraffe outside?
Hi Jonni!
Yes, my giraffe will go in my flower gardens. I plan on using your Portland cement recipe for it. I have been been making cement bunnies, leaves, faces, etc. for several years now. I am experimenting with your giraffe head and neck. I have been having so much fun making it. I am looking forward to working on it this fall. Thank you for the advice about the head. After I make cement statues for my gardens, I always give them about three coats of Clear Spray Paint. My statues do not stay outside in winter, but are rained on all summer. They have all continued to look great. Thank you again for all of your wonderful videos…..you are just magical! Janice in northern Minnesota, near the Canadian border