Cute Cacti

Made by Kris Pratt

A Chibi Cactus made as a Christmas gift for my niece.

The pot is an old margarine container filled with rocks and clay for weight. I wrapped cardboard around the top to make the bigger lip for the pot and covered that in paper mache clay. The bottom was just covered in a layer of blue shop towels with raw flour paste.

The cactus was made by covering a balloon in paper mache clay. When the main body was dry I used cardboard and aluminum foil to shape the arms. I glued an empty cylindrical container to the pot and glued the lid inside the cactus so it can be opened to hide things inside (she immediately filled it with chocolates and candy). The cactus got a thin layer of the drywall joint compound to smooth it out, then everything got a layer (or three) of homemade gesso. Painted with acrylics. The flower is just a faux cloth flower. You cant see it in the pictures but there is “dirt” in the pot as well. I use old coffee beans and grind them coarsely, then pour them over PVA glue. It looks very realistic and smells pretty good too!