Daily Sculptors Page
Join the conversation and share your paper mache sculptures with our supportive community.
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The latest photos from our readers:
I finally finished my baby masai giraffe , what a painting nightmare! We live and learn.
Oh, my gosh. Love the snake, too. Don’t think I’ve seen that. Have you posted one? If not, please do.
I think I need to do a jungle-theme stained glass, and with that snake, I may be sleeping on the lawn! lol. I love your stuff. I understand you perfectly about painting the giraffe.
Thank you very much.
Thanks Rex, I don’t know if I posted snake before, will check. I actually can’t get a picture without something else being in it. I have 19 sculptures in my family room alone, Haha.
Susan, what an adorable and beautifully-patterned baby giraffe. I can empathize about how difficult he must have been to paint, but so glad that you did. I don’t know how you create so many fantastic (and large) creatures. Like Rex, if I missed seeing a solo pic of that absolutely amazing cobra, I’d really like to see him showcased again. Can you tell us what the next extraordinary thing we will see from you or do we just have to wait?
Susan, sorry. Just saw that you already posted him. He is really gorgeous. Might give somebody a heart attack though. Thank you so much for posting!
Thank you Mr. Shelbot, I do not know what is next, any suggestions? I keep saying I need to go smaller but I just keep stuffing them in to every empty space.
Susan, have you made a Pangolin yet? (I thought of them because I just wrote a comment about snake scales, and Pangolins have scales, too..) Some of them are small, some are big, so you could surely find room for one or two.
Susan, I’m sure you’ll have made a dozen more gorgeous sculptures before I can come up with even one good idea. As a matter of fact, you have made so many wondrous things, what haven’t you made? THIS artist uses textiles to make adorable animal sculpts with a message. Not sure if you could find a smaller creature to make there. https://www.facebook.com/pg/charactersbyjulia/photos/?ref=page_internal
I have a cousin who has a son in love with pangolins. She told me the other day she is thinking of making him one (which would mean me!). There must be a shortcut on doing the scales, and I would be interested, but I’m a bit overwhelmed at the moment. Great idea.
Jonni, I just read that I’m not the only one who thinks those little critters look like artichokes. Please forgive me my ignorance, but did you make one? I would be working on those scales the rest of my life, but I do hope that Susan and/or Rex will give it a go.
No, I haven’t made one. Someday I hope to, because they’re fascinating creatures, but I can’t start anything until I finish painting the house, and I’ve replaced the gutters and windows. My home improvement projects are taking forever because it rains almost every day, but they must get done. If I started on a sculpture now, I’d probably never finish the paint job. (I get too focused on my projects, and can’t multi-task like you do.) I’ve been spending a lot of time outside, so now I think my next sculpture will be a black bear for the yard. I haven’t started it yet, either. Maybe next month.
Oh, and Rex, I think, “She told me the other day she is thinking of making him one (which would mean me!).” is hilarious, although maybe it wasn’t to you, considering that you are overwhelmed, but Thanks for the humor!
I loved the photo of the pangolin. If I’m not mistaken, there are seven species that cover Africa and South America. Some are a lot larger than others. In any case, I think Susan ought to do one and teach us how to do those scales in one easy lesson!
That’s a lot of fingernails!
Sarah made her amazing halo from the air dry clay, and Eileen makes flowers and feathers with it. I think one of us could make pangolin scales, even if Susan decides to make something else. (Are you starting to feel a pressured, Susan? 🙂 ) But what would be easier – little scales for a 12″ pangolin, or big ones for a beast that’s five feet long?
Whoa – I just looked up “pangolin feet” and found out they walk on their hind legs. What interesting animals. Too bad about the medicinal claims, though – bad luck for them. And I didn’t know they were among the most critically endangered group of animals in the world. They do have interesting feet:
This dragon has lots of scales. Expensive product, though.
Yes, Jonni, they are the fastest animals racing towards extinction. (Maybe you need to update your book! I would love to do all the animals in it. My bucket list.)
The scales are used like rhino’s horns for medicinal treatment. I might get some flack for it, but I don’t know why they don’t use human fingernails and leave the poor animals alone.
Those are wonderful photos of feet. Thanks.
Susan, when you do one, look for the larger species! Please! lol
Jonni, I love the Pangolin idea, I may attempt it if I can figure out how to make all those scales, they seem to be much thicker than the dragon and snake scales. I could just buy a bunch of artichokes to use (Mr. Shelbot) 🙂
I hope Rex makes one first to give us some pointers!!
Susan, thank you for acknowledging my genius observation regarding the pangolin scales/ artichoke leaves!…You didn’t? Well, it was a cute comment, anyway ; )
OK Rex, cobra stays outside!
Nice snake, Susan, but slightly terrifying. It looks like he’s ready to strike. What do the dogs think about this one? And can you really leave him outside? If so, what did you sculpt him with?
Thank you Jonni, I think he is a little creepy too! I actually cannot keep him out for any length of time. I did do an experiment with my wolf and covered it with 4 coats of flex-seal (3 cans), unfortunately covering it thoroughly didn’t help and he starting getting mushy and peeling away after 6 weeks.
Susan, thank you so much for letting us know. Several people have told us that Flex Seal works for long-term outside sculptures, but I’ve been very nervous about recommending it. Now I know why. Were you able to save your wolf by bringing it back inside and letting it dry out?
I recently watched some videos by Billy Dillard that showed him building a very large hummingbird, with feathers made with epoxy putty. It looked like it would go on much faster than the Apoxy Sculpt that I’ve used before (but more expensive than paper mache). I believe he’s using Smooth-On’s Free Form Habitat. I think I’ll try making a bear with it, just as soon as I finish painting my house. That product can be used in aquariums, so it should hold up to rain and snow.
And speaking of snakes – which I think are beautiful, even when they’re deadly – scary but not creepy 🙂 – a recent article on the BBC.com website showed some close-up photos of snakes from the DR Congo. Check out the leaf-shaped scales on the bush viper. Wouldn’t that be fun to sculpt? I don’t think I have that much patience, though.
That is really beautiful. And well balanced! Thanks for showing us. Love the painting.
Ah – spots! Aren’t they fun? Your giraffe is adorable, and a great addition to your collection. You do amazing work. I’m sure we’ve already seen the tiger, but feel free to post him again. 🙂
I am at a loss for words! Fabulous! I guess you had to do a baby as an adult would go to the next floor up! I love the detail and paint job. And the cobra! Wow! So scarily realistic! As usual, stellar job!
Thanks Eileen, I have already done a 14 foot giraffe so I thought I was really scaling down, haha
Who needs to go to a zoo with that living room? You are very prolific. You will have to designate destinations for all these beauties in your will! I’m sure Rex and Shelbot would be willing recipients! My living room is covered with smaller sculptures. This is the reason I need to sell in a few shows….to make room for more sculptures! Scaling down, too funny!
Eileen, please don’t kill Susan off! I am (and I think Rex is) going to live with Susan and her menagerie in her beautiful home : ) and we need her to keep making these spectacular sculpts. It may be too much of an invasion of privacy, but, Eileen, have you ever posted a photo showing your various sculptures and how they live (at least for now) in your living room?
Susan , your giraffe is fabulous what an awesome job and oh yeah love the snake too and oh I really would like to see that tiger .
Thank you Pia, I tried sending Tiger, looks like it came out sideways, oops!
Thank you ! wow just wow awesome work ,girl !
Great work! 🙂
Another sculpture started years ago. May have posted a pic before he had ears and tail. Can’t remember. He still needs some work, but may never happen, of course.
I love that expression, Mister Shelbot. There’s a thought in that cat’s brain, but, in catlike fashion, he isn’t going to share what it is. Great stripe details, too. It must have taken ages to paint.
I agree with Jonni-great expression on that little smarty pants!
Eileen, thank you so much for your cute comment. I thought that I might call the piece, “Is that the can opener I hear?” but it’s too long and I suppose it’s better to leave to others’ imaginations exactly what he’s thinking.
Jonni, thank you! You are so sweet NOT to mention that the stripes are kind of a train wreck. I mix paints to try to get the color I want, then pull my hair out trying to replicate that color later on. Not that that’s all that’s wrong. And I’m really awful at shading (as well as many other things). Just can’t find/mix a color that looks realistic. Some people use some purple in the mix, but I’ve never gotten it right. Also, a (probably really dumb) question: Does any paint manufacturer package a “middle” color along with a tint and a shade of that color? I’m sure I’ll be face-palming about this, but there it is.
Sir, that cat needs a little paper mache on its ears. Perfect, otherwise. Do you want me to send you a cup full of stuff. He’s way cute.
Rex, Thank you. Do you mean he needs some fur texture in/on his ears? I really love your/Jonni’s paper mache, but he was lucky to get any ears (or tail) at all. I will, however, try to improve the ears, if you can explain what would make them better for you. : )
I LOVE the stripes just the way they are. You are the master!
The ears look like cardboard. If they have something on them, a little ear fur might help. If you need a little paper mache to put on them, I’ll send some. He is colorful and adorable, so I think the ears need, perhaps, just a stroke of paint.
Thank you, sir.
It’s so much fun to criticize anything of yours! lol
Hey, I can’t believe it’s this much fun to BE criticized. LOL! I would love some of your mache, but don’t want you to have to go to all the trouble. You’ve gone through so many hassles for me in the past. Give me a few days, I’ll post another pic and if you don’t approve you can send me the PM. Okay?
THANKS, your Royalness!
P.S. The ears ARE covered with fabric.
Ah! Interesting. Fabric. You get creative. I like that.
Didn’t Jonni write that, Look around you and use your imagination.
Thank you, sir.
Hello Jonni and everyone,
My latest restoration project. The halo was made with Jonni’s fabulous smooth paper clay. Fantastic stuff. Enjoy.
Sarah, please try again to show us you restoration project! We really want to see it.
Pat, I trust you will show us anything that you make for Halloween or just any time. Please.
Rex, Both of your stained glass projects are gorgeous. Did you mention how they are displayed? I hope your fingers/hands are okay. I could never work with glass. I get hurt with paper : ( I hope that you will show us the ones you repair. I wish that I had made my “rocks” look more like yours. Too lazy to do all the work though.
Hi, Eileen! I know that you’ve been busy with the wedding and all (Best Wishes!), but did you tell us what project you are working on now? Your flying squirrel is adorable. Love everything about him!
Betheny, Please try to post your dragon head again! And also make sure to show us your wolf and monkey when finished or in process.
Danielle, I, like Jonni and Rex, think you have a great start on your pit bull. No cow to be seen, although that would be fine too : ).
Pia, I want to be adopted by you also, but failing that, I think we should get to have turns adopting your daughter’s bat. Of course I would never give it up, but that’s beside the point. SO amazingly good!
Lillie, Tremendous job on the zebra. Love the stripes. Two weeks!!?? I could not make that in two years. Seriously…
Sue Leatherman, “Wash Day” is such an evocative piece. The colors, textures, well, everything is wonderful. Congratulations! But what in the world won first and second!?
Danny, great leaf. I’m sorry if I missed, will it be a stand alone piece? How will it be displayed? Looking forward to seeing more.
Amy Sanders, I think I’ve posted a couple of my little houses. I always feel there is something missing. I cannot wait to see yours.
To my favorite, Jonni, as you see, I am too lazy to make individual posts. I need to go feed my furkids, but I’ll try to post a long ago-started but recently “finished” (proly not) dog head/bust(?). You may not be able to tell, but it’s supposed to be an Irish Setter. Her name was Erin.
Great dog. It reminds me of an Irish Setter my sister had 40 years ago. Just that color and adorable. Thanks, Sir.
Thank you, Good King! I’m thinking I should texture and darken the ears, but I have a lot of other stuff to do, so who knows? But thanks again for the kind words.
What a sweet soulful face she has. I love it! I thank you for your above comments, you are always so inclusive of everyone….you are very sweet. I have been busy with the wedding and unfortunately some health issues but I am currently working on a very large frog made of Pal Tiya. I divide my time these days between paper mache and Pal Tiya. People really like outdoor sculpture. At the few shows I am in, they see a paper mache sculpture and the first question they have is “can it go outside?” So I try to present both.
Eileen, hi again. Thank you for your comment about Erin. I often fall in love with the art and the artists here on UPM. See: Eileen. I worry about your “health issues”. I suspect you do not want to discuss, but I sincerely care about you. I have never used Pal Tiya, but it does seem to be a way to go for outdoor sculpts. Can’t wait to see (and covet) your frog.
I know you worry about your friends. I just don’t want to be a moaner. It’s severe sciatica and low back pain, thinking I may need surgery as it is not sustainable. Thanks for being so sweet.
Eileen, I wince for you. I know how excruciating that can be. I hope that you do not have to have surgery at all, but if you must, would it be what they call microdiscectomy or microdecompression? I read that it has a high rate of success, but still scary and painful. Truly sorry that you are having to deal with this. I know you’re not a moaner, but my motto is: If in pain, Complain! Loudly. Please keep us posted.
Love your setter. Fabulous as always!!
Thank you so much, Susan. That’s very kind of you.
She has those big, soft Irish Setter eyes. And those big, soft ears. I saw an Irish setter just a few days ago, and Erin looks just like him. Is it a memorial bust for a friend?
Jonni, I love your comment and yes, that’s exactly what she was supposed to be. Does that setter live with someone you know? We’ve had three in the past. Loved them all.
I’ve only lived with one. She belonged to a roommate, and could have used more obedience training, but she was very loving. The one I saw recently was at the kennel when I took my pups in for their stay. The setter went every day, for ‘day care,’ to play with the other dogs. She was very excited to see her friends.
Jonni, Due to my horrible parenting skills, most of my fur babies have been out-of-control little (or not so little) monsters. My two current canine kids run over and hit the blinds on the sliding glass back door to make me get up to open it so they can go potty, but most of the time they really just want me to get them a treat. And they usually win. Now changing the subject, if I ever make pangolin scales, I’d probably use hot glue because they would be flexible and not break.
Sorry, I thought I had pasted the link on. Here it is..
https://sarahmanchestersculpture.blogspot.com/2019/07/sacred-heart-restoration.html
Sarah, WOW! That is truly an amazing restoration. Really quality work and gorgeous. Because I’m a moron, I didn’t think to just click on your name. Doh! So, Thank you so much for the link.
Thankyou Mister Shelbot. It was a labour of love. It looks great in the hallway. The halo was made from Jonni’s smooth air dry clay recipe.
Those hands are amazing, Sarah. You do wonderful work. Just in case people miss it, here’s the link to your blog post.
Thanks Jonni. I am very pleased with the halo made just from your smooth air-dry clay recipe. It is really hard and strong. No need for any wire re-inforcements I have a spare thin sheet dried and ready to use for something. It really is wonderful stuff.
It’s beautiful, Sarah – as all your work is. I’m always amazed at the intricate detail. Where will this be used?
This is the halo from the Sacred Heart restoration. It now takes pride of place in our hallway. The spare sheet of rolled and dry clay is waiting to be cut to shape but I don’t know what yet. Perhaps a halo for the matching Virgin Mary statue I hope to sculpt from scratch in the near future. That’s a new challenge for me. It will be modelled in clay and cast in plaster.
It’s beautiful. Do you restore antique artwork as a profession? I’m sure I’ve asked before, but I can’t remember the answer.
That is my favorite halo ever. You are remarkable.
Even though it’s still summer, I’m already thinking ahead to my Halloween costume & plan on utilizing the original paper mache clay recipe. Can anyone tell me approximately how many square feet the recipe listed on this site covers? I want to make sure I mix enough.
Hi Pat. That sounds like a math problem to me, and I’m terrible at math. The original paper mache clay recipe will make approximately 3.5 cups of pm clay. I tried to find the cubic inches of a standard measuring cup, and I didn’t find that info listed anywhere. Fortunately, if you run out, just make another batch.
Does anyone else have a better answer for Pat?
I don’t, and I can’t do “three-dimensional” math, but what I’m trying to say is how wide, deep, and thick! Best of luck.
My paper mache projects have been put on hold (different than being in prison!), while I’ve been working on a couple of stained glass projects. Here is one I finished this morning.
And the trees I finished a couple of weeks ago. One of the branches broke after it was completed, so I had to learn how to repair a stained glass. Now I have two others to repair — one easy, one difficult.
I promised this one to my best friend three years ago. At times the drafting process takes the longest.
Absolutely stunning Rex! Both of the stained glass pieces. I can imagine that the layout takes the longest! I had to smile about the sunflowers as that is the theme of my son’s wedding and we have had sunflowers on the brain lately. My daughter took on growing the flowers and dug up a 30×30 plot in her yard all for sunflowers! This has nothing to do with paper mache though so I apologize to all!
Beautiful work ….you know, in the art shows I am in, there are several stained glass artists there as well and yours are every bit as good, if not better than theirs. You should jury sometime.
Thanks, Eileen. A woman asked me how much a “small”sunflower would cost. The problem is that I got carried away and so excited, I couldn’t stay with the small anything. It was fun to do. I appreciate your comments.
It is a great wedding theme. 30 acres, however, sounds crazy, but I love it.
Seriously Rex, 30 acres? That would make her a sunflower farmer! Wouldn’t that be wonderful to see though?
Eileen, I’m getting new glasses! Psychologist will be next. Is it 30’x30′? That is still large. Sorry. I saw Van Gogh’s painting of sunflowers everywhere. Sounds like a great theme for a wedding.
Congratulations, Rex. They’re both stunning!
Thanks, Jonni.
Oh my gosh Rex, those are sooooo Beautiful!!! I have lots of windows so when you and Mr. Shelbot come stay on my couches please bring, haha! Fantastic!!!
Susan, I almost missed your adorable comment. I’m sure that Rex will bring the stained glass and I’m packing right now : )
Wow Rex, gorgeous work.
I am wanting to make flowers with thin petals
What would be th best recipe for that
Thank you
Yes, I love baby oil! The smell is nice and it works well. Good luck. I hope you’ll show us your flowers. (I did my own version I’ll post in a minute!)
Hi Margaret. The air dry clay recipe works well with flowers. You can see Eileen’s flowers (and hummingbird) here.
Mineral oil – not so easy to get in Mexico but I have read that baby oil is same thing. Can I use that ?
And so far I am having good results with the rabbit ballerina. Love your work.
Thanks, J
Yes, baby oil is the same thing. That’s what I use. And it will make your rabbit smell nice. 🙂
But if you don’t want to make a trip to the store, you can leave it out. The paper mache clay recipe works just fine without it.
I made this huge dragon head using Joni paper mache clay n what I call her paper mache paste.
I just began working on her wolf pattern last night.
I hope she does a monkey at some point like she has in her video holding up her books.
Hi Betheny. Do you have a photo of your dragon? We’d love to see it. If you tried to upload a photo, it was probably too big. You can make it smaller with this free online tool.
I’ve made several chimpanzees, but no monkeys yet, I don’t think. (But I do tend to forget things occasionally…) But it would be fun to have a few monkeys climbing the drapery cords or peering over the top of the kitchen cabinets. I’ll put it on my list. 🙂
These monkeys would be a lot of fun to make. If anyone gets to it before I do, I hope you’ll let us see how they turn out.
That would be so much fun. Whoever does them, please keep notes! Love them.
Thanks !
Hi Jonni
I send you 3 emails today sorry for the multiples . I forgot to attach pictures . Then just now I made another picture of the finished eyes I send it in email for the guest post . Posting here to let you know just in case the emails did not make it .
Hi Jonni! I’ve been working on my first attempt at your paper mache dogs book and I was just wondering how I can make my dog look more like a pit bull dog than a cow? lol! I keep adding more and more foil since it just looked way too skinny to be a stocky pit bull. Maybe it needs fatter and shorter legs? Thanks so much for any input you may have 🙂 I’m really enjoying your tutorial book!
-Danielle
Hi Danielle. Your dog looks very much like a bully dog to me. Once you add some paper mache the lower legs will thicken up a little. I think you’ll like him a lot better when he’s finished.
One of the favorite things I ever made is a pit bull-type mutt that actually started out as a draft horse. The horse just wasn’t working for me, so I made a ‘few’ changes. It ended up looking a lot like the dog I grew up with, and he’s been standing next to my dad’s TV for years. If I did it again I’d do a better job on the hind legs, but he turned out pretty good, considering… But don’t worry – your dog is not going to turn into a cow. 🙂
Thank you so much, Jonni! I will post a picture when I’m done 🙂 This is the first time I’ve ever created anything like this, so I’m going very slowly lol! Your pit bull dog is adorable!! Wow! I only hope to be able to create something half that good someday! What an inspiration you are!! 🙂
-Danielle
Danielle, You have a good beginning here. I immediately recognized it as a “tough” dog, so I don’t think a cow is coming out of that. I usually make my legs too thick, and Jonni is right when you put clay on them, they will probably be perfect. I love dogs and please show us when it’s finished. (Or before!)
Jonni, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that dog before, and what a great job.
Thank you so much for your encouraging words, Rex! 🙂 I’ve never made anything like this before, so hopefully it turns out ok lol! I will definitely post a pic once I’m finished. This has been such a fun project, I can see myself becoming addicted lol!!
-Danielle
That’s what happened to me. I have been an addict now for seven years! Can’t wait.
We had a few of these little guys living in our tree this winter. They are smaller than a grey squirrel, larger than a chipmunk and are super shy. Of course i then had to sculpt one.
Oh how cute !!! Just yesterday I noticed I have chipmunks living with my goat area .
Awww – he’s sweet. I love that big black eye. What are they called?
It is a flying squirrel. I don’t know what type. They don’t actually fly, it is more like a glide through the air. That flap on the side spreads out kind of like a webbing. We had a group of them in a tree outside of one of my windows. They come out at night and would disappear if they saw you. One time I shut off all the lights and watched from inside and used a flashlight. They were scampering all around the tree similar to a gray squirrel. So cute! Of course it helped that we had a big feeder on the tree that they could raid.
That is adorable. Wouldn’t it be fun to have about fifteen of these little critters crawling around on everything? Thanks, great.
That eye is awesome.
They are night creatures, hence the big black eye. We had 4 or 5 on the tree, I couldn’t really count as they move so fast. I never did see them glide/ fly though.
Love your squirrel Eileen, it is so realistic!! It reminds me of the little Douglas squirrels here in Oregon
Is that where you are from? That explains all of your big animals…everything in Oregon is big! Those trees! Just incredible!
My husband and I took a trip to the northwest several years ago and we did a ton of hiking. We actually saw some of those Douglas squirrels on our hikes. We were quite taken with them and had to look them up to see what type of squirrel they were. We don’t have them here in PA. What cuties! They weren’t very afraid of us either.
Will paper mache adhere to dense foam ? Thanks
I haven’t tried it. You’d need to do an experiment to find out.
I found an old piece of foam out in the desert that had been weather beaten. I thought it would make a good rock for a fairy tree (the hole in it). I had to dig out the foam, so I think it ought to be good. I don’t know if this helps because I dug out the foam, but you can see bits of it inside. So I vote yes! I put the clay right on the foam.
Of course, with a pig it would stay inside, unless you want to cut the pig in half, remove it, and then stick it back together. (Just leave it inside and experiment!)
Here’s the top, in case you are interested. I made this months ago.
I want the trunk of the tree to go in the hole and the roots to wrap around the rock (maybe have it covered with moss).
I used the paper mache clay as a coating for my foam giraffe, a gift for a granddaughter
I used the paper mache clay recipe from Joni’s book as a hard coating for the giraffe, a gift for my granddaughter
Process pic
It sticks well so i used it for grass texture as well
It’s beautiful, Terry! What a wonderful gift for a new baby. She’s going to be so proud of it when she’s older and her friends come to visit. Thanks so much for showing it to us.
I don’t suppose you took progress photos while you were making it, did you? If you would just happen to have some extra time on your hands, and some photos, I know a few thousand people who would love to see how it was done. If you’d like to write a guest post for the blog, just let me know. 🙂
Will email you
I got it, Terrry. Your article looks fantastic – it’s going to be a huge hit. I’ll make sure to let everyone know as soon as it’s online.
I am making a fat pig and I’ve padded and sculpted the shape with dense foam. Will paper mache adhere to the foam ?!?!
If you try it and the dry paper mache tries to fall off, just cover the foam with masking tape. We’d love to see that pig when it’s done, too. I’ve been toying with the idea of sculpting a bear with foam, but I haven’t found time to try it yet. I’d really like to know how you made you pig.
I have used foam as a base and covered it with paper mache clay with no difficulty, it stays on beautifully. I didn’t even use masking tape or the newspaper strips, just straight on. So go for it!
my daughter wished a fruit bat with it’s wings wrapped around and it’s little tongue sticking out . Wish granted . I call it Tutti Fruity
hahaha forgot to add the picture
OMG! That is amazing – your daughter is a very lucky lady. If you keep it up, I can imagine a few of our friends here on UPM begging you to adopt them. 🙂
Thanks Jonni this pic is before the clear finish I think I will use a glossier one for the wings and keep the rest in matte finish . The shellac should give it a more realistic look …maybe ..
Oh, yeah, I want to be adopted. I love bats. I lived in a place once with bats and found a dead one. I wanted to take it home and take photos, etc., but my cousin wouldn’t let me. Said it had rabies or it wouldn’t be dead. I love this one. The tongue is cute and funny.
Thanks Rex
btw Rex we like bats too , never thought of making one until my daughter ask for one . When we first moved into this house the previous owner had bat houses up and we had no mosquitoes they fell off the trees and we started to get more and more of those pesty insects. We hung 2 bat houses ( more being added ) last month. None have moved in yet that I can tell . I don’t like to use chemicals around our yard we have kids come and play and to many 4 legged friends to risk it.
That is amazing! Love the pink tongue! I would be a bit scared to go to sleep with that in my room! Nice job!
hahaha you made me laugh it won’t hurt you , I promise .
Great Bat Pia!
I know a few people in my house that would love something like that in their rooms too! The tongue is cool and I love the eyes.
I finally finished my almost life-sized zebra! The armature was made of cardboard, pool noodles and trash bags – just things I had at my house. I have no idea how many rolls of tape I used but I went through 10 batches of paper mache clay! I painted the stripes with black acrylic and sealed it with polycrylic paint.
It took me a little over 2 weeks to make because I have 6 kids at home. I’m very happy with the final product.
Lillie it is really nice !
Thank you!
Lillie, your zebra really turned out nice. With six kids at home, I’m amazed that you were even able to paint on all those stripes, let alone finish the entire zebra in just two weeks! Congratulations.
Where will he be displayed?
She was on display for our church’s VBS and for a second debut at my parent’s church.
Where will she go now? After all that work, I hope she has a permanent home.
We are bringing her back to our church soon. She will make more appearances in the future. There was some trouble with one leg due to a parent letting a kid sit on her back!!! People will do anything for a picture these days. -_- And she had to endure a 45 min truck ride. Hoping I can fix the leg when I get her back.
We’ve all had a chance to repair an ear or a leg. And I’ve even chopped off a few heads and reattached them in a slightly different pose, so I have faith that you can get her back to normal. I’m glad more people will have a chance to see her. Good luck! 🙂
I can’t do a little one in two weeks. Love the stripes, the thick ones and the little ones around the legs. Thank you for showing us. The mane is great.
Thank you! I was under a tight deadline so I had to make it happen. The mane is 3.5 Dollar store brooms. I just painted the blue bristles with acrylics.
Excellent idea!
I love creative people. Good thinking.
This is wonderful Lillie! I like the idea of using the pool noodles. What did you make the mane from? Fantastic job with the markings too!
Didn’t read the comment about the store brooms until after I made the comment. Great idea for the mane!
Thanks!
Hi Jonni,
I have been working on this project for about three months and finally finished it. It’s called, “Wash Day.” I used a photo reference of ladies washing their laundry at a wall in Italy. First created the base and wall, then made the armature figures. Next I covered the figures with paper mache and then the first layer of paper clay (basically, just a form). After letting it dry for about three days, I added the details of the clothes and used very thin glue to cover some tissue paper for the sheets. Again, I let everything dry for about three days and then painted the piece. It was entered into an art festival in Alabama, where it won 3rd place. I was pleasantly surprised.
It’s wonderful, Sue. You captured the pose of the ladies perfectly. How big is it? And where will it be displayed after the art festival is over?
Thank you Jonni! The piece is 20 inches by 8 inches high (the ladies stand about 6 – 7 inches), by 6 inches deep. It has been on display at an art museum in Florence, Alabama. Haven’t decided if I will sell it yet.
Stunning! I am not surprised it won a prize! Congratulations!
Thank you Eileen!
Sue that is awesome . Congratulations to 3rd place !
Thank you Pia!
Sue what a stunning little piece you made
I would love to see more
Thank you Margaret!
I have been working on some simple whimsical pieces that I will be taking to some small craft shows this fall. I am about half way through making another big piece based on a photo I saw in the Getty Images web site. The piece is 3 men during the depression who are looking at a newspaper. I am calling it , “Searching For Hope.” Right now I am in the process of doing the detail work on each man and then will finish with the painting. It will probably take another month. I’ll post it when it’s finished.
That is truly a piece of art. It reminds me of the old masters, and the idea for the sheet is brilliant. I was going to say stunning, and it is. That was the first word that came to mind. Love the colors.
Thank you for sharing this with us. We give you first place!
Thank you Rex!
Another paper clay artist (Debbie Court from Wales) who is a friend does a lot of her work with tissue instead of newspaper and she gave me some tips on how to get the translucent effect for the sheet.
Thanks for the comments about the colors too. That is usually my struggle, trying to decide the colors (if any) and not being heavy handed with them. It’s the most terrifying part of the work for me. I get the piece finished and then I’m afraid to put the paint on for fear I’ll ruin it. So far, I’ve been fortunate with most of my work.
Working on donkey for life size nativity scene. Do you have a pattern for one? Thanks!
Hi Sue – no, we don’t have a pattern for a donkey. The closest is a colt I made several years ago. But you can make your own pattern with the methods shown in this video. It’s the same method I teach in my book Make Animal Sculptures with Paper Mache Clay.
Have fun!
If you get Jonni’s book, you could make a donkey. Her instructions are clear, easy to follow, and makes you feel like an artist. Good luck.
I will put it on my dream list, along with a camel!
If you have questions as you go, there are many people here with much experience who can help you.
Trying once more with the photo!
Cool leaf. I hope you’ll show us what it looks like after you finish it. If you don’t want nail holes, you might want to look into something like Command picture hanging strips. They are basically velcro strips with the Command adhesive that isn’t suppose to damage what it’s mounted to. Command is a 3M product and they have all sorts of hooks, too.
Awesome! That is a great leaf. I do hope you will show us it again when it is painted. Thanks.
Just finished this guy for my escape room
Animal Kingdom
Thanks for the great patter
Hi Tina. Did you try to send us a photo? If you did, it didn’t come through – but we would love to see it! Photos need to be under 250 kb. You can make your image smaller with this free online tool.
Nice leaf, Danny! I know you’ve already received several suggestions for hanging them. You might also take a look at the serrated hangers they sell in the picture hanging section of a DIY store. Some of them are made to be screwed onto the back of a frame, but you could use epoxy glue instead. But if the command hangers work, that would be easier. Do we get to see them all when you get them arranged on your wall?
I am making little houses out of foil and plastic bottles. But I’m having trouble getting the paper mache clay to go on the plastic bottles. It just pushes around. Amy advice?
Hi Amy. Very few things will stick to plastic. Try wrapping the bottles with masking tape first, and then apply the paper mache clay. That should work. And we’d love to see your little houses when they’re done. 🙂
Thanks so much! Sure will post a picture
Hi all I have a question I would like to make a cast of my gorilla bust . I bought life casting self releasing body double ( made for humans ) . Do I need to apply something to my bust so the mold does not stick to it and mess it up ?? and what can I use ? BTW Jonni haven’t forgot about the guest post about making glass eyes . I am going to do that soon . I need do the eyes for my Tiger bust real soon . I got 2 baby goats that need bottle feeding so I been busy 🙂 They are adorable
Hi Pia. I’m sorry it took so long to get back to you – I took a few days off to visit my dad. If you just happen to have a photo of those two baby goats, we’d love to see them. 🙂
It looks like the Body Double product is silicone, so it shouldn’t stick to your gorilla. But I’d do a very small test in a hidden place, just to make sure. We don’t want anything to happen to that beautiful sculpture! You’ll probably need a plaster backing for the silicone, and I usually use plaster cloth if I’m only going to use the mold a few times. The water in the plaster cloth could easily damage the gorilla if the silicone doesn’t completely seal it.
Hi Jonni Thank you for your reply . We all need those days away and do family stuff 🙂 I will take precautions I never even thought of the wet plaster cloth which I am planning on using . Thanks, I wrap what ever is exposed in plastic wrap since I am only going to cast his face . Attached is a picture of my baby goats the tri color on the left is Mr.Bean (Bean for short) because he has a marking on his back that looks like a coffee bean . He was Ricky until my granddaughter discovered the marking . The little one on the right is Miss Lucy . She is 2 weeks younger . I of course have already the idea of sculpting them 🙂 Oh they are so funny we have laughed over their acrobatic tendencies so much already . Making progress on the fruit bat and of course I have a little dog and another head bust going . This time even though it was suppose to be a lioness it will be a tiger 🙂