Daily Sculptors Page
Join the conversation and share your paper mache sculptures with our supportive community.
No artwork to share today? That’s OK, too… We’d love to hear from you. Just scroll down to the bottom of this page and use the comment form. 🙂
The latest photos from our readers:
Greetings: Jonni Good, I would like to thank you for having great recipes and being so nice to share with us. I work with in a residential care facility and do crafts with the residents, as my time permits. They really enjoy paper mâché and painting. I’ve made 3 of your recipes and they are a game changer. Thank you.
Thank you, Connie! What an inspiring comment. 🙂
Hi Jonni, I’m wanting to know if I can use your air dry clay to make a bowl from a small calendar (strainer) . I’m wanting to make Easter baskets from it. Will the dried clay come out alright. The strainer has little holes in it of course. Maybe oil it first ? Thank You for any help.
Hi Jan. The air dry clay will tend to go into the holes, so it could be difficult to pull the dried bowl out of the strainer. It also shrinks a little when it dries, and I don’t know how the little bumps poking into the holes will hold up during the shrinking process. Use a release, like a small amount of oil, and then do some tests to see if it will work.
I just would like to thank Jonni so much for exciting my artist that lived inside of me for many many years. She has taught me so much and continues to do so. She is such a passionate artist and teacher. I enjoy working with the paper mache clay recipe that she has developed. I can go on and on. Your the best Jonni and thank you so much.
Thank you for such a nice comment! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the site. 🙂
I bought the Horse Sculpture Pattern. Is the unicorn mask the same size horse face or is it larger? As I got the face finished, I realize that I need it much bigger… Do I need to buy a different pattern or will it still work if it is enlarged?
The unicorn mask is slightly smaller, to fit a human face. All of the patterns can be enlarged – as long as each page is printed at the same size, all the pieces will fit.
Hi Jonni
I am doing the dragon head and have a couple of questions regarding the teeth. Did you just paint them or did you cover with the clay then paint?
With the spikes, I read that you did paper mache paste first, Could I just cover them with the paper mache clay?
Thank s
Hi Norma. I just painted the teeth on mine, but you could use paper mache clay to make them more realistic. That’s also true for the spikes. I hope you’re having fun with it!
Just purchased some patterns and itching to get started but unsure of the thickness of the corrugated cardboard I need to use. Couldn’t find any info in the pattern. Can someone help. Thanks.
Hi Karen. I used single corrugated cardboard, the type used in most amazon.com cartons, for the lion. Some really heavy cardboard would be too thick. The elephant is printed on card stock, and the giraffe has both the amazon box-type corrugated cardboard for the neck and cereal box cardboard for the head.
Have fun with your sculptures!
I just found your site on Pinterest and I totally found my new idol! I love your art and attention to detail so much. The very thorough explanations and instructions are so helpful. After I watched the baby elephant wall hanging video I told my husband how I strive to be you someday in the way of my art skills lol. Thank u and keep doing what you’re doing . It brings joy to many ! XoAuBrey Kirk -Hermiston , Or USA
Hi AuBrey – I’m originally from La Grande and my grandparents lived in Hermiston for years. Small world! I’m glad you found the site. 🙂
Hi Jonni,
I have finished my baby elephant head and now I am trying to figure out how to hang it. Do you have a tutorial or blog on hanging the sculptures? The back is cardboard with paper mache clay over it. I’m wondering if that is strong enough to hold some kind of hanging system.
Thanks much.
Nancy
My baby elephant has been hanging on the wall for years. I just drilled a hole in the back and hang it over a nail. I have other wall sculptures that have been glued to wooden plaques, and they have metal hangers on the back. But the baby elephant is quite large, and I don’t know if it’s possible to get a wooden plaque that big.
Hi Nancy, A smallish, maybe 4 to 6 inch French Cleat might work well as it distributes the weight a little more evenly then having all the weight on a single nail hole if you are not going to add a wood backing. You can get them on Amazon. I find they have worked well for some of my clay wall pieces and they also help in keeping things level once installed as it is more a two part strip instead of just a point that the work hinges onto.
What is it with red acrylic paint? Any colour of red. I gesso my sculptures but red is always blotchy and requires many coats to get it looking nice.
I know someone out there has the answer please and thanks very much.
Jennifer.
it’s just red paint in general – it’s the worst color to cover anything. I painted a wall a deep red once upon a time. I primed it twice and had to add 6 coats or so of red for it to look decent. It still wasn’t perfect. That was using top rated paint
Thank you. That’s crazy!
So it’s not just me.
Cheers.
Jennifer,
You may want to tent the primer with gray.
I have a red kitchen and love the color. The gray tent helped a lot with the blotchy streaks.
I’ve made sculptures before with the flour PMC but this time am using it without flour. Previously I only used aluminum foil and tape for the armature but this time tried some other techniques…
For the armature of my chickens, I’m using crushed plastic.water bottles and under the hardened clay, they still feel a little squishy. Should I add another layer of clay? *please note that this has happened b4 but I don’t remember mu solution*
Also, what would be best to add beads and feathers? I usually drill a hole for the feathers but the beads are a new addition (in the way I want to use them*
I will be selling these and don’t want them falling off!
Love your work!!!!!
Michele
Hi Michele. If the paper mache clay is dry but it still bends when you push on it, I think you should add another layer. It’s also possible that it isn’t quite dry all the way through. If there’s plastic right up against the clay on one side, that area will stay damp a lot longer than you would expect.
BTW, I think your website is delightful! But I did have to edit the URL that you typed into the form, because you used http instead of https. Without that extra ‘s’ my browser wouldn’t show me your site. I think there’s a way to get your server to automatically send people to the right URL. Your web host should be able to help. Never mind – I think it was my boo boo – your site is showing up just fine. Ignore the note… 🙂Hi Jonni, have you ever made and used cold porcelain clay and what is your review of it?
Hi Pat. I think I remember seeing your question before, and I totally forgot to answer you. Sorry! I think I tried cold porcelain 10 or 15 years ago, and I wasn’t excited about it. But I don’t remember why. I’m not sure if its meant to be applied over an armature, and without the reinforcement of any paper fibers it might crack. But that’s just a guess. Have you tried it?
Hi everyone. It’s me Jennifer Green. Today I was juried in at the Artists co-op Gallery in Owen Sound. A small city set on the waters of Georgian Bay. Ontario Canada.
I am their guest artist for the month of December! Excitement overload! I’m just so full of myself I can hardly stand it. No. Just kidding. I do think this calls for some wine though. As if I need an excuse.
Jennifer Green.
That’s fantastic news, Jennifer! I think we should all have some wine, to celebrate with you. 🙂
I agree!
Thank you Jonni. If I lived nearby or even in the same country I would show up with wine and nibbles.Jen.
Jennifer, That is so cool and well earned. I don’t blame you for being “full of” yourself : } I am excited for you. Congratulations!
Thanks so much Mister Shelbot. I gotta tell you I’m running on adrenaline. They said I can bring pieces in for November as well for Christmas shopping which is November and December.
Cool!
Congrats Jennifer. Just think of all the people who will see your work! Wine indeed!
Wine to celebrate indeed. Mind you every night is wine night!
A nice dry white is always a welcome sight.
Hey! That rhymes!
Thanks for the encouragement. You rock.
Hi Jonni, I just downloaded your cow pattern and want to make it twice as big! Is there an easy way to print it out larger? I attempted to load the PDF into photoshop to enlarge everything but there’s a permissions password. Figured you probably get this question from time to time so I would just ask what you recommend. Thanks! -Chris
Hi Chris. You don’t need to alter the files in Photoshop. Almost all printers can be set to print the patterns larger. When you have the PDF open you can choose “poster” in the printer settings. This video shows how. Of course, if you choose to print at a larger size on multiple pages, you’ll need to tape the pages together before you can use the pattern pieces, because they’ll be cut apart during the printing process. It’s a lot easier to take the file to your local printer and ask them to print it at a larger size on bigger paper. A lot of people have done that, and it works really well.
Perfect thanks Jonni!
Hi Joni, my father always kept any cement project damp because it helps cure cement crystals stronger, but after carefully studying your recipes I don’t think it is needed because you have damp paper in mix, which will be damp for awhile, until it is truly cured! I’ll try both ways, I’ll do one and keep it sprayed for a week with water, maybe this can tell us which one is stronger!
Hi Beth. I hadn’t thought of the damp paper – I think you’re right. I didn’t keep mine damp, although I didn’t rush the drying, either – and the toad is still doing fine. I really look forward to the results of your experiment. 🙂
Hi Jonni: I stumbled across your site and am glad I did. My bright idea is to make a Halloween guy — for the head I’m using a styrofoam (wig) head, but I will need to sculpt it for expression/detail. I watched a couple of your videos, and thought I might cover the styrofoam head in “regular” paper mache first, then use your paper mache clay recipe to coat that, and finally finish using a thin, drywall compound layer to smooth it out. Does this sound appropriate? I was thinking I should apply a “regular” paper mache base as it might have better adhesion to the styrofoam — and it will create a base to which the clay details can stick.
I assume your paper clay goes over regular paper mache nicely, but I haven’t found a video that shows this particular method – I might have missed this (I see you using paper mache clay as your first layer, but not paper mache clay over regular paper mache). Hoping you can share some of your expertise as this is all new to me! Many thanks! Melissa
Hi Melissa. Yes, your idea should work well. I don’t put a first layer of paper strips and paste when I use the paper mache clay, but many of my readers do. And I haven’t tried using the paper mache clay directly over foam, but a reader recently told us that it worked for him. You could test it, if you want, or just do your first layer with paper strips, like you intended. It will definitely work. Have fun! 🙂
Hi Melissa. I use paper strips all the time and have put pm clay over it. It works great. I actually like the old paper strips. You can get a smooth surface if you fill the armature with crushed paper and masking tape. I use the crushed paper like clay, even bunching little pieces in dips to smooth. It works great.
I am working on a sculpture of a woman walking dogs and I just couldn’t think of what to use for the leashes. Finally it came to me. If you go to your nearest thrift shop they have old bracelets and necklaces for any where from a dollar to few bucks. Nice to keep the cost down.
I hope this idea will be useful for someone.
Great idea! 🙂
Hello all! I am working away on a pair of owl masks for Halloween (will post the finished results hopefully soon!) Tonight I am hoping to cover the inside and outside with a layer of strips and then move on to paper-maché clay when strips are dry. In the videos, I have seen it the strips done with a newspaper recipe, with a blue shop towel recipe, and most recently, brown craft paper dipped in #3 Titebond. What are the differences between these techniques? Which should I use?
Also, do you ever put screen or mesh over the eyes? I was thinking of doing that, but haven’t seen it in any of the videos. Thanks!
Hi Amanda. If you intend to completely cover the paper mache with the paper mache clay, it really doesn’t matter at all what type of paper mache you put under it. The clay dries really hard and strong, no matter what it’s placed over. However, the newspaper with cooked flour and water paste is easiest to get nice and smooth, and that would be the most comfortable as the inside layer on your mask.
I use the Titebond wood glue for all of the Lion King masks, because a lot of times one person is in charge of creating 30 masks for the play. That’s a lot of work, and standard paper and paste takes a long time to dry. The wood glue dries really fast, and one layer is very strong when put on over the cardboard that the masks are made out of. The shop towel technique works well over a clay model, if you can find the nice stretchy ones. You can use either a mixture of drywall joint compound and glue for the paste, or a mixture of Elmer’s Glue-All and water. The towels are very thick but soft, so all the strength comes from the dried paste and the towels need to be saturated with it. It’s the technique I used in my book How to Make Masks, and if you’re putting the paper mache over a clay model, it will work well for you – but you can do the same with the paper strips and paste.
I haven’t put screen or mesh over the eyes in a mask, but it’s an interesting idea – just make sure you can still see well enough to keep from tripping over anything.
I can’t wait to see how your owl masks turn out. 🙂
Hi Jonni! Thanks again for getting back to me. I have decided to try the Titebond and craft paper and will follow that with the paper mache clay for shape and texture. I have seen you talk about sealing your paper mache. Do you seal before painting, after painting, or both? What should I use? I think I saw varnish somewhere? Or maybe there was something acrylic and clear? Thanks again. Definitely telling everyone about your site.
I use either acrylic gesso or a spray primer before painting, and then I use an acrylic varnish after painting. Or I sometimes use a clear spray in place of the varnish, if there are a lot of sculptural details on the work, and the spray would be faster than putting the varnish on with a brush. The varnish protects the paint and seals the paper mache so humidity in the air can’t get into the paper mache. But it won’t make the piece waterproof for use outside. I hope you’re still having fun with your owl masks. 🙂
Hi all. I am in Australia and having issues in getting the silky smooth clay to work right. It doesn’t smooth out with a silicone spatula, it drags and goes like Elephant skin. If I do it with my fingers it too drags. If I use the back of a spoon it basically comes off and if I try doing it with wet fingers/spatula/spoon it seems to pull out the paper and “pills”.
Anyone here in Australia that can give me the brands etc they use to get it to work?
Hi Jonni,
I have mixed my first batch of paper mache clay. I weighed out the paper, pva and pre mixed wall filler. I mixed with an electric whisker and ended up with the dough hooks. Now I am trying to spread it, it is too dry and sort of pulls itself off of the armature. I am making your baby elephant…I dipped the silicone spreader in water to see if this helped but it still seems to spread over and then come off again when I try to smooth it. Can you help me please x
Hi Nancy. I’ve never had that happen, so I don’t know what went wrong. However, I would add a bit more glue and joint compound, and mix again. (You didn’t use DAP joint compound by any chance, did you? It won’t work, and a few brands in other countries have the same problem.) It’s the glue and joint compound make the mixture sticky and spreadable, so adding more seems like a good thing to try.
Thank you Jonni. The joint compound isnt DAP. I will give adding more pva and joint compound a try today. Many thanks x
Hi, I so much enjoy your work, thank you. I would like to mix up some clay using your recipe. I was reading the info on the Proform joint compound from National Gypsum and it has a warning on it. Do not handle with bare hands and do not breath, contains Crystalline Silica. Cancer causing warning, this part concerns me. It looks like the same stuff you have? Can you help me out with this please, thanks so much. Tifa
Hi Tifa. Yes, that’s the brand I like to use, when I can find it. But all drywall joint compound contains the silica. You don’t want to sand it without wearing a mask, because the dust is really fine and you don’t want to breath it. That’s true of sanding wood, too, of course. I almost never sand my paper mache clay, anyway. And when I use the drywall joint compound on home repair jobs, I wet sand it to keep the dust from going all over the house. The product can also dry out your hands because of the calcium, which is very absorbent. I apply paper mache clay to my armatures with a knife, not my hands, but if you want to use your hands for some reason, I recommend using gloves. Hope this helps. 🙂