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:
Jonni Beautiful work. Thanks for posting you’re link. That Snowy Owl is beautiful and I’m going to try it. The rest of the animals are beautiful too.
With your encouragement I’m going to post my work. Thank you for the invitation. I make Wall pockets with clay. I use white, terra cotta and porcelain clay. Thank you for your patience. I’ll get these loaded and post them. Thank you..
Hi Jonnie. I am about to start the life size baby elephant project using strong cardboard instead of plywood as you said it’s not so heavy. Would you suggest using cardboard for the legs as well and then the 2” x 4” pieces of wood as spacers, would that work? Really excited and looking forward to the challenge, as it’s my first Papier Mache project after watching your videos. I took your advice and contacted my local newspaper office and they gave me a ‘sack truck’ of unsold newspapers for a few dollars, enough to make a full sized adult elephant!!!
Hi Sue. Yes, if you squish the paper fairly tight when you add the stuffing on the legs, the cardboard should be plenty strong enough to hold up your elephant. I hope you’ll show it to us when it’s done! 🙂
Hi Jonni,
I just happened on your site while looking for paper maché sculpture.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with the world!
I have a realistic human face project and I know your site is going to be of great help! I’m a sculptor, ceramist and art teacher from Belgium.
Thanks again and I once I get started I’ll share with you what I have done! 🙂
We can’t wait to see it! Have fun. 🙂
Hi, Jonni and friends…it’s been a while since I posted., but I have been visiting often. I was going to try making that adorable chicken, but I don’t have any newspaper. I stopped delivery when I couldn’t read it. I have a lot of used computer paper and wonder if there is any way that could be used.
Like always when I am searching for something to do this poem popped into my head so I thought I would share it. By the way, your daughter looks so much like you. She has a lovely site.
For you
If I could paint a picture
To brighten up your day
I’d paint some happy children
Laughing at their play
I’d paint the look on a mother’s face
As she holds her newborn child
Or I’d paint a field of flowers
Growing beautiful and wild
I’d try to paint a sunbeam
Or the drops of a springtime rain
Or the delicate, lacy fingers of frost
On a winter windowpane
I’d also really like to try
To paint a misty rainbow
As it arcs across the sky
I’d paint a tiny kitten
As it frolics on the rug
And then I’d paint a kiss or two
And then I’d paint a hug
I’d paint these images for you
Though it might take a while
But it would be so worth it
If I could make you smile.
What a beautiful poem, Joyce. Thank you so much for sharing it. And yes, copy paper works just fine. I hope you have fun with your chicken – and does this mean you’re feeling better?
Thanks, Jonni…I have good days and some not so good. On the good ones I think I can get started creating again, but unfortunately they are few and far between. But I have hope and one day I’ll see when I can do with that computer paper. In thr meantime I’ll write poems.
I know there are lessons here on adding one-ply towels to make elephant skin, but I can’t find it. Anyone help me? I’m almost ready to try it. Thanks.
Hi Rex. I just did a search for a tutorial I may have done, but the only thing I could find were projects where the paper towels were discussed as part of the project. Nothing specifically for making elephant skin except for the first video on this page, starting at about the 2:15 mark. It can be done in several ways, but for the wall elephant I used a thin layer of paper mache clay that had more glue in it than usual, laid the towel on top, and squooshed it around to make wrinkles. This works on a large sculpture but could add too much thickness for something that’s smaller. Another way that works well is to just mix up some regular flour and water paste, or the “DIY gesso” mix with about equal parts of joint compound and glue. Brush it on the dry paper mache clay or dip the paper towel pieces into the paste, lay it on the sculpture and move it around in the spots where wrinkles are needed. In this method the “skin” is paper thin. If you use the gesso you can brush a little on top of the paper to give you a nice hard surface for paint.
We can’t wait to see your elephants!
I believe I heard the paper towel idea for the baby elephant lessons. Because the bumpy paper towels make good “skin”
Hello, we have bought the giant bullfrog trophy head and were wondering if there are step by step instructions for this please for my daughter and I to follow? Many thanks Justine
Hi Justine. There are two videos here that show you how the bullfrog goes together, and how to finish it. The pieces are all numbered, and their placement is shown on page 2 of your pattern. I hope this helps – let me know if you have any more questions. 🙂
So Jonni. what is the verdict on the clay made without joint compound? Does it need refrigeration, how is it with mold, how long can you store it???