Made by Mary
Hi, Jonni
I suggested you make a cat for Halloween but you had already done one of those! Well, here is my attempt at a Halloween cat!
I wanted a cat that was scruffy with the typical arched back and sharp teeth. We have quite a few of these feral type cats here in Greece so I had plenty of inspiration. It was quite challenging to get the right balance as the head puts a lot of weight at the front. (Actually, I had to break the front legs to try to straighten them a bit to force the weight back a bit! Paper mache is very forgiving for mistakes like this!)
I wasn’t too bothered about how rough the paper mache clay looked as I felt this would add to the look I wanted, but in the event this caused problems with painting it black, as there are loads of little nooks and crannies that didnt take the paint first time. I will be coming back to this project several times before I can seal it and call it done. I might do another cat with different fur next time.
The frizz of fur along the spine was done with acrylic toy fur. I painted this black and stuck it to the spine and tail. The whiskers are made from fishing line. I built the cat on a wire armature that I stuffed with newspaper before wrapping the whole thing in tape. I find that using tin foil for the size of my works works out very expensive, but there is no doubt that you could get a better result!
I hope you enjoy my cat!
Thanks again! You are very kind. I did water down the paint to begin with but clearly not enough! I am gradually finding all the spots so should be sealing it soon. It is just for my enjoyment as we dont get any trick or treaters willing to come down the very steep driveway to our house, so it’s not a big deal.
Romantic? Yes, it is a beautiful island. We are lucky to live here so can put up with a few inconveniences. I do get jealous when I see all the lovely supplies that are available in the states! I am so happy to have found Jonni’s website and her recipe for paper clay. Even I can get tp, flour and joint filler- although mine is in powder form, lol!
Wow what an awsome piece, I know what I am making next year for Halloween!
The whiskers and hair are an excellent touch I’m going to have to borrow that technique.
Fantastic job and inspiration!
Thank you, I am glad you found so.ething you can use.
I didn’t even see the white spots! His attitude is perfect. (If they bother you, get some glazing liquid; it makes the paint thin and will more easily slide in the nooks and crannies.) Great job.
Thanks for your kind comments, Rex. I wish I could get some glazing liquid but I live on an island where art supplies are limited. Most shipping companies like Amazon require a postal address and I don’t have one. Our village is very small so we don’t even have a mail service! Everything goes to the local shop where Yorgis keeps it for us until we go in to collect. I will look out for some when I next go to England but in the present circumstances thats not likely to be any time soon ?
Sounds romantic and like the next town over. I swear their postal office is about four feet square! Maybe water will work?
Lovely cat. Thanks.
Thanks Jonni! I cant wait to see what you decided to make for Halloween!
… And thanks for not calling me out on all the white spots! I am dealing with these as I see them!
I agree with Rex – I didn’t see any white spots. 🙂
He’s definitely scary – and absolutely perfect! Thank you so much for showing him to us. 🙂