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Is my Toad going to survive a Minnesota winter?
A lot of people are getting anxious to know how my experiment with the paper cement clay is working out. Our snow melted enough for me to find my toad this morning, so I checked to see how he’s doing.
I put the recipe online in July, 2022, and a week later I made my sculpture of a toad sitting on a squash leaf. The toad has been outside since early August, in hot sun and very cold snow.
So far, he looks exactly the same as he did when I put him outside seven months ago. The paper cement clay is still hard as a rock, and the sealer I used has protected the paint, even though he sat in the hot sun for several summer months and under a foot of snow this winter.
I’m looking forward to making more outdoor sculptures. Now I just wish I had a nice flower garden to put them in. 🙂
Links to things mentioned in the video:
- Paper Cement Clay Recipe Video
- Leaf Casting made with paper cement clay
- Folk Art Bunny
- Gnome Tutorial
- Gnome Update (about the paint)
- Starting the toad sculpture, with pattern
- Painting the toad
Several other people have created sculptures with the recipe, including Michele’s lizard, Anthony’s Frankenstein’s monster, and Janice’s very tall giraffe. If I missed any, please let me know so I can add them here.
We hope to hear back about their experiments in the spring to find out how well their sculptures are holding up.
Just wanted to say thanks for all the detailed videos! Wanted to check in on the frog and leaf as it has been a few years now!
I am trying it out in Denver, but I used much coarser paper pulp from recycled brown paper bags and Amazon packaging. We will see how it turns out!
Hi Andrew. I gave the frog and leaf to a friend who moved into a new house, so I can’t give you any more updates. When I gave it to her, it had been outside in one South Dakota year, and it still looked like new.
You are the best! I’m going to have a go sculpting a piece for my semi-outdoor garden (covered from the weather but still damp and sitting on plants/soil etc), and NOT sealing it. I want to see how it goes as something moss and tiny plants might eventually grow from and age gracefully ( I suppose more like a carved wooden piece would outside). I will get back to you!
(Tasmania, Australia)
That sounds like a great experiment – I can’t wait to hear how it turns out! 🙂
Can you make a larger batch and keep it to reuse ? For example on my project I’ll need a few layers to build it up. Will the extra cement material keep until I’m ready to reapply?
I don’t think so. Portland cement hardens by chemical action, not by drying. I try to make just as much as I can use up within four hours, although some people have said they can keep it overnight.
Thank you. That was my thought but sometimes there are secrets ?
Your sculptures are amazing as is your willingness to research and test the process to help the others along. I really appreciate your effort. I’m preparing for a giant turtle makeover in the morning and wanted to review the clay cement recipe. Thank you so much. ??
Hi Jonni,
I am wondering if it would work the same using white Portland Cement instead of the gray? From what I can see, they are both type 1 general purpose.
I think it should work. I haven’t tried it yet, but it seems like they’re just a different color. If you make something with the white cement, please let us know how it works out.
Thanks for your input, I’ll try it! I appreciate the wealth of information you share with everyone, thanks for all the inspiration!
This is what I used:
https://www.acehardware.com/departments/paint-and-supplies/waterproofing-and-sealers/concrete-and-driveway-sealers/1021614
Thanks, Rhonda!
Hey Jonni, my jacks have survived 3 months outside so far. Fairly mild winter, but lots and lots of rain.
That’s great! I checked your previous post and you mentioned using a cement block filler and sealer. Is there a brand name for that product, or do you maybe have a link to it, so we could see what you used? I’m really happy that the paper cement clay is holding up in snow and rain, and with different sealers. Especially since my house is running out of space for more sculptures, so I need to start putting my new ones outside. 🙂