Note: I recently designed a pattern for a cat mask. It can be use as a mask or a wall sculpture. You can see it here.
Thanks to everyone who sent in photos of their paper mache cats. If you would like your own cat to be included in this gallery, send me the photos and I’ll add them. They can be cats you made following the paper mache cat videos I made, or they can be cats you made following another method. If you already posted your own cat as a comment on another page and you’d like the photo to be included in this gallery, just let me know. (Copyright laws don’t allow me to move your photos and comments without permission – or at least that’s what I’ve been told.)
Click on the thumbnail images to see them larger. Since I haven’t figured out how to make comments show up in the lightbox, see the artists’ comments about their cats below. (If you know how to get the comments in the lightbox with the pictures, where they belong, please let me know).
The artists:
Joanne Gennarella said: “The snow leopard was reworked from my original one sent to you when I did her with the [Monique Robert] method of paper mache. This time I went over snow leopard with paper mache clay for a more realistic fur look. For calico kitty – I used my usual armature of wire, paper, and tape, over which I layered paper mache clay. This cat was inspired by Jonni’s class tutorial of her pretty cat. Good job Jonni with the class, let’s have some more.”
Vivian Dominguez said: “I saw your post and wanted to submit my cat! It’s not done using your method. This cat was made with newspaper, masking tape, glue, yarn, misc fabric, toothpicks, and fishing wire. The head, ears, limbs and paws all move with fishing wire and the eyes will be animated on later. I made the cat for a webseries in the works…you can learn a bit more about it here: http://squirrelkingthemovie.blogspot.com/p/series-synopsis.html . ”
Ron Gordon said: “Here is a pic of my bobcat. I followed your lessons online.”
Nice work, everyone! Now let’s add to the paper mache cat gallery – send in your photos soon, and see them here.
All of the lessons to make a paper mache cat:
- How to Make a Paper Mache Cat, Lesson #1 – Making the Pattern
- How to Make a Paper Mache Cat, Lesson #2 – Making the Armature
- How to Make a Paper Mache Cat, Lesson #3 – Padding the Armature
- How to Make a Paper Mache Cat, Lesson #4 – Sculpting the Face
- How to Make a Paper Mache Cat, Lesson #5 – Toes, Ears and Tail
- How to Make a Paper Mache Cat, Lesson 6
- How to Make a Paper Mache Cat – Final Lesson
Jonnie, you are a nature born artist and teacher. Very good step by step instruction. Your advice and approach is inspiring – everything is a learning experience and if one fails, try again. Love seeing other artists work and methods.
Thanks, Sandi! 🙂
Hi Jonni and friends. After reading the posts I guess I’ll have to call myself a “ stalker” too. I enjoy this site so much, the sculptures are so beautiful and so varied I am just green with envy. Reading all those wonderful posts about your clay must have you bursting with pride. It is so heart warming to read how people appreciate the time and efforts you spent making this a place where artists can not only show their work, but also tell how it was created.
I am still unable to do much because of my arm, even typing is difficult and I keep thinking of all my clay and paints, etc. It does make me depressed, but then I come to visit your site and after reading and viewing I feel a little more lighthearted.
Joyce
Hi Joyce – it’s good to hear from you again. You’ll be back to making your artwork soon, I hope.
I made this Beach Cat for my mom for Christmas. It is the first project I ever made and the whole time I was thinking it was a disaster.
With each process, I was sure it was going to fail. I am horribly critical of myself!
As Christmas loomed closer and closer (2 days away), I looked at this cat, still in plaster form. face not to my liking, reality set in that it was do or die because I had not planned on failing therefore, had not considered actual Christmas shopping, therefore I would not have a gift to give if this thing didn’t get completed!
I decided to bite the bullet and just stop worrying and build..build..build.
At this stage my mind opened up and I could freely begin to look at this as art. It did not have to be a perfect replica of a cat. The features did not have to be exact. Something inside just clicked! I was on a roll now!
I started with balls of tin foil wrapped in masking tape. Then I used the paper mache clay recipe, but I measured something wrong and it was so thick and gummy. I didn’t know better so I used it anyway. It was a struggle for the whole time. I managed to get through the process and decided for future I would find a different recipe. Upon review, I discovered my mistake and the next batch went on like a dream. So smooth an soooo much easier than the first gloppy batch I made. It is an excellent recipe.
So, 2 days before Christmas I had to get this thing in paint. I worked and worked on painting it, but of course, thought it looked terrible. I was looking at it with what I call, “hard eyes”. I looked closely, picking apart every flaw and thinking it was not good enough. Again, I told myself that this is art. There is no right or wrong answer! I convinced myself that it was fine and began to look at it with “soft eyes”. Taking in the project as a whole, rather than inch by inch.
Turns out, the project came out amazingly well. I was proud to present it to my mom and she was stunned that I had actually made it. She was sure I purchased it from somewhere.
Anyway…here it is. 🙂
I love your beach cat, Wendy. He has a wise look about him, in spite of his decorative hitchhiking beach buddies. It’s perfect. 🙂
Hi jonni I saw your videos on how to make a paper mache cat thought it looked amazing! So I decided to try one of my own. I followed along with the videos and made a life size fox and a few other smaller sculptures. This has been such an inspiration to me and I am absolutely hooked on paper mache and have many more projects lined up. I am also planing on selling customs as soon as I’m good enough, thank you so much for your tutorials!
Rebecca, your fox if fabulous! Would you do me a huge favor and repost him on the Daily Sculptors page? A lot more people subscribe to the comments and that page, and I don’t want anyone to miss seeing him. (And I’d say you’re “good enough” to do commission work already. 🙂 )
Aw thank you, that means so much to me
A neighbor’s boy wanted a cat, a black cat with brown eyes. I didn’t know what I was doing (didn’t know about the online posts about how to make a cat). I’ll know better next time. Thank goodness he wanted it black and that Jonni knows how to make black!
Here are a couple of cats I finished up last week… Thank you Joni for all of your great tips … Love your PM Clay recipe 🙂
My cat is a 2 litre plastic pop bottle, paper towel rolls and lots of newspaper & masking tape. I’m new at working with the Jonni Clay and painting so this has been a fun challenge.
Smudge turned out great! I like Polly and Jerome, too. 🙂
I wanted to make something different this time. I liked painting the flowers on instead of makeingit look like a real little kitty. I wan very happy with it.
do you have a email addy? its not letting my put my 2 pics up of the cat..grrr!
Yes, you can find my contact info here. If you send me your cat’s photo I can add it to the gallery. The system is probably rejecting your photo because it’s too big. In the future, set your camera to “save for the web.” That usually works.
good evening.i’m done with my cat,but i’m not thrilleed with it. but,i’ll send you the pics.its my first time doing this.
Love all the cats – Mrs. Gray Paws reminds me of my late cat who was a beautiful grey and white, with gorgeous white cheeks – big ones! Cats are great fun and this was a wonderful idea for a post – thanks Jonni.
P.S. – see ya soon – I’m working on a Bengal Cat!
[img]http://ultimatepapermache.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/MrsGreyPaws-1-3.jpg[/img]
Mrs. Gray Paws
My second cat is whimsical. I used a piece of foam for the body shape and a styrofoam ball for the head, the legs are 2 chop sticks and the arms and tail is wire covered in newspaper. After wrapping it all with masking tape, I covered with newspaper strips dipped in a mixture of PVA glue and wallpaper paste. When it was dry I covered it with a thin layer of joint compound and smoothed with a wet hand. After everything dried I painted and decorated it.
[img]http://ultimatepapermache.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/cat-1.jpg[/img]
You’re cats are so much fun – thanks for sharing them.
Hi there, I used a similar method to make Mrs Gray Paws. My armature consists of 2 cardboard silhouettes of the cat which I built out with newspaer and masking tape to get the shape. I then covered with the world famous Jonni Clay. When it was dry I decorated with acrylic paints and varnished with a polyurethane varnish.