Paper Mache Pumpkins- 1 - Introduction and Materials

Thanks to those who inspired me
Stolloween
www.stolloween....
Jwal the Twisted Seed
• Paper mache tutorial -...
All songs courtesy of
Sam Haynes: www.samhaynes.m...
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and
Shadow's Symphony:
/ @shadowssymphony
/ shadowssymphony
Lights from Frux Home and Yard
www.fruxhomeand...
FAQ:
Do you sell these? No, I show you how to make your own. The cost to have a hobby artist make one for you at a living wage is prohibitive in my opinion. Several people who have learned how from these videos now sell them though.
The list of stuff in text form:
Newspaper
Flour
White glue
Liquid starch or corn starch to boil into liquid starch
Mixing bowls (2)
Cake mixer
Plastic tubs for refrigerator storage of mache paste and paper clay (4)
Paint brushes 1-2" (At least 2)
Spar Varnish (Matte finish if you can get it)
Outdoor latex or enamel paint, Black and White
Acrylic colors: Brown, pumpkin orange, green, bright yellow
Matte spray finish (only needed if you are using a gloss spar varnish like me)
Cellulose insulation
Cardboard
Garbage bags
Rope or twine
Brown paper towel or normal paper towel
Hot glue gun w/ glue
Drywall joint compound
Measuring cups
Scissors
Dremel (not required but really handy)
x-acto knife
Yellow spray paint - I like the fluorescent yellow myself
A smock that you can get yucky or old clothes
Suggestions for modifications by viewer Ian Christianson:
1. MACHÉ PASTE: I've found that the perfect maché paste recipe is 1 Cup Elmer's® Glue, 1 Cup liquid starch (Purex Sta-Flo can be found at Walmart or the laundry detergent section of major grocery stores), 6 Cups white flour, and 7 Cups water. This creates the ideal consistency you mention in your videos.
2. INITIAL PAPER MACHÉ LAYERS: Try just two (instead of six) layers of paper strips, followed by TWO LAYERS OF CLOTH STRIPS to save time. Your best bet for the cloth is old bedsheets from the thrift store (make sure they're 100% cotton as that holds the paste best. Plus - the older and more threadbare the better) and tear them into strips the same way you would tear the paper so that the fabric fibers are exposed along the edges and create a smoother surface. I can't tell you how much time this saved. Apply the first two paper layers, allow to dry overnight, then add the two layers or cloth strips. This tip was a godsend and saved me a lot of time - with the same results!
3. PAPER CLAY: 1 Cup joint compound, 6 Cups maché paste, 2-3 Cups water, and 2 ROLLS of 2-PLY TOILET PAPER* (substitute for the industrial fiber)...
*Important to note that it's obviously essential to remove the cardboard roll from the center of the toilet paper, then saturate the roll with water, press/squeeze out the excess water either by pressing into a strainer or by hand, tear each roll into smaller chunks, and proceed to mix the paper clay as prescribed in your videos. The toilet paper adds a wonderful texture to the clay, distributes evenly, and reacts very well to being brushed with maché paste once you start smoothing out your sculpting work on the surface of the pumpkin. T.P. really is a wonderful substitute to industrial fiber!
4. LONGEVITY: Add a capful of MR. CLEAN to the paper clay while mixing it to improve its shelf life in the fridge and prevent rot if you're going to use it slowly over an extended period of time.
-Clove oil extract may work well for this too
5. MIXING: You can usually find kitchen appliance attachments such as mixing heads and such at a thrift store. You can easily attach any of these to a drill for mixing - and you won't have to use your kitchen mixer. I found a cheap hand mixer attachment that fit my drill and used it on my drill for heavier mixing jobs.