Paper Mache Blog
PAPER MACHE BLOG
About me
My name is Dan (the Monster Man) Reeder. I'm a papier mache artist living in Seattle, Washington. I've been doing my own version of papier mache for over 35 years. My goal in life is to spread the word about this amazingly satisfying medium. Make art!
Member of PaperBlog
A Paper Mache Dark Butterfly- hands and feet
Hi again. Yes it's been a while. I'm currently working on this project and two commissions. Had to do some work on the commissions before I could move on with my girl. Before I get to her hands and feet...I've had a few questions about the tentacle hair. Just want to show you what her head looked like as I planted her hair. I just cut a bunch of holes in her head. I squirted hot glue into the holes before pushing in the strands.
Now on to hands and feet. These were much harder to make than I thought they would be. The proportions had to be exactly right. First, I started by twisting paper around pieces of wire clothes hanger to make fingers and toes. Then I crumpled a small wad of paper and added a finger. I wrapped masking tape on either side.
Now on to hands and feet. These were much harder to make than I thought they would be. The proportions had to be exactly right. First, I started by twisting paper around pieces of wire clothes hanger to make fingers and toes. Then I crumpled a small wad of paper and added a finger. I wrapped masking tape on either side.
I continued adding each finger until I got a full hand.
I added wads of paper to the thumb and other parts of the palm. I pretty much copied my own hand. Then I hot glued some claw-like fingernails to the end of the fingers.
Now I know what you are thinking. I shouldn't have modeled her hands after mine. She's long and thin. My hands would look too wide. And they did. So I cut them off and made them thinner. I just cut out some slices between the fingers and squished the hand back together. This is as close to surgery as you get in the paper mache world. I made the feet the same way I made the hands. But this time I made the feet longer proportionally than my own.
Like with the hands, I added some flesh to the under side of the foot. I put them on the butterfly and added some nice toenails.
Then I added my cloth mache and was finished with these appendages.
More to come soon. We are having one of the biggest snowstorms we've ever experienced in Seattle. I've been out of school almost a week. Unbelievable. What do they say? When buried in snow, do art. Thank you for stopping by!
A Paper Mache Dark Butterfly- new face!
I've done more work on her. I've finished her hands and feet. I have to say, that was not as easy as it should have been. I will put together a post about those soon. But first, I just wanted to show you her new face. She looks a lot better with skin and hair...well, it's not exactly hair. They are tentacle-like things. If you look at the photos below you can see that I twisted paper around pieces of wire tapering them at the end. Then I cloth mached them. That is, I wrapped strips of cloth dipped in Elmer's glue around each of them. I added some curves.
Then I poked holes in her head and stuck them in. Of course I also added cloth mache skin to the rest of her face as well.
Then I poked holes in her head and stuck them in. Of course I also added cloth mache skin to the rest of her face as well.
I'm showing her skinless, hairless face one more time for contrast.
And here she is with skin and hair. I like her. Of course she looks better in person.
See you soon. Thanks for stopping by.
See you soon. Thanks for stopping by.
A Paper Mache Dark Butterfly- Wings!
Welcome back to my paper mache Dark Butterfly project.
As you can see below I attached her head. I know, she still looks creepy. As I said earlier, this will change radically when she has lips and eyelids and hair (well, the equivalent of hair). You'll notice I also added breasts. Max was curious about these. She will have scales when she's finished. That will change how you perceive her anatomy. On the right you can see the beginnings of her wings. You can also see her fingers and toes in the upper right hand corner of the photo.
Below you can see how I attached the framework for the wings. I just punched holes in the paper mache back and stuck in the long, tapered spines (I'm not sure what you call these, they will be the substructure of the wings). On the right she is ready to have the cloth draped over the spines. It's hard to see here, but I have strings connected to the ends of the spines. These are connected to the ceiling. This is to support the weight of large pieces of cloth soaked with glue.
Here she is with the cloth draped over the spines. I let this cloth dry over night. On the right you'll see Eddie complaining. He wanted me to stop working on the butterfly and to give him food.
A little closer look at her upper body.
And, for what it's worth, here is what she looks like from the back. I added cloth mache to the backs of the spines.
Thanks again for stopping by. Happy Holidays to you all.
As you can see below I attached her head. I know, she still looks creepy. As I said earlier, this will change radically when she has lips and eyelids and hair (well, the equivalent of hair). You'll notice I also added breasts. Max was curious about these. She will have scales when she's finished. That will change how you perceive her anatomy. On the right you can see the beginnings of her wings. You can also see her fingers and toes in the upper right hand corner of the photo.
Below you can see how I attached the framework for the wings. I just punched holes in the paper mache back and stuck in the long, tapered spines (I'm not sure what you call these, they will be the substructure of the wings). On the right she is ready to have the cloth draped over the spines. It's hard to see here, but I have strings connected to the ends of the spines. These are connected to the ceiling. This is to support the weight of large pieces of cloth soaked with glue.
Here she is with the cloth draped over the spines. I let this cloth dry over night. On the right you'll see Eddie complaining. He wanted me to stop working on the butterfly and to give him food.
Here she is with her wings trimmed.
A little closer look at her upper body.
And, for what it's worth, here is what she looks like from the back. I added cloth mache to the backs of the spines.
Thanks again for stopping by. Happy Holidays to you all.
A Paper Mache Dark Butterfly- arms, back, and head
Hi all,
I've been working hard on this project. Time to give you another peek. As I mentioned earlier, after I put together the basic shape with paper mache balls, I sculpt various parts until I have what I want. I wanted to augment her back. It has to be strong since she will have large wings to maneuver. So I cut off a chunk of the paper mache ball and folded it over on one edge. I repositioned it on the back and taped it on. Doing this on both sides gave her some nice lats, a nice V shape to her back.
If you look closely at the back of the arms you'll notice that I gave her some triceps. No paper mache shells here, just some wadded paper and tape. On the front side I twisted a long piece of paper, wrapped it with tape, and added a rather long bicep. The trick here is determine exactly what level of exactness (is that the right word?) to achieve on this body. I could go crazy here, like take a course on anatomy, but I don't have the time. So I go with what "looks right". Hope it does to you too.
Now it's time to be afraid. I'm going to show you the current state of her face. I put the jaws inside another, smaller paper mache ball. I added some cheeks and cut holes for her eyes. Using very small pieces of paper mache shells (that were laying around) and masking tape I fashioned a nose. I inserted some nice yellow, cat-like eyes and added some wadded paper above them to give her some brows.
Next stop... wings! Working on those today. I'll get back to you soon. Thanks as always for taking an interest in my art work. Take care.
I've been working hard on this project. Time to give you another peek. As I mentioned earlier, after I put together the basic shape with paper mache balls, I sculpt various parts until I have what I want. I wanted to augment her back. It has to be strong since she will have large wings to maneuver. So I cut off a chunk of the paper mache ball and folded it over on one edge. I repositioned it on the back and taped it on. Doing this on both sides gave her some nice lats, a nice V shape to her back.
If you look closely at the back of the arms you'll notice that I gave her some triceps. No paper mache shells here, just some wadded paper and tape. On the front side I twisted a long piece of paper, wrapped it with tape, and added a rather long bicep. The trick here is determine exactly what level of exactness (is that the right word?) to achieve on this body. I could go crazy here, like take a course on anatomy, but I don't have the time. So I go with what "looks right". Hope it does to you too.
Now it's time to be afraid. I'm going to show you the current state of her face. I put the jaws inside another, smaller paper mache ball. I added some cheeks and cut holes for her eyes. Using very small pieces of paper mache shells (that were laying around) and masking tape I fashioned a nose. I inserted some nice yellow, cat-like eyes and added some wadded paper above them to give her some brows.
I sculpted some ears with more small paper mache shell material. This is where her face stands right now. As I told you earlier, it's kind of scary looking. But remember, this is a face with no skin. Yours would look just as bad without skin (of course, judging by my 61 year old skin, some faces might look better without skin). I can see her face in my mind's eye with lids and lips. She will look very different at that point, trust me. I'll get there soon.
Next stop... wings! Working on those today. I'll get back to you soon. Thanks as always for taking an interest in my art work. Take care.
A Paper Mache Dark Butterfly- begin assembly
So I'm going to start putting her together. Now just between you and me, I have more of the face and head finished than I want to show you. I know that those photos should follow the last ones I posted of the jaws. But the face is just kind of disturbing. I'd rather wait. I'll come back to it later after the body takes shape.
I put together two of the paper mache balls. Remember, everything is really rough right now. I'll sculpt all of this a lot more later. Here are the two paper mache legs I made.
Below on the left you can see that I cut the knee and bent it. For the dillionth time, I love wire clothes hangers inside my paper mache appendages. They keep the knees in the position I want until I can fill them in. On the right is the basic body with the two legs added.
She will be hanging on a wall and I want her to lean out a bit. So I cut her in the back and bent her forward (on the left, below). I added arms, and although it's hard to see, I gave her a six pack belly. She is starting to take shape isn't she?
I cut another of the smaller paper mache balls into two pieces and pulled out the wad of paper in the middle. I added these as cheeks and I also added her tail.
Here she is on her back.
More to come. I'm so excited to be working on this piece again. It's been a long time and I missed her.
Have a nice Thanksgiving out there.
Here she is on her back.
More to come. I'm so excited to be working on this piece again. It's been a long time and I missed her.
Have a nice Thanksgiving out there.
A Paper Mache Dark Butterfly- part 2
See, how's this for quick. I realized that I haven't posted everything I've done on my paper mache Dark Butterfly. I've made some jaws for her.
As usual, I cut open a paper mache ball. Then I made some teeth out of Fimo and hot glued them onto the shell. By the way, I have some possible great news on this front. I found a product being sold at this TAEA conference that may work better than polymer clay for teeth. I'm cautiously optimistic. I'll let you know what I think after I use it.
I made a tongue the usual way. Here is what they look like together. Don't worry, I'll cut away some of the paper mache shell on the bottom. The lower jaw won't look like that.
Here they are after putting on the cloth mache. And here they are after painting.
You know I love cats. This one is my neighbor's cat, Phil. This photo doesn't do him justice. He is enormous. He is super sweet. He lounges on my front lawn, rain or shine and welcomes me when I leave the house.
Thanks for checking in. More soon. I'm excited about this project.
Dan
As usual, I cut open a paper mache ball. Then I made some teeth out of Fimo and hot glued them onto the shell. By the way, I have some possible great news on this front. I found a product being sold at this TAEA conference that may work better than polymer clay for teeth. I'm cautiously optimistic. I'll let you know what I think after I use it.
I made a tongue the usual way. Here is what they look like together. Don't worry, I'll cut away some of the paper mache shell on the bottom. The lower jaw won't look like that.
Here they are after putting on the cloth mache. And here they are after painting.
Thanks for checking in. More soon. I'm excited about this project.
Dan
Taking my Paper Mache to Texas- part 2
Sorry I've been gone so long. As I mentioned, I was a keynote speaker at the Texas Art Education Association Convention in Galveston, Texas. It went very well. I had a very enthusiastic, happy, fun crowd to work with. Just great people. They laughed at all of my juvenile humor. As soon as they laughed at the paper mache piggie sniffing the paper mache birdie's butt, I knew I was in the right place. And the workshop went well despite some mix up regarding supplies. I just want to thank publicly the president of the TAEA, Cheryl Evans, and the president elect, Linda Fleetwood for inviting me, and Joey Doyle, and Drew and Mike, and Gary for all their help. There were others too, so many I can't name them all. It was a grand event. It was taped, and I've been told that the hour long speech will eventually end up on the association's website. I'll let you know if that happens.
I just hope that many of these art teachers will go back to their schools and do paper mache with their students. The kids need it. I see a paper mache resurgence.
But now I'm just itching to get back to work! I have my paper mache Dark Butterfly piece waiting for me. She's been patient, but every day that goes without working on her, the more I risk her wrath. I promise to post updates as soon as I get home.
I just hope that many of these art teachers will go back to their schools and do paper mache with their students. The kids need it. I see a paper mache resurgence.
But now I'm just itching to get back to work! I have my paper mache Dark Butterfly piece waiting for me. She's been patient, but every day that goes without working on her, the more I risk her wrath. I promise to post updates as soon as I get home.
A Paper Mache Dark Butterfly
I only have time to give you a little bit of this new paper mache project of mine. I am making a sort of a lizard-like butterfly with the body of a woman and the face of a....well, not exactly sure how to describe the face yet. You'll just have to wait and see.
You know the drill by now. I crumpled balls into a torso (upper, right), hips (upper, middle), head (lower, middle), and a couple extras for who knows what. You know I like to have extra paper mache balls around so that I can add details to the project. As usual I used wire clothes hangers to put inside the legs, arms, and in this case the tail. (Did you know that lizard-like lady butterflies have tails? Well, they do.) Sorry, it's hard to see the white clothes hangers clearly.
Isn't she beautiful so far?
So why are people still making paper mache piggies? I don't get it.
Thank you for stopping by. See you soon.
You know the drill by now. I crumpled balls into a torso (upper, right), hips (upper, middle), head (lower, middle), and a couple extras for who knows what. You know I like to have extra paper mache balls around so that I can add details to the project. As usual I used wire clothes hangers to put inside the legs, arms, and in this case the tail. (Did you know that lizard-like lady butterflies have tails? Well, they do.) Sorry, it's hard to see the white clothes hangers clearly.
Here are the crumpled paper arms and legs. I also twisted paper around the wire to make a long, sleek, bifurcated tail.
Here she is after I paper mached all of the parts.
Isn't she beautiful so far?
So why are people still making paper mache piggies? I don't get it.
Thank you for stopping by. See you soon.
Taking my Paper Mache to Texas
Hello everyone. It's been a while since I posted. Sorry about that. I've started a new project. I'll post my first entry about it very soon. But I thought I should mention that I'm going to Texas in November (the 9th -12th). I'll be one of the keynote speakers at the Texas Art Education Association Convention. I'll also be running a workshop. The conference will be in Galveston at the Moody Gardens Hotel. Click here if you want more information about this.
Between preparing for this conference, and the show I had with the Seattle Sculptor's Guild, and a commission I was finishing... oh, and school starting again, I just haven't had time to post. This has been bothersome because I have begun a really cool project, one I'm very excited about. I promise to at least put the rudimentary steps on this blog by the end of this weekend. Thank you for being so patient!
Between preparing for this conference, and the show I had with the Seattle Sculptor's Guild, and a commission I was finishing... oh, and school starting again, I just haven't had time to post. This has been bothersome because I have begun a really cool project, one I'm very excited about. I promise to at least put the rudimentary steps on this blog by the end of this weekend. Thank you for being so patient!
Paper Mache Buddha with Jo- Finished!
It struck me last night as I was going to sleep, that I just needed to finish this project. So here it is! Once again, if you are interested in the paper mache instructions and commentary, read on.
Paper Mache Buddha with Jo
I promised in the last post to talk a bit about the cloth mache. Usually when I make lips I fold a small strip of cloth and simply wrap it under the mouth for the bottom lip. Then I do the same on the top. In this case I added a fold under the nose. For the most part, that's enough for nice lips. Of course a laughing Buddha should have lips that are a bit more plump, like Angelina Jolie. So I added a couple more small pieces of cloth around the folds.
I folded cloth again and made eye lids. I wanted them to be crescent shaped. And I made a navel. Just poked a hole in the belly and stuffed some cloth into it (just like I did with the nose and ears).
I painted him a pale orangish-pink. He was very bright. Then I blackwashed him. It's funny, blackwashing is the step that most people who try my paper mache techniques resist. They fall in love with the first coat of paint and don't want to ruin it. I understand completely. Look how awful this face looks right after the backwash. But I'm telling you, you need the darkness to appreciate the light. (How's that for a nice Buddhist type saying! Actually, it was Bill Alexander, the crazy painter on PBS that used to say that, along with "Fire it in there!" when he was applying paint.) You spend a lot of time on the details of a project and you want to see them. The blackwashing really pulls them out.
Notice how much better he looks once some of the color is added back. I put a small amount of paint on my brush and hit the high points on the head, the nose, ears, etc.. Note that I added a bit of pink to the lips and cheeks. Of course the best part of doing my paper mache art projects is scraping the paint off the eyes. It was no different with this piece. Buddha came alive when the paint came off. And, if I may brag a bit, I think he ended up looking very happy and wise, well, at least happy. Then again, it might have just been the caffeine. Did you notice that I pulled the arms and the cup up closer to his face? This Buddha was made for a coffee shop after all. I wanted to associate the bliss with the cup of coffee.
I bought some nice cloth and made a robe. Sorry, I didn't document the making of the robe. Just got carried away and did it. Suffice it to say that it really isn't a robe. I wouldn't have been able to put a real robe on the Buddha since you can't move the arms. So the cloth is pieced together with hot glue to simulate a robe.
...Buddha with Jo and Max.
Thanks for hanging with me. I'll post a video of this build on Youtube very soon. I just need to do some editing. I've got another paper mache piece of art started in my studio. I'll post something about it soon. Take care.
Dan
Paper Mache Buddha with Jo
I promised in the last post to talk a bit about the cloth mache. Usually when I make lips I fold a small strip of cloth and simply wrap it under the mouth for the bottom lip. Then I do the same on the top. In this case I added a fold under the nose. For the most part, that's enough for nice lips. Of course a laughing Buddha should have lips that are a bit more plump, like Angelina Jolie. So I added a couple more small pieces of cloth around the folds.
I folded cloth again and made eye lids. I wanted them to be crescent shaped. And I made a navel. Just poked a hole in the belly and stuffed some cloth into it (just like I did with the nose and ears).
I painted him a pale orangish-pink. He was very bright. Then I blackwashed him. It's funny, blackwashing is the step that most people who try my paper mache techniques resist. They fall in love with the first coat of paint and don't want to ruin it. I understand completely. Look how awful this face looks right after the backwash. But I'm telling you, you need the darkness to appreciate the light. (How's that for a nice Buddhist type saying! Actually, it was Bill Alexander, the crazy painter on PBS that used to say that, along with "Fire it in there!" when he was applying paint.) You spend a lot of time on the details of a project and you want to see them. The blackwashing really pulls them out.
Notice how much better he looks once some of the color is added back. I put a small amount of paint on my brush and hit the high points on the head, the nose, ears, etc.. Note that I added a bit of pink to the lips and cheeks. Of course the best part of doing my paper mache art projects is scraping the paint off the eyes. It was no different with this piece. Buddha came alive when the paint came off. And, if I may brag a bit, I think he ended up looking very happy and wise, well, at least happy. Then again, it might have just been the caffeine. Did you notice that I pulled the arms and the cup up closer to his face? This Buddha was made for a coffee shop after all. I wanted to associate the bliss with the cup of coffee.
I bought some nice cloth and made a robe. Sorry, I didn't document the making of the robe. Just got carried away and did it. Suffice it to say that it really isn't a robe. I wouldn't have been able to put a real robe on the Buddha since you can't move the arms. So the cloth is pieced together with hot glue to simulate a robe.
And what would one of my paper mache pieces be without a cat? So here's...
...Buddha with Jo and Max.
Thanks for hanging with me. I'll post a video of this build on Youtube very soon. I just need to do some editing. I've got another paper mache piece of art started in my studio. I'll post something about it soon. Take care.
Dan