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The Jealous Curator /// curated contemporary art /// abigail brown

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The Jealous Curator /// curated contemporary art /// abigail brown

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The Jealous Curator /// curated contemporary art /// abigail brown

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Sweet, and weird... yep, easily one of my favorite combinations! These are one of a kind, paper mache "creature" masks by London based artist Abigail Brown. Each one is so special, and funny, and cute, and yes, kinda weird. I love each of them, but hung together in a cluster?

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Make this Frog with Paper Mache Clay – Ultimate Paper Mache

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Make this Frog with Paper Mache Clay – Ultimate Paper Mache

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I spent my Christmas vacation making this frog out of newspaper, masking tape, pipe cleaners and paper mache clay. I show you how I did it below. If I did it again I'd use stronger wire in place of the pipe cleaners so I could get thinner fingers and toes, but that's the only part of the process I'd change.

This is the real frog I used as my model. I'm sorry I don't know what kind of frog it is.

You can clearly see that my version won't win any awards at the science fair - but if you spend just a bit more effort than I did you could reproduce the colors and patterns with more accuracy. And with heavier wire instead of the fuzzy pipe cleaners, skinny toes would be possible, too. Wouldn't it be fun to create a display of poison dart frogs in all their colorful varieties?

You can find photos of many different species of frogs by doing a Google Image search for frog photos. (I don't know why there's a mouse riding on one of those frogs...)

You'll need some patience to make your frog. Like all small paper mache projects, you very quickly run out of dry areas to hold on to, so you'll need to let your paper mache clay dry several times before you can continue to cover him with more clay. Also, a frog's legs are perfectly engineered springs, and even when you imitate them with wire the legs tend to move around until the joints are encased in hardened clay. This makes them a bit more difficult to work with. This is definitely not an instant project, but if you like frogs, the results are worth the extra effort.

You could make the frog using traditional paper strips and paste, although the eyes will be more difficult to sculpt, and it will be more difficult to get the nice smooth froggy skin.
Step 1:
Crumple some newspaper into a frog-like shape. I used two balls-the larger one for the body and a smaller, flatter one for the head. You can see the basic shape, from the side, below. Since it gets covered in clay, you don't need to worry about the weird bumps and valleys. The clay will cover them smoothly.
Step 2:
Tape the center of one long wire to the frog's chest, just below the "chin."
Step 3:
Now twist the ends of the wire to make the fingers. If you're using pipe cleaners you'll need another one for each arm so you'll have enough for all fingers and some extra length to wind around the arm, strengthening it. Tape any extra wire to the frog's tummy. It will be covered with paper mache clay, and the extra wire helps to anchor the arms and legs.
Step 4:
Do the same thing with the back legs, attaching them to the frog's rear end.
Step 5:
Use aluminum foil to pad the legs and arms, and use masking tape to cover the toes.
Step 6:
Begin to cover the frog with your paper mache clay. Cover only as much as you can while holding a dry area of the frog. Then allow the clay to harden in a warm place, and finish the rest. You'll need to support the legs and fingers while adding your clay to these areas. A very thin layer, 1/8 " thick, will be enough. Smooth the clay as much as possible with the flat side of your knife while applying it to the frog.
Step 7.
After the frog has been completely covered and the clay is dry, go back and add a bump of clay for each eye. Look at the real frog's photo at the top of this page to see how the eye should look. Let the eye harden completely in a warm place, then paint your frog with some home-made gesso:

1 tablespoon of joint compound

1 teaspoon of white glue.

When the gesso is dry, sand your frog, if needed. I found an interesting product at the hardware store this week that helps in sanding small, rounded areas like frog legs, called drywall sanding screen. You can cut the screen with an old pair of scissors and use it like a flexible file. Ordinary sandpaper works just fine, too.
Step 8:
This type of frog has bumps on his back. I used a technique more commonly used by cake decorators: Put some of your home-made gesso (see above) in a small plastic bag and cut off one of the points. Then squeeze small dots of gesso onto your frog's back, and allow it to dry. Then sand off the little points, and you've got some nice frog bumps.
Step 9:
The final step, of course, is to paint your frog. I tried to come reasonably close to the patterns and colors of the real frog I used as a model, but I missed a few spots.

If you make a frog yourself, please let us see how he turns out.

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I spent my Christmas vacation making this frog out of newspaper, masking tape, pipe cleaners and paper mache clay. I show you how I did it below. If I did it again I'd use stronger wire in place of the pipe cleaners so I could get thinner fingers and toes, but that's the only part of the process I'd change.

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tiki mask hawaiian native spiritual figure themed beach parties hawaii celebrations

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With Donald Drennan's help you can make yourself stand out with this realistic Tiki mask.

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Another addition to Boo's playroom....a paper mache unicorn head! It took about 4 hours total to make....over 3 days. I love that it's whimsical 3-dimensional artwork appropriate for a child's room.

To make the animal head I started with newspaper and masking tape:

I crumpled up newspaper and kept wrapping it into a ball until it was the size needed and secured it with masking tape:

I made three different sized newspaper balls to make up the entire head.....

....and secured them together with tape.

I wrapped the pieces in newspaper to help secure them and used tape to contour different sections:

I formed a neck out of newspaper and attached it:

I cut a heavy piece of cardboard to be the backing for the neck (the flat piece that will lie against the wall when mounted):

The cardboard was secured with masking tape:

I use a boiled paste for my paper mache mixture. 1 part flour to 4 parts water works for best for me but you can experiment with your own mixture to see what you prefer to work with. I bring it to a boil stirring constantly until it's a soupy mixture.

Pouring the soupy paper mache into a bowl I let it cool for about a minute and then start tearing paper towels into small pieces. I use paper towels because they are easier to sculpt.

I dipped pieces of paper towel into the mixture.....

.....and then slowly covered the entire head.

I press and sculpt the head as I go to give it the shape I want:

Once the head has been coated completely I let it completely dry overnight:

The next day, I cut out some ears.....

.....and made a horn by wrapping a sturdy piece of paper into a cone. I used masking tape to secure them into place.

I made another mixture of paper mache and used paper towel pieces to secure the horn and ears securely to the head:

Paper towels are great for sculpting....so I used pieces to create nostrils and more bone structure. It doesn't matter what it looks like except for the basic structure because I'm adding another layer of nicer paper on top for the finish coat.

I built up layers and layers until the head looked like I wanted it to.

Then I let it dry overnight again!

After the paper mache form had ample time to dry....I took an old book and some Mod Podge and used it to cover the entire form.

I cut up the pages into small piece and just started layering them over.......

....and over.....until the form was covered entirely.

I bought a pre-cut wood plaque from Michael's for $5.00 using my 50% off coupon and spray painted it hot pink.

The final step was to attach the unicorn head to the plaque! I used industrial glue and a staple gun to secure it. The staples are easily covered with some more paper and Mod Podge.

I can't decide what animal to make next!

Check out the entire Project Playroom series by clicking the image below!

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Another addition to Boo's playroom....a paper mache unicorn head! It took about 4 hours total to make....over 3 days. I love that it's whimsical 3-dimensional artwork appropriate for a child's room.

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Baby Elephant is Progressing – Ultimate Paper Mache

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Baby Elephant is Progressing – Ultimate Paper Mache

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My paper mache elephant project got sidetracked temporarily by an Elizabeth George novel, and I'm now working at my computer because a yellow-jacket got a bit too interested in the paste. (I've already been stung twice this week, so I get a little nervous around the little beasts). But all in all, I think the project is coming along nicely.

Note - I made a video about this whole process. You can see the YouTube video about How to Make a Paper Mache Elephant here, and download the pattern if you'd like to make an elephant of your own.

I purchased some roll ends of paper from our local newspaper office, which allowed me to work quickly while building the bulk of the elephant from crumpled paper. I use a lot of force to compact the wads of paper so they will be a solid support for the paper mache. Then I try to cover as much of the paper as I can with the 2″ wide masking tape.

I made the tail from a piece of insulated three-wire electrical tape. I didn't get a good photo of the wire before it was covered by paper, but you can see it below in the first photo if you look closely:

About half of the wire is taped to the elephant's "spine." If there was a next time I'd plan ahead and add a block of 1 x 2 lumber at the top of the elephant's press-board armature so there would be a firm place to attach the tail. A few small nails would hold it firmly in place. Since I didn't do that, it might be possible for a small child or a rowdy adult to pull the tail from the sculpture, if they really worked at it. Of course, we'll assume that nobody would want to do such a thing.

I decided that it would be too easy to break the trunk if I got clumsy or if the sculpture collided with a ball-chasing 90 lb golden retriever, which is entirely possible considering my ball-throwing aim. So I used some expanded aluminum stuff that I bought years ago for another project. I believe the purpose of the product is to keep leaves out of gutters - but it bends very nicely, and seemed perfect for the elephant.

I held the top part of the material to the head with two nails pressed into the paper, and wrapped twine around it to form it tightly around the trunk. Then a layer of paper and paste was put on over the aluminum. Several more layers will be added to make the "skin" very hard and tough. The lower end of the trunk ended up being thicker than I intended, but I think the extra strength is worth it.

In a few days I should have all the details like eyes and toes finished, and it should be ready to paint. Stay tuned.

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My paper mache elephant project got sidetracked temporarily by an Elizabeth George novel, and I'm now working at my computer because a yellow-jacket got a bit too interested in the paste. (I've already been stung twice this week, so I get a little nervous around the little beasts).