Papier Mache Projects

When it comes to craft projects, papier mache is often overlooked in favour of something... well.... less MESSY.

What a mistake!

Papier mache is sooo much fun, costs next to nothing and is incredibly versatile.  Here are just a few project ideas to get your creative fingers itching:

1 - monsters from incredibleart.com
2 - bowls from busybeeskidscrafts.com
3 - igloo from bkids.typepad.com
4 - animals from thecraftycrow.net

using balloons - 
5 - masks from artypartyarted.blogspot.co.uk
6 - penny boxes from makingfriends.com 

using plastic bottles - 
7 - aeroplane from funfamilycrafts.com
8 - space rocket from daniellesplace.com

9 - island or scenery for small world play - from here on inkspotsandgrassstains.blogspot.co.uk
10 - alphabet letters from makeandtakes.com
11 - food for role play from littleartmonkeys.com
12 - wall decorations from thatartistwoman.org

Okay, so now that I've compiled this blog post I am absolutely desperate to try a few more of these projects! Watch this space to see some results in the near future!

Model railway progress - rocky skerry for lighthouse

While in Gairloch last September C found a small lighthouse and boat, which he decided should belong with his model railway, and he spent his holiday pennies on them with much excitement.  8 months later, and we finally have a proper place for them on the railway.

We used a cardboard base, which has bent a lot as the work has dried, so at some point we'll remake this with a plywood base cut to fit the whole harbour.

We started by scrunching up some newspaper balls and taping them to the base to make the shape of our island.  This was a joint C, Bug and Mummy effort.

Next we got a 50:50 mix of PVA and water, and lots of torn up kitchen towel, and stuck down the kitchen towel, brushing them with the mix as we went, and pressing them into the corners.  It's important to ensure that the whole surface is covered with overlapping squares.  Bug particularly enjoyed this job.

Bug, admiring her work

Leave it to dry in a sunny spot for a few days.

After that we painted.  We used poster paints.  Green and black for the rocky island, and a glittery blue for the water.  Both children did this.

To finish off I attached the lighthouse to the top with PVA.  Then I brushed a PVA water mix over the blue paint, and laid on some clingfilm, which was a bit scrunched near the island (where the waves would be).  I also brushed PVA/water mix over the green paint, and sprinkled on some model railway scenic grass.

Treasure Box crafting

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my little ones are into pirates, treasure, Peter Pan and adventure at the moment.  I didn't mention, but we've also been watching "Art Attack" on CITV.  It's much better than CBeebies' "Mr Maker" because, for a start, they do real art, and for a second, he is much more into using recycled materials and doesn't waste nearly as much paper and card as Mr Maker, who insists on cutting a small shape out of the middle of a large piece of paper (oops, sorry, this is a real bug-bear of mine, I'll get off the soap box now!).  Anyway, Neil Buchanan on Art Attack shows quite a lot of papier mache being used for all sorts of things, so we were inspired to use this technique to make our very own pirate treasure chest, which includes a secret compartment for your treasure map.


We started off with a cardboard box.  I used the cardboard box to measure, and cut out a rectangle of cereal box card the same width as the box, and more than twice the depth, allowing for a curved lid with a flap for the secret compartment in the lid.  I folded this piece of card and taped it in place, then cut out two more pieces of card for the sides of the lid and taped them in place too.

Next came the messy bit.  We brushed the entire box, lid, tape and everything with a mixture of half PVA glue and half water and then stuck on lots of bits of torn up kitchen roll all over, leaving no gaps.  The children did the outside, and I filled in the gaps and did the inside.

Once this is dry you can paint it.  C and Bug chose blue and purple and just went for it.  Afterwards I just put their clothes straight in the washing machine and them straight in the bath.

Once this paint was dry I added some details in black, and once this was dry they put in some "treasure".  I think the next project may be to make some more treasure!

Papier Mache train tunnels.

I might be wrong here, but I'm guessing that most children have a toy wooden train set at some point in their pre-school years.  Certainly my two nephews and my children do.  C loves his trains.  We started with a figure of eight set up with Thomas the Tank Engine, and Annie and Clarabel the coaches and now have at least seven engines with appropriate tenders for the steamies, and also a variety of trucks and coaches.  The track has grown with the addition of a turn-table bridge, a set from Tesco and a Big Jigs extension set which allows for all sorts of junctions and crossings.  Are you beginning to get the impression that I love building the tracks as much as C does?  C is now capable of putting the track together himself, though he needs help getting the ends to join up; while Bug adores the trains and will happily pick up an engine and drive it around the track for ages (though she's not quite delicate enough yet and this game is invariably followed by wails of despair from big brother as she's sat on the bridge or something).  While big cousin D was staying I thought that making some tunnels for the trains would be a great way to give him some papier mache experience.

I cut up an Amazon box for the bases.

Cut up some cereal boxes and tape them in place curved over on the base to provide the skeleton of the tunnel.  I also made a cave for a toy wolf.

Make the paste with flour and water.  It needs to be pretty gloopy.

Build up the sides of the tunnel to  make hillside type contours using screwed up balls of newspaper dunked in the paste and shaped with your fingers.

Tear up newspaper into squares and strips.  Stick these with the paste all over the outside of the tunnel, making sure they overlap and criss-cross as much as possible.  I've found that the best way to do this is to generously brush paste all over the outside, then stick the strips and squares down all over, followed by another generous coat of paste.  Any bumpy bits or dry bits can be moulded or pasted with your fingers.  Make sure that the whole model is covered by the newspaper, including folding some over the ends of the tunnel and into the inside.  If any is coming over the edge of your base this isn't a problem as it will be trimmed afterwards.  If you are making a cave, then don't forget to add bumpy bits and texture by doing papier mache on the inside too.

It is quite a messy activity, and I strongly recommend a wipe-clean tablecloth or newspaper over your surface and also aprons.

Once you've done a few layers, put them somewhere warm to dry for at least twenty-four hours, preferably longer.

After the models are dry, trim the edges of the base and then paint.  We were aiming for green on the top and black inside the tunnel, but I made the mistake of putting the black out first, so the green was mostly black too by the time it had been well mixed.  

I love papier mache.  As a modelling activity it's hard to beat for versatility, ease of finding equipment, ease of technique and opportunities for getting dirty. The children certainly enjoyed making these models, and D was delighted to take home his very own hand-made tunnel for his trains.

Frog Pots

We seem to be going a bit froggy mad here just lately - I'm not sure why!

The instructions for these pots come from "Make It" the excellent book from Dorling Kindersley which I reviewed recently.


You need: 

• lots of torn up magazines, with several bits in green colour set aside.
• 1 cup of flour and 3 cups of water for the paste
• a brush
• a small plastic bowl (or 2 identical ones)
• petroleum jelly

How to do it:

• Make two bowls, one will be your pot and the other will be the lid.

• Make the paste by mixing 1 cup of water and 1 cup of plain flour in a saucepan until smooth.  Add the other 2 cups of water and bring to the boil, stirring all the time.  Then pour into a bowl (still stirring to try to keep it smooth) to cool down.  Actually this recipe made more than enough paste for four bowls, so just scale back but still in the ratio 3:1 water:flour

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Smear petroleum jelly on to the inside of the bowls - this stops the papier mache from sticking.
                                              • Now lay on a layer of newspaper / magazine scraps.  Brush with a layer of paste.  Top with another layer of paper, then brush with paste and repeat until you have about six layers.

 
 
 

• • Completely allow to dry.

• • Now remove the plastic bowl and trim off any scrappy edges.

• • • • • • Paste the inside and outside of the bowl and cover with green scraps of paper.  Brush with paste again.  Use torn up orange and black scraps to make eyes and nostrils on the outside of the bowl that will be your lid.

• Allow to dry again.
• Cut a slit in the top of the lid, and then push the ends of a folded long strip of thick or folded paper through the slit and tape in place on the inside to make a handle.