# Dungeon Rats (Papier Mache)



## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

The Dungeon Rats were finished just in time to be included in our 2009 Halloween display. Named "Riff" and "Raff" the rats are mangy, malnourished and have a nasty disposition, their overall length is five feet long from tip of the nose to the tip of their tails.


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

Oops....this thread was supposed to go in the showroom

Edit 1/30/10 ...finally posted the how to information on page 4 of this thread


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## The Archivist (May 31, 2009)

Damn, those rats look like cast aluminum. Great job as usual Stoll.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Like Henson characters (like from Dark Crystal) on acid & the trip has gone horribly, horribly wrong. I love it.... I love the expressions you get out of your creatures.


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## Dark Angel 27 (Sep 11, 2008)

once again i bow to your greatness! awesome job as usual!


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## IMU (Apr 8, 2009)

Another great PM project ... looks awesome!


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## fick209 (Aug 31, 2009)

Great great great job! Your paint job on them turned out fantastic. Your attention to all the details is just amazing.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I agree with Debbie5 - the expressions on these guys are fantastic!

I'm seeing a whole line of Halloween greeting cards based on your props


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

They have such great faces, I expect them to TALK to each other....


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

As they were being made I kept picturing them "squabbling" at each other...not sure what they're saying but I'm sure it's not pleasant...


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## Toktorill (Sep 15, 2007)

DAMN you do fine work! What else can one really say?


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

Scott, I just adore them - or HATE them, I can't decide. I think I'm in awe of your eye for realism, and grossed out by it (in this instance) at the same time


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## DarkLore (Jan 25, 2009)

Those are great. Lot's of character.


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## nixie (Sep 17, 2008)

Aww, they're so cute... in that evil, twisted, horrible, amazing kind of way!


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

A few more shots of the rats. Note that I had meant to include the cracked skulls I made last year but due to the rush of the set-up they didn't make it into the final display:


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

The cracked skulls are a great added touch - makes it looks like the rats ate the head off some hapless shmo


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## turtle2778 (Jul 9, 2006)

You are just rediculous. CRAZY REDICULOUS. I think those are fantastic!!


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

Yes I had expert help making the Dungeon Rats...


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

Rolling on the FLOOR - I love the shot with the cat!

(Don't you KNOW that all of our pets probably think we are NUTS!) 

hahaha, love it


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## Longtimer (Nov 11, 2009)

I like 'em - more than their own mother would 

Thought about putting in LED eyes?


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## BackYardHaunter (Nov 16, 2009)

thats amazing paper mache! nice work!

-BYH


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## HibLaGrande (Sep 25, 2005)

Wow! those are really nice.


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## Mad Mad Mark (Jan 1, 2010)

Very nice work. I have found your web page a great help in my paper mache work for some time now. I am trying out a variation of your "Skull replication" right now with a Bucky skull.

I like the rats with the skulls best. Gruesome !


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## Jack Reaper (May 27, 2006)

Great Job...now... to carve them from stone.....


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## trishaanne (Aug 20, 2005)

I can't believe I missed this. AWESOME!!!!!


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## MorbidMariah (Mar 28, 2009)

I love these little guys! And I love your kitty rat-inspector too!


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## psyko99 (Jan 11, 2008)

Those would scare away any real rats! Awesome!


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## SuperCreep31 (Nov 22, 2009)

*Whoa!*

DUDE! HOW DO YOU DO THIS STUFF!?!


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## Vlad (Aug 2, 2005)

You know.......there are some props that are just magic, and these are among them.


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

Thanks all for the additional comments!


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## Systematic Chaos (Sep 7, 2008)

WOW! You can really get an idea for size when compared to the cat. I love what you do. Does most of it start with drawing them out? I can't draw for crap. lol


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

The Dungeon Rats were one project that I did not do any sketches or drawing prior to construction; the inspiration was a small plastic rat that served as the model for my large versions.










The rats started with an empty one gallon paint container. This project was originally intended as an entry for the September Mad Lab contest but was not completed in time.










Newspaper was used to "round out" the shape of the paint bucket. The head was created by stuffing an empty plastic bag with crumpled newspaper. A piece of rolled corrugated cardboard was used to attach the head to neck, the cardboard served as the neck. Additional newspaper was used to flesh out the transition of the head to the body.


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

The basic shape of the face, snout and jaw were created from strips of recycled cardboard.









The tail was created with heavy gauge utility wire; newspaper was wrapped around the wire to achieve desired thickness.










The rat body was then covered with several layers of papier mache strips to create a solid form which would later get ears, eyes, teeth, legs and feet. The beginning body sort of looked like a baby T-Rex. This stage of the progress was discouraging because my family said they looked like dogs.


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

The most challenging part of this project for me was the creation of the legs and feet. I referenced an illustration of a rat skeleton and created the legs/feet separately based on the illustration. I opted to exaggerate the length of the feet and spent a fair amount of time experimenting with the final pose.


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

Once the legs were individually papier mached they were attached to the rat bodies in the proper positions and papier mache clay (pulp) was used to tie everything together. The eyes, teeth and claws were all created individually from a plaster clay technique and incorporated into the final piece. The basic technique for creating the rats involved making all the elements separately then essentially putting the final piece together in the desired pose.


































Note: The whiskers were plastic broom bristles and the final pieces were painted by drybrushing gray paint over a black base. The teeth were painted yellow, the eyes red and the tail pink. At some point I will post a complete tutorial on www.stolloween.com.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Thanks for posting the in-process pictures, Stoll! I love seeing the creative process.

I still have much to learn with papier mache techniques, but I've found with the few pieces I've done so far that plain old ordinary newspaper and cardboard are extremely effective as a build medium. Now I need to start working on proficiency with the mache clay


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## Lady Nyxie (Aug 30, 2006)

Astounding! You are amazing Scott!


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## Bilbo (Dec 13, 2007)

You know, Stoll.... using your tutorials I made a mache jack-o-lantern last year that impressed the whole neighborhood.... except me, because I know how much better you could have made it. 

I humbly bow to your mad skills and live to serve at the foot of the master.


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

Complete instructions are now posted on my site.
Dungeon Rats
http://www.stolloween.com/?page_id=3612


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