# For Newbies: Paper Mache Tips



## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

Hello folks. All you old hats probably won't be interested in this but I'm posting it for anyone who hasn't tried their hand at paper mache. I've been asked a few times if I have any tips or basic techniques for people getting started, so I finally sat down and made a tutorial called Paper Mache - The Ghoul Friday Way.

This tutorial covers the basics on my OWN technique (there's so many out there). I talk about making a cast from items you already have using basic mache.

I plan on making a series of these. The next one will probably cover how I use tissue paper/paper towels and specifics on fine detailing.

Hope it helps someone out there


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## Aelwyn (Jul 7, 2008)

Thanks for this!

I'm a "craft on a whim" kinda gal, so I rarely plan projects ahead of time, so my first paper-macheing was VERY messy....LOL. I love the idea of putting ripped up bits of paper in ziplock baggies---ingenious! 

Can't wait to see the rest of it.


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## Bloodhound (Oct 16, 2007)

Nice job on the How-To. I think the rest of your How-To will be just as informative for all of us. Thank you for taking the time to put this information out there.


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## pixiescandles (Oct 18, 2007)

Thank you!!!!! I tried this a few weeks ago....made a spider....or should I say I *tried *to make a spider...it turnned out BAD....falling all apart...this should help me 100%!!!!


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## sharpobject (May 7, 2008)

thanks! perfect timing. I'm about to start on my Pumpkinrot and this will be most helpful.


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## spideranne (Jul 17, 2006)

Thank you, very informative. I never got the whole casting thing before, your foil method made total sense so I don't keep leaving my foam skulls inside the mache.


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## Lilly (Jun 13, 2006)

nice tutorial Ghoul
thanks


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## HalloweenZombie (Jul 22, 2007)

Great instruction. I really like your website too.


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## midnight_moon (Apr 28, 2008)

Thanks!! I need a how-to on this.
I never worked with this before, and this will help
out big time! thanks again!


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## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

Wow gang, I'm so glad this has been met with such an immediate, positive response. That's fantastic. You spend time writing these things up and you never know if it will be useful to anyone. You're welcome, and thank you.



spideranne said:


> Thank you, very informative. I never got the whole casting thing before, your foil method made total sense so I don't keep leaving my foam skulls inside the mache.


Oh I hear you. When I finally figured out that it could be done this way, I was dizzy with the possibilities. It took me a while (honestly, a couple of seasons) to find my groove with it and experiment with different approaches. And the money you save!

My favourite discovery was the modelling clay. I'd wasted a lot of time building up features AFTER I had made the original base shape - just waiting for it to dry. And although you can use crumpled bits of paper or foil to build up a nose or cheek or brow, I find it so much easier to have that solid base of modelling clay beneath the mache while it's being made.

Now I look at any prop for sale (like the busts at Michael's, for example) and think "If I buy one, I can then use it as a base to make others...hmmmm"


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

Very nice, detailed tutorial....I may actually use the newspaper I tore up earlier this year.
Been wanting to do a PumpkinRot or something similar for the yard.

Thanks.


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## ScareRookie (Aug 1, 2008)

*Paper Mache*

This is great stuff. Thank you for taking the time to put this together. Also for the other newbies (like myself) I found another website that may help you a lot. http://www.stolloween.com/?page_id=29


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## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

hehe Funny ScareRookie, I actually mention that site on the second page of the tutorial..to the exact same page you've linked to.


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

Really good tutorial. Even though you state it's for newbies I think you have some great ideas that help even those that have been playing with mache for years. 

One of the great things about papier mache is that there are soooo many different ways to approach a project and countless ways to experiment with different techniques.

Well done! I've been a fan of your work for some time and always enjoy seeing your creations.

-scott


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## cerinad (Jun 23, 2008)

Very Nice how to.. I like your site.. You do nice work.


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## Ghostess (Aug 21, 2005)

Excellent write up! Lots of detail - which is especially helpful for the newer fans of papier mache.  You go ghoul!


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## Daphne (Oct 18, 2006)

Well done! Thanks very much and I look forward to the celluclay/paperclay installment!


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## Lady Nyxie (Aug 30, 2006)

Thanks for the how-to. I have been toying with the idea of trying papier mache, but wasn't sure where to start.


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## ithurt (Jun 23, 2008)

cool, thanks for this. 

I am re-reading it so I can shove as much of this delicious knowledge in my skull as I can. hopefully all of this info doesn't push out some info I need for daily tasks  
I am currently devouring stolloweens site, man that guy is my hero.

very timely for how to for me,
thanks for your time and energy


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## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

Thanks again everyone for your encouragement and thanks.



ithurt said:


> cool, thanks for this.
> 
> I am re-reading it so I can shove as much of this delicious knowledge in my skull as I can. hopefully all of this info doesn't push out some info I need for daily tasks
> I am currently devouring stolloweens site, man that guy is my hero.


lol "My prop turned out perfectly...now if only I could figure out how to tie my shoes. This used to be so easy."

Scott does some fantastic work. I especially like how he makes his forms/base for items.

There's a lot of gems and tricks to learn from people on this forum. Everyone brings something to the table (unique techniques/colour choices/detailing strategies) for the rest of us to learn from. And not just people who have been doing this a long time. New comers (to the forum and to haunting) often underestimate the value of their contributions when sharing what they are working on. Why do you think many people on here are so quick to encourage others to post pics? It's because you never know when or from where the next strike of genius or overlooked simple idea will appear.


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## KimilyTheStrange (Jul 20, 2008)

Reminds me of an old Married with Children skit that Kelly was being taught a bunch of sports trivia for a game show and while they were filling her head with stats, you could see the words 'Wash, Rinse, Repeat' floating out. 

Ghoul... thanks for posting the steps. My grey shows at times and I find myself asking... was that 1 part water to 2 parts glue or 2 parts water to 1 part glue? 
You rock!


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## ithurt (Jun 23, 2008)

hey I have been using starch alone, it seems to be pretty strong. Is this a bad idea? 
I also tried mixing in glue with the starch and flour but the glue sorta "balled" up and became separate from the mixture. So I am just going back to the basic mixture I think.


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## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

ithurt said:


> hey I have been using starch alone, it seems to be pretty strong. Is this a bad idea?
> I also tried mixing in glue with the starch and flour but the glue sorta "balled" up and became separate from the mixture. So I am just going back to the basic mixture I think.


First, if it works for you (gets you the results you want), it isn't a bad idea  
By all means, experiment with different 'recipes', but never feel like you have to change your approach because someone suggested something. What starch are you using?


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## ithurt (Jun 23, 2008)

I think it is Staflo? I will check
I tried dead spiders recipe that I got off your site, it is way stronger than the starch, but doesn't seem to be good for detail type stuff.


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## DeadSpider (Feb 3, 2006)

hi ithurt. 
If you are looking to add more detail, use the basic mache as you've done, let it dry, and then add a fine textured pulp mache on top to get the details. 

Ghoul Friday - nice work on putting all that mache information together! 
 I am honored to have my recipe among the ones you talk of.


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## ithurt (Jun 23, 2008)

DeadSpider said:


> hi ithurt.
> If you are looking to add more detail, use the basic mache as you've done, let it dry, and then add a fine textured pulp mache on top to get the details.


I will try that. I was trying to paper mache a foam skull, and lost all the details of the teeth.

I figured out what I was doing wrong (the glue starch thing) I was not using enough water to mix the ingredients into a delicious GHOULash...get it...Ghoul...man I kill...what ever.


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## slywaka1 (Aug 27, 2008)

I tried to make paper clay for the first time yesterday, and have learn a couple of things I did wrong: Even though I soaked the paper, boiled it for about 40 minutes, whisked it, mashed it and squeezed it, although it looked fine before I started using it I quickly found out it was still too wet and not as smooth as I wanted. I finished what I was doing anyway and now think I should have done it a bit at a time, letting it dry between each bit, especially as it was too wet, the weight of the clay has altered the shape of my papier mache pumpkin!! That hadn't even occured to me! Ah well, I'll know for next time!!!! I might just buy a bag of ready-pulped dry powder stuff........

Ana


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## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

slywaka1 said:


> The weight of the clay has altered the shape of my papier mache pumpkin!! That hadn't even occured to me! Ah well, I'll know for next time!!!!
> 
> Ana


Hey Ana. I see you found Stolloween's thread. Did you use wire as a frame? The excess moisture in the pulp mash is an issue mainly because it will have problems drying properly, and when that happens, there's a greater chance of mold.

I don't make my own homemade pulp. It's too involved for me.



DeadSpider said:


> I am honored to have my recipe among the ones you talk of.


I thought you must be doing something right with your recipe to get such good results. Plus, it's obvious you care about your work, which means you care about what tools you use to create it, therefore I can trust your recipe  Thanks for sharing it.

ihurt - glad you figured out your problem  It's all trial and error! I learn something new with each project.


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## slywaka1 (Aug 27, 2008)

I think I'll put it somewhere warm overnight tonight and see if that dries it out, but I'll probably end up starting again. I already have an idea what to do differently so it's worth another go!! I've tried to find websites that sell paper clay (just add water), but at first glance it's about £30 ($60ish?) for a 3kg bag!! I'm going to keep looking, I don't want that much, or to send that much just yet!!!!


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## throughthepatch (Sep 3, 2008)

This is great!
Exactly what I'm looking for. 
Thanks.


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## ithurt (Jun 23, 2008)

slywaka1 said:


> I've tried to find websites that sell paper clay (just add water), but at first glance it's about £30 ($60ish?) for a 3kg bag!! I'm going to keep looking, I don't want that much, or to send that much just yet!!!!


on Stolloweens site he uses this recipe:

"The clay was made by adding the paste and drywall joint compound to some cellulose paper insulation"

I think the stuff comes in a big bag and is fairly cheap.
I am new at this also, and this seems way easier and less time consuming than making it my self.

I hope it is ok to link to other sites here. I don't wanna be rude.


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## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

You can link to Scott's site anytime  And it's never rude when you are helping someone out.



slywaka1 said:


> I've tried to find websites that sell paper clay (just add water), but at first glance it's about £30 ($60ish?) for a 3kg bag!! I'm going to keep looking, I don't want that much, or to send that much just yet!!!!


I did a little look around via Google UK and man, you're right. It's almost cheaper for you to order it from the States or Canada and have it shipped to you. A 5 lb (2.6 kg) bag of original grey celluclay can run anywhere from $19 to $34 in North America...which sounds like a lot, but it goes a long way. Some of the UK sites I found wanted 42 quid for it. And that's just wrong.

It might be worth it for you to attempt another batch of homemade stuff. Did you use a screen to dry out your first batch? I would try letting it dry longer until it's like lint. Ever accidentally washed and dried a piece of paper in the pocket of jeans in the laundry? Remember how it was balled up, stiff, soft but crumbly when you tried to unravel it? That's the kind of texture you're going for. Almost like soft, packed sawdust.

Or you could say the heck with it and use the egg carton method which is the simplest of all of them (though I haven't tried it personally).


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## slywaka1 (Aug 27, 2008)

I really like Stolloween's site, I saw that receipe too, but I don't know what "drywall joint compound and cellulose paper insulation" are or where to get them from! It sounds like the sort of stuff you buy by the sackful!!!!!

I might try again, I was quite impatient so I could probably make a better job of it next time. I didn't use a screen, just kind of squashed it a bit until it felt fairly dry, but obviously wasn't!

It's not a bad idea getting it shipped from America.......... Thanks for the advice guys!


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## slywaka1 (Aug 27, 2008)

Just found this site, it's the cheapesst I've found, and they're uk based http://www.craftmill.co.uk/epages/S...CraftMill/Products/PR14/SubProducts/PR14-0002

Also Creative Paper Clay is available from ebay, but it would be shipped from America as there's none in UK, £6.77 inc postage, but it's 4oz.......

Hmmmmmmmmm....


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## SpookySteve (Jul 30, 2008)

Ghoul Friday
Thank you and everyone else for all of this great information.


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## indamudd (Aug 10, 2006)

*a*

Yea thanks, I have three bags sitting on the shelf and just did not know how to tackle the project. Thanks for your help!!


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## keLLieG (Sep 6, 2008)

I am having a terrible time with the toilet paper technique. Maybe my paper is too cheap? It just falls apart when I dip it. My second attempt looks kind of crappy so far....Any Suggestions?


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## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

keLLieG said:


> I am having a terrible time with the toilet paper technique. Maybe my paper is too cheap? It just falls apart when I dip it. My second attempt looks kind of crappy so far....Any Suggestions?


Hee hee no your toilet paper isn't too cheap. You're just getting too much glue on it.

Let's say you tear off one whole square of toilet paper. Don't dip the whole thing in the glue. Just dip an edge so that it touches the top of your glue. You can then fold the piece in half (dry to wet) or twist it a couple of times before applying. The glue will soak through the entire thing even with the smallest amount.

Don't handle it for very long. It will literally dissolve in your fingers. Know where the piece is going before you dip, and don't fuss with it. Get it in place and leave it alone.

Trying a thicker glue mix might help, but you will still run into the same problems overall.

You could also try not dipping at all. You could try putting the piece of toilet paper on the prop, and then use your finger to apply the glue on top of it.

If none of this helps, contact me again and we'll brainstorm more ideas. Or come on up to Canada and we'll do a mini eyeball make and take so I can show you my technique in person!


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

Here's a TP tip...I like that.."TP tip"...anyway...when I use toilet paper with papier mache I never dip the paper...instead I use a paint brush dipped in paste to coat the surface of the prop, then apply the TP dry...then use the brush again generously coated with paste to coat the surface of the TP...avoids tearing the papier, easy to do...just make sure your hands are clean, dry and free of paste before touching the TP otherwise it will be a frustrating mess....my 2 cents......


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

slywaka1 said:


> I really like Stolloween's site, I saw that receipe too, but I don't know what "drywall joint compound and cellulose paper insulation" are or where to get them from! It sounds like the sort of stuff you buy by the sackful!!!!!
> 
> I might try again, I was quite impatient so I could probably make a better job of it next time. I didn't use a screen, just kind of squashed it a bit until it felt fairly dry, but obviously wasn't!
> 
> It's not a bad idea getting it shipped from America.......... Thanks for the advice guys!


cellulose paper insulation:

http://www.aboutsavingheat.com/cellulose.html

drywall joint compound (mud):






both products are usually available at home improvement or hardware stores

Hope this helps.

-Scott


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## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

STOLLOWEEN said:


> I use a paint brush dipped in paste to coat the surface of the prop


hee hee. I discovered that applying the glue with my finger works for me as a _result_ of trying to use a paintbrush to apply the glue/tp to the plant. I couldn't get it to behave the way I wanted, I couldn't manipulate the tp around the wire with the brush, and I found my 'textured leaf effect' as a result of what happens when you get your hands in there.

Mind you, I can get pretty impatient with tools and often ditch them in favour of using my hands at every opportunity.


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

lol...that's why I really like papier mache...no right or wrong techniques..what works for one person doesn't work for another and visa versa...I like working with my hands/fingers also...sometimes find using a brush to be faster but not necessarily better


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## keLLieG (Sep 6, 2008)

Ghoul Friday said:


> hee hee. I discovered that applying the glue with my finger works for me as a _result_ of trying to use a paintbrush to apply the glue/tp to the plant. I couldn't get it to behave the way I wanted, I couldn't manipulate the tp around the wire with the brush, and I found my 'textured leaf effect' as a result of what happens when you get your hands in there.
> 
> Mind you, I can get pretty impatient with tools and often ditch them in favour of using my hands at every opportunity.


The funny thing is tonight before reading this post I decide to use my finger to the dry TP and it worked so much better and gave it a much smoother look--what I was going for.

The mushy wet TP did work nice for giving my leaves the texture I was looking for, but I didn't know that was the look I wanted until I painted it....


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## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

keLLieG said:


> The funny thing is tonight before reading this post I decide to use my finger to the dry TP and it worked so much better and gave it a much smoother look--what I was going for.
> 
> The mushy wet TP did work nice for giving my leaves the texture I was looking for, but I didn't know that was the look I wanted until I painted it....


YAY! Glad you found success  Like you, a majority of the time I don't know what something is going to look like until it gets some paint on it (especially when I am experimenting with a new approach or medium). Now I have a better gauge of what it (hopefully) should look like at the end of it all only because I have done the same thing in the past.

With new projects/techniques, what I sometimes do is let it dry and paint just a small section to see the result. The good thing about mache is that (generally speaking) you can always add to it.



STOLLOWEEN said:


> no right or wrong techniques..what works for one person doesn't work for another and visa versa...I like working with my hands/fingers also...sometimes find using a brush to be faster but not necessarily better


Yup. Heck, you and I are perfect examples. We seem to have a lot of opposites though we work with the same medium. I am so much faster WITHOUT a brush lol


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## slywaka1 (Aug 27, 2008)

STOLLOWEEN said:


> cellulose paper insulation:
> 
> http://www.aboutsavingheat.com/cellulose.html
> 
> ...


Ooh, thanks, now I know what to look out for! I will try that for the next one, I mushed toilet paper with wallpaper paste for the current one, so we'll see how that turns out!! It look ok so far though, I've left it drying today so I can hopefully do teh next bit tonight.....

Ana


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## onemomspov (Sep 25, 2012)

Has anyone used a foam bust as a base? I found a few cheap ones on Amazon that I'm going to build up with mache and mache clay (I found an awesome recipe for that on ultimatepapermache.com) but am worried it might not work well. I intend to just leave the bust inside and build up from there. This will be my first attempt at this stuff, aside from elementary school, that is. Thanks!


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## KimilyTheStrange (Jul 20, 2008)

I have used a Foam Bust and a Foam Skull and both work just fine. I have also used Model Magic to build up the Foam Bust to be the shape that I wanted without any problems.


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## onemomspov (Sep 25, 2012)

Wow- that was fast! Thanks for the quick reply. I can't wait for my order to arrive so I can get started.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

You already found this suggestion on another thread, but it's worth repeating here - the traditional flour-and-water papier mache does not stick well if applied directly to foam. I put a layer of masking tape over any foam item I'm using as a base and that solves the problem.


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