# Paper Mache Ribs... What's your best technique?



## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

I often study work by other haunters and artists. Not to mimic their style. But to learn new techniques to improve my own work. Like a lot of haunters I often find myself returning to Rot's work - the man is a genius. One of the things he does incredibly well are the ribs. My understanding is that he pretty much works exclusively with natural elements found in nature and paper mache.









_Up Close of Pumpkinrot's Ribs_​
I've found and read numerous tutorials on the subject of paper mache ribs. Pretty much all of them suggest or use rolled newspaper. I've done this on a good bit of my own props with exposed ribs. However once I curve the ribs they almost always end up looking flattened. Yet whenever I come back to Rot's work it's never like that. There's depth and texture. If there's anything I'd love to learn how to do that he does it would be ribs. I dunno, maybe for ribs he's using another technique.









_My Own Rib Work As Seen In 2010's Faegoria Display_​
I would love to hear suggestions from other artists and haunters. What are some of your best ribbing techniques?


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## goneferal (Sep 8, 2010)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZTxPug8sWm4/TSayZR9dIPI/AAAAAAAABbI/1FaoM1sW5yE/s1600/P1040138.JPG
I used plastic tubing for my first skeleton, but I didn't end up using him becasu the ribs were too rounded and even. All my skeletons are made with rolled newsprint ribs and masking tape holding them together (sorry, no good photos). I really like how Rot's look like he used fabric as the mache material.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

TM, did you roll the newspaper on the diagonal? I think doing it that way reduces the chances of the ribs flattening when you bend them into shape.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

@Roxy: Yup, actually tried it both ways with the same results. Maybe I'm not rolling it tight enough or something. Same thing happened with Aegothotep and I used plastic tubing for his ribs. Although the flatting effect wasn't as noticeable.


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## SPOOKY J (Nov 20, 2009)

TM I'm glad you brought this up. I have the same trouble. I just can't get ribs to look as good as other haunters. I always end up covering or heavily corpsing over them because I failed.


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## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

I use the rolled newspaper method, but I twist the paper ribs as I wrap them in 2" plastic shipping tape. This keeps them from flattening. Here's an example -










You can also overlay the ribs with paper towels/glue to give them more volume. Contrasting colors - as in Rot's pic above - will help to make the ribs better defined.


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## NoahFentz (May 13, 2007)

Have you tried emailing him with your question. I asked him how he got the wrinkled textured and he told me he used paper towel and glue/water mache only and it worked. In most cases whenever I asked him a question he has responded with the answer...


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## bmaskmaker (May 6, 2010)

I have a couple of ideas ...

I used the rolled and then flattened technique on my $20 prop entry, but I was actually trying to get kind of a flattened look. If you're adding clay, like I did for strength and detailing, you could just round the clay layer to get a more rounded look.

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=31051

Another technique is to actually create snakes or twigs of mache'd paper. It actually looks like this is what pumpkin rot's entrails are made of, and he may have dome something similar for the ribs and then layered over it with more mache to get the skin(ish) look.

I used this technique to make vine hands, but if you could make the twigs bigger to get a wider version, or combine a couple to get the same effect. The advantage is that the twigs bend and form really easily, and are surprisingly strong once they dry.










There's a tutorial called Wendy's Way that gave me the originally idea. I use a different paste recipe (check my $20 prop link above for that too), but a similar technique.

http://www.papiermache.co.uk/tutorials/wendys-way/1/


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Try using a bucket as a form, molding and shaping your ribs around the bucket rather than trying to make something round and then bending it. By working "in the round" to start with you are able to create the shape you want without the worry of it collapsing or folding on you, and giving you the flattened bends. 
Rather than trying to roll everything super tight, try going a bit looser. This lets you pinch and shape the surface and it's textures. You might also look at changing the materials you use. Stolloween uses crepe paper for the stems on his magnificent pumpkins. With that you can stretch it tight where you need or want a smoother finish, or leave it relaxed for the more wrinkled results.


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

Love this thread...I really enjoy making the ribs/torsos for creatures...my typical method is to build a cardboard armature and cover it with mache...some of the favorite ribs I have built are:

Buster Gravesley:

Cardboard armature covered with papier mache then plastic grocery bags melted with a heat gun. One thing is that I usually never pay attention to correct anatomy...I prefer creatures with a stylized bone structure...close enough to be recognizable but stylized enough to be unique and interesting.










Gourdon Rottsworth:



















And last summer I built a Pirates of the Caribbean prop, the figurehead for the front of a ship for a client...the ribs were PVC bent with a heat gun and wire...the closest I've ever tried to be anatomically correct.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

@Noah: Yeah I could do that, I've gone back and forth with him in the past on several different topics. He's always been pretty nice. But I think asking he directly is kinda like cheating and making whatever I do feel more like I'm copying his work instead of taking inspiration from it and making it my own. I'm curious how other haunters have tackled this issue. And by opening this discussion I think we can all benefit from it. I'm hoping Marrow will chime in soon, his work comes pretty close to Rot's in terms of style.

On the textures, I almost always use paper towels and glue/water when doing mache. Sometimes I'll experiment and mix in some latex paint which is what I did on last year's floating spirits - the scragly dreads are just cheese cloth dipped in that mixture. But for the skinning I used Allen's plastic drop cloth and heat gun technique.










@bmaskmaker: I was thinking that's how he did the entrails as well.

@stolloween: thanks for chiming in Scott, huge fan of your work as well. You have some of the best mache tutorials on the web - I'm still trying to master that mache skull technique of yours. I usually end up giving up and customizing a foam skull with mache and custom cuts. I agree on stylized over anatomically correct. I think if I were that anal-retentive to be anatomically correct I'd just get a bucky or something.


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## BobC (Aug 23, 2005)

When I make ribs I go for realistic i have skeleton reference pics from sculpting that i look at and freehand draw life sized ribs on to a piece of white poster board. I then cut it out reinforce and tape it into the shape im happy with and mache. My results have been very close to bucky ribs. Once you are happy with what you have drawn and cut it out you have a stencil to copy off of forever that speeds up your prop making big time. Hope that helps.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

BTW, I was watching "Man vs Food" a little while ago and was reminded that, in real life, ribs are actually somewhat flat naturally - curved, yes, but flat


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

I just used rolled newspaper (I forgot to try the diagonal idea) I just tried to use a Bucky as a model.


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Thanks everyone for your input. I have never really been happy with the ribs I have made. I have been starting with a wire frame and then filling it in with plastic bags. I may try using foil next time and then covering with liquid nail.


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## Mr_Chicken (Nov 26, 2008)

This is how I do mine: http://www.instructables.com/id/Paper_Mache_Skeletons/

They won't flatten if you use about three layers rolled _really, really_ tightly.


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## Jaybo (Mar 2, 2009)

Mr_Chicken said:


> This is how I do mine: http://www.instructables.com/id/Paper_Mache_Skeletons/
> 
> They won't flatten if you use about three layers rolled _really, really_ tightly.


Yep, that's the same way I've made mine in the past, using several sheets of paper tightly rolled together. I also twist mine as if I am wringing water out of a wash cloth and tape them with masking tape or duct tape. I then detail them with wrinkled paste soaked thin paper towels (think cheap paper towels from the public restroom), layers of toilet paper, and unrolled cotton balls soaked in paste.


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

I made mine a little different. I started with branches from trees that were flexible. I then began to wrap cheese cloth around them with paper mache. I then attached them to the breast plate which was formed from chicken wire. Used different sizes of branches to give the look of a rib cage. Sorry that I don't have any pictures to show. When I took computer in for a tune-up we did a back up before taking it in, but along the way I've lost a lot of my photos. Sorry everyone.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Dang, I remember Marrow had some great in progress pics of some groundbreakers in this thread http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=26886 but now they're gone.


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## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

I just use a cardboard form that I tape rolled newsprint to for mass. Like so:


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## discozombie (Jun 21, 2012)

I also used the cardboard armature attached rolled newspaper with masking tape.


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## danf1973 (Jun 29, 2011)

Terrormaster said:


> I often study work by other haunters and artists. Not to mimic their style. But to learn new techniques to improve my own work. Like a lot of haunters I often find myself returning to Rot's work - the man is a genius. One of the things he does incredibly well are the ribs. My understanding is that he pretty much works exclusively with natural elements found in nature and paper mache.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Man I'm so with you! I would pay to have a look into how he does some of his work but I understand its a secret.


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## QueenRuby2002 (Oct 23, 2011)

I uesuly start my ribs with a nice rub then throw in the oven on low for an hour then I smother them with my homemade BBQ sauce and throw them on the grill for another hour. J/K couldn't reist.

Joking a side you guys have some wonderful ideas and as soon as I get brave enough to try Paper macheing I'll have to try some of these out.


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## Headless (Sep 4, 2011)

Actually having just done a bit of playing around with techniques on mache - try rolling then twisting the newspaper to maintain the rounded look. I was really pleased with the finish of my pumpkin and the stalk turned out fairly round even when I bent it.


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