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After browsing the antique shops and being staggered by the prices for vintage 1940's papier mache Halloween decorations, I decided to strike out on my own to see if I couldn't somehow make a suitable copy of the old-style jack o' lanterns. I didn't have any vintage mould to work from, so I started with strip papier mache and the old cellulose based wallpaper adhesive. This worked well, but it was hard to achieve smooth contours around more curved areas. I used a party balloon inflated halfway as my initial armature. I've been alternating layers of colored papers so I can tell when one layer ends and another begins. The nose, chin, cheeks and exagerrated eyebrows I built up with Celluclay. I would love to ultimately achieve a very uniform and smooth appearance without the little "dimples" and valleys of typical papier mache, but I'm just not sure how to go about it or what I could use as a filler material. Any advice would be most welcome and greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Last edited by kennyboy (2007-11-03 22:28:54)
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Kennyboy, one way is to apply several coats of gesso to fill in and cover the minor flaws. Sand lightly between coats.
I read about a clever way to make PM pumpkins (the basic shape): Get a plastic bag of the right size, fill it with lots of crumpled newspaper until it's a bit larger than you want.
Put a small hole in the bottom of the bag and let a strong string hang out there, and run it up through the center of the bag and out the top, then pack the crumpled paper around it. This string, when tightened later, will draw the top down and the bottom up like a real pumpkin. You may want to tie a fist-sized object to each end so you don't accidentally pull it out. You might want to double the string, as quite a bit of pressure will be applied to it.
Then wrap the bag tightly (vertically) with string around the bag. Then take a second string and do it again, but crosswise to the first one. then twice again between the first two wraps.
When the wrapping looks right (you may have to loosen or readjust the wraps), tie a large button or round scrap of wood (etc) to that bottom string you left hanging out. Put another button on the top, then pull the string tightly, pushing down on the center of the bag, and tie it tightly so it lies flat.
Cover the pumpkin shape with strips and add a PM stem.
I hope I remember this correctly and didn't leave out some important step!
Sue
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I use spackle instead of gesso to fill in the gaps and make the appearance smoother - but when working with papier-mache it is really hard and takes a lot of work to have a completely smooth appearance to it, as you would get with porcelain.
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