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My question is partly related to the Chicken Wire thread....
I am thinking of building a large (up to 5ft tall) free standing papier mache "Wave" for a Beach/Surfer themed party later this year. Using chicken wire, I'll be able to construct my form but are there any concerns about building a papier mache structure that would be this large?
(I've never done papier mache before and know this could be quiet a challenging project but it could be really fun too)
Thanks,
-Don
Atlanta, GA
I'm in the same situation as the guy I'm replying to. I need to build a 6 foot sculpture of the shpinx. I've been told to use chicken net and paper mache, but i would really appriciate it if anybody explains to me how this is get done. I'm pretty new at this, so any tips and advices will be most welcome.
Balance is the trick. Whatever appeture you use (chicken wire, thick corrugate rolls, wood, etc.) you must make certain your large sculpture has a center of gravity. Build your sculpture from the ground up. Whether you're applying pulp or the strip method, do a heavy base coating and light upper coating. When your light upper coating dries you can begin to apply another coat for desired thickness, texture.
karen
www.farroutart.com
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Take a look at this web site:
http://www.cockeyed.com/incredible/incredible.html
There are several projects there including some large papier mache sculptures with chicken wire and wood bases. It should help you.
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yor advice really helps me! thanks a lot!
ill try to upload a picture of my sphinx once it's done. though i doubt that will happen anytime soon.
On the large Dragon I'm workingon i had to use a layer of paper mache and then the layer of wire net, followed with more mache.I bought some 18 gauge aluminum wire to tie it together, worked really well.
although one thing-
buy some work gloves! 
I cut and scaped the crap out of my fingers. lol
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Hi all, I am planning to work with paper mache, what I am looking for is what are the best materials used for outdoor garden sculpture and can paper mache be made to work in that way for long lasting durability in the weather? What I am planning to do, and my experience is limited, is to design some lifesized artifacts of white smooth, not shiny ideally, surfaced female nude figures, they will be free formed, so they do not need to be anatomically accurate. One other question I have, I am working on some one foot sized models with wire but not sure about using chicken wire around the wire pieces for form, I have been looking for illustrations in depth demonstrating the process of building armatures. I have limited means, so I have been looking online and at the library, but nothing that complete in the process so far, I will buy the book if there is one that could be suggested here. Thanks all for listening.
Tobias
I have never been able to make a paper sculpture that was able to hold up for very long outside . I have come accross a material that they use to coat the exterior of concrete walls and styrofaom moldings.
I like using styro foam to build my forms. I know its not paper but its more in the line of what you are doing .
Thanks David
cgallery@sktc.net
PS I have some photos of my latest work I can show you.
Thanks, David, styrofoam sounds good for building the forms the way I want them to be shaped, a hell of a lot easier than with chicken wire, but it does not have enough weight. Maybe there isn't anything that is durable enough for outdoor weather and here in Providence Rhode Island it is one mile per hour on average windier than Chicago is. Thanks for the information. If anyone has information for the most durable outdoor sculpture that is the least expensive please let me know. Thanks all.
Tobias