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I made a thing. Isn’t it adorable?
After a period of not making time to do much art aside from doodling in my sketchbook I decided to go out to an art party that I was invited to.
I found it awesome to be able to work alongside several artists that I look up to in a relaxed environment where small talk wasn’t forced on me. Introvert, yo.
The theme was to create a sculpture using mostly recycled materials, with paper maché being front and center.
I decided to use paper clay around a plastic easter egg. As I started to get a feel for this material, I decided to do a sculpt based one of the creatures in my sketchbook.
This material was super easy to work with and dries fairly quick in thin layers.
In the event that you too, dear reader, are interested in playing with this material I am including a recipe below.
DIY Paper Clay
Ingredients:
- Cardboard from Egg Cartons
- Warm Water
- Salt
- White Glue (Elmers glue works great)
The best part about this is that the majority of materials are easily obtained. White glue can be purchased at your local art supply store or online at Blicks.
Directions:
- Soak the egg carton in a bin of hot water; recommended to leave overnight
- Break up the carton into chunks: either strain the water out and tear by hand -OR- place in a blender with a portion of the water from the bin (you will want it to look like somewhat thick oatmeal so add just enough water for it to blend well but not be soupy)
- Add salt to taste. LOL, no…don’t eat it. The salt is to keep your mixture from getting moldy. Knead this well into your mix.
- For every 2 cups of paper pulp you will need about 1 cup of white glue.
- Add the glue in, slowly incorporating before adding more. The dough must be smooth and not stick to your hands. If it is brittle and breaks off in chunks it is a sign you need more glue.
- Do a little dance as your clay is complete! This air-dry clay can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for several days. I’ve heard that since there is no food products in the mixture this clay can keep forever. I have not tested this.
So now you have your paper clay, now what?
Whatever your heart desires; this can be used to create texture on surfaces (because of paper fibers), layered onto objects to give them more dimension, rolled up into shapes to create lightweight beads, etc!
After your clay dries you can prime and paint it however you’d like.
Enjoy!
I’m using Golden brand gesso as a primer, along with golden brand acrylic paints. Molding paste has been mixed in with the base layer of paint to create texture.
Golden makes a great product and I totally recommended it if you wish to paint using quality materials. 👍
If you are unable to hit up your local art shop, Blicks is an online alternative. Below is a link to their store.
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