Paper Mache White Swan
You will learn how to use
recycled newspaper, cardboard and transform it into a beautiful Swan, covered
with paper mache, paper clay, paint, and protected with a shine.
This paper mache
project is straightforward and great for someone wanting to learn the awesome
art of paper mache. Besides your swan will be an awesome member to your home.
We hope to be a spring board to get you started and we
encourage you to tweak, change the Swan up all you want.
Stuff List
Plastic
bag
Masking
Tape
Paper
Mache Paste
Paints
and Paint Brushes
Paper
Clay (Optional)
Minwax
Varnish
H20
and Rags
Steps
to Make Your Swan Sculpture
1
Build Your Swan Armature
Start by cutting out your swan shape onto cardboard.
Loosely wade up newspaper to place onto both sides of your swan cardboard
creating a 3D armature. You can glue your paper down or use masking tape to
hold your swan shape. Now slide the swan armature into a plastic bag and tie
the bag off and tape the extra down.
Draw a beak onto cardboard, cut out, and position
onto your swan face.
You can make your swan as large or small as you
like, it's your world here. This is your basic Swan armature; change it up to
be uniquely yours and add anything you like for accents.
We use both mache and paper clay when creating in
the studio but as you will see our sculpture ideals can be completed using only
paper mache (not paper clay). Very few ingredients are needed for paper mache
making it a more universal option.
2.
Paper Mache and Paper Clay
1st
Session You will start with the paper mache process and if you have never
created with paper mache the here is the fabulous recipe: Quick Link to Paper Mache Paste
Recipe: http://goo.gl/BH5lgM. So
ready your mache paste and your recycled paper by ripping the paper into strips
of say 3 to 4 inches.
Cover
the Swan armature with 3 layers of newspaper using your hands soaked in paper
mache paste. Lay your newspaper strips flat onto your Swan armature and work
out all air bubbles. As you continue to apply layers of paper onto the armature
your Swan will begin to take shape. Never give up you can do this.
Once you have covered
your Swan with paper mache they must completely dry. Lay them out in the sun if
you can for faster drying, they will take at least 24 hours to dry depending on the size of
your Swan.
Paper
Clay or Paper Mache
You
Choose
2nd
Session
For this session you
have two choices; paper clay or paper mache. Both mediums are wonderful and
will render a perfect Swan sculpture. The 2 best benefits to using the paper
clay vs. paper mache are time and toughness. Both recipes are on the channel; please
do check them out.
We will walk through
both paper mache and paper clay finishing process.
Paper
Mache: Cover
with 4 to 5 more layers of paper mache all at one time. Let it completely dry
before moving on. If you're Swan does not seem tough enough add more paper
mache (see step 1). After each session of paper mache your sculpture must
completely dry before moving to your next step. Awesome,
guys get excited to see your Swan take shape.
Paper Clay:
Cover
the entire Swan with about 1/4 to 1/2 inch layer of paper clay, doing one side
at a time and letting that completely dry. Apply the homemade paper clay with
your hands and smooth with paper mache paste, butter knife, etc. You can let
your paper clay dry for about 6 or more hours and then smooth more with paste.
The
size of your Swan will determine how long it will take to dry. A giant Swan
will take approximately 3 to 4 days to dry, the paper clay takes longer to dry
than you think so don't rush it, wait an extra day before painting for caution.
You
can use a fan, the sun, and the oven on the lowest temperature it will allow. Our
oven can go as low as 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a perfect temperature
for slowly drying your paper clay; we will place it in the oven for a 4 to 5
hours (as long as needed). If you heat your clay to fast it can turn dark brown
in the oven which is okay because you will cover with primer paint.
Paper
Clay Recipe: http://goo.gl/xoTFbJ
Question: Can I skip the paper mache and put paper clay
directly onto my armature?
Answer: Yes, yes you can if your armature can support
the weight of the paper clay without the support of the paper mache strips and paste.
If you need once the Swan has dried you can lightly
sand with sandpaper and wipe off before painting.
3.
Paint Your Swan
Sculpture
Paint a white coat of primer paint on your Swan giving
you a white canvas for painting. We use white flat interior house paint or
gesso to prime the surface our sculptures.
Once the primer coat as dried you are ready to paint
with acrylics anyway you like. I begin with the darkest color and work my way
to the lightest color shade. Color is fun and you can't mess
up, anything goes.
Let all you paint completely dry before sealing with
varnish for protection and shine.
4. Varnishing (Protecting)
You
must seal your paper mache pieces with varnish for protection against moisture.
Brush on 3 to 4 coats of varnish and let it completely dry. We brush on
Polycrylic Minwax at the studio to varnish all our art. The gloss enhances our
paint job. Follow the instructions on your varnish to apply.
Swan Wrap
Up
This is just one way to make a Swan sculpture for
your home, hope you will use it to create your own Swan art and of course share
with us at the studio.
Thank you for stopping by the studio please
subscribe before you leave and have a great day.
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whimsypapermache.com 2017
