VIDEO: How do I make paper mache?
- To make paper mache, first tear the newspaper into as small pieces as possible. Shredding in the document shredder is also possible. However, you should tear the long strips again.
- Soak the scraps of paper in a bucket in hot water for a few hours. Alternatively, you can heat the snippets in a saucepan with water and cook for 10 minutes. You calculate with about 1.5 liters of water per daily newspaper. The paper can then dissolve and the fibers become free. Make sure that the water does not evaporate. If necessary, pour a little more.
- Chop up the mass with a hand mixer or hand blender.
- Pour off the excess water, let the paper pulp cool down a little, then squeeze it out with your hands.
- Now add some paste powder. This should create a malleable paste. If too much paste is added, the mass will be too sticky.
- Knead everything well and the paper mache is ready.
- It is best to fill the finished paper mache into a plastic bag or can to avoid drying out. Only take as much as you need at the moment.
- From the mass can now be sculptures, sculptures or Masks to shape. There are no limits for the fanatasy. For larger sculptures, a kind of inner skeleton can also be used as an aid. Wire, crumpled newspapers, but also empty plastic bottles are suitable for this. You should fill bottles with sand beforehand to weigh them down.
- Once dry, you can work on the paper maché object with fine sandpaper or a sharp knife.
- Finally, design the object in color, for example with acrylic paint or a varnish. You can let your creativity run free again.
- The paper mache can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. However, you should be aware of mold growth.
Crafting with paste - this is how paper mache works
Would you like to make funny figures out of paper and paste with your children ...
Paper mache is very versatile and much cheaper than other modeling clay. Another advantage is that the resulting products are particularly light, but still robust. In this way, large structures can also be designed, such as decorations that are still easy to move.
Craft ideas for paper mache
- You can opt for very practical handicrafts and use paper mache to make bowls or small money boxes, for example, that have a real utility.
- If you want to give your creativity a little more space, work figuratively. Design Easter bunnies or Santa Clauses, hedgehogs or penguins to match the season. With the right painting, paper mache figures are perfect as gifts.
- Decorative objects can also be easily made from paper mache. With some preparation, you can make a chair like this, for example. It doesn't bear the weight of a person, but if you paint it and thus make it water-resistant, you can place a flower pot on it, for example.
Additional author: Dorothea Stuber
