Gourmet Paper Mache

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Me / Paper Mache Art/ Links

Paper Mache Art

Before I say anything else, I want to acknowledge that I know that paper mache is supposed to be spelled, "papier mâché." But what your third grade teacher taught you , and certainly what I do, is nothing like the "mashed paper" methods employed by the French. And it's a hassle inserting the symbols. So I don't. I'm sorry if this offends French people.

I've been making paper mache sculpture for many years. Actually, I was thinking of adding a second "many" to that sentence because of how long it truly has been since I started this. I made my first dragon when I was twenty-two years old. I'm now sixty! (I'll bet you thought I was only fifty-nine by my picture.) You can see the face of that first little dragon in the upper left hand corner of this site. I have a full size image of it in my art gallery. I developed my unique variation of paper mache combined with cloth and glue in an attempt to make my projects stronger. The cloth dipped in glue certainly did add strength. Note the size of some of the pieces on this website. The cloth also opened possibilities for detail not afforded by traditional paper mache. The bottom line is that most paper mache artists sculpt with some armature material like chicken wire and then put a "skin" of paper mache over it. I actually sculpt with paper mache balls and then put a skin of cloth dipped in glue over it. I think this process is pretty clearly seen in my videos. I coined the phrase "paper and cloth mache" when I first wrote about it in my book, The Simple Screamer: A Guide to the Art of Paper and Cloth Mâché (1984, Gibbs-Smith Publishers, Layton, Utah ). That book, and the sequel, Make Something Ugly for a Change: The Definitive Guide to Paper and Cloth Mâché (1999) both went out of print in 2006. I have finally finished the comprehensive sequel to the sequel of the Screamer book, Papier Mâché Monsters: Turning Trinkets and Trash into Magnificent Monstrosities (again, Gibbs-Smith Publishers). It is truly a "tell all" book. It tells everything I know about this medium. And it is now available! I've provided information about getting this book on my Books page. Note that I have also created a Blog where I'm posting slower, instructional videos. These will augment my books and help you get started. Just click here to get there.

Remember, if you just want to make a dragon and learn the basics of my paper mache techniques, then buy my Dragon-maker's Handbook .

Thanks for reading all of this!

I can be reached at: dan@gourmetpapermache.com

Paper Mache Links

Please note that there are other great sites out there dealing with paper mache. I've listed some links below to some of friends and fellow paper mache artists. One thing you'll notice as you look around, that there are as many paper mache methods as there are paper mache artists. I love my technique because that's the one I use. My artist friends will undoubtedly say the same for their methods. I also have a couple links to non paper mache artists I like and to some groups with whom I associate. Check them out.

For some great Halloween Art...SpookyBlue.com

Check out Lyman's Monster Mache site!

Creative Paper Mache -A wonder paper mache resource! Galleries, recipes, ideas galore! Check it out!

102 Wicked Things to Do (Mary's wonderful blog!)

Driftwood Dreams - a great paper mache resource

Stolloween Scott Stoll is an amazing sculptor, one of the very best.