Papier mache with his own hands

The art of papier mache originated in the sixteenth century in France. In those days, with the help of papier mache made faces for dolls. Over time, this art form has changed, there were masks made of papier mache, dishes and even furniture. Translated from French, the term means "torn paper", since the technique of papier mache is to glue some piece of piece of torn paper, which occurs in several layers. To master this art and make papier mache with your own hands is easy, but the whole process is quite laborious and requires perseverance.

How to make a doll or a mask of paper mache with your own hands

The most popular products from papier mache are masks and dolls. In addition, you can make caskets, dishes and even books from paper mache. For making your own hands, any paper mache paper crafts you will need:

• suitable workplace. It can be a large table or any other surface. In the course of work, glue and paint are used, so the work place needs to be covered with an oilcloth;
• glue. With the technology of making papier mache products, you can use wallpaper glue. You can also make glue yourself. To do this, you need starch and warm water. Dissolve the starch with warm water and add boiling water until the glue of the desired consistency is obtained. Do not use cooked glue the next day - better prepare a new one;
• the form. As a form for papier mache can come up with anything - a can, box, ball or any other object. If an uneven shape is required for paper mache making - use clay;
• paper. For paper mache any clean paper fits, sometimes a newspaper is used. On technology, paper must be torn by hand.

When all the preparations are over, you can start working. If the form you use will remain inside the product, you can safely smear it with glue. If the shape needs to be removed, then apply a cream or petroleum jelly, and then glue the first layer of paper. Glue the surface of the mold evenly in small pieces. After that, lubricate the surface with glue and repeat the procedure. You can use paper of different colors to not forget where the layer is. Do not put paper in the container. with glue, just wriggle it in your hands. Be sure to straighten each layer, so that the surface is not going to fold. Remember, the more layers of paper you paste on the form, the stronger will be the product made of papier mache. Do not be too lazy to apply at least 50 layers of paper. The last layer of paper should be white. After gluing all the layers, we wait for the drying. Dry the product at room temperature for 1-2 days, depending on the size.

At the next stage of making papier mache with your own hands, carefully separate the product from the form. If there are any irregularities on your craft, then you can smooth them with sandpaper.

The final stage is painting. Here you can use acrylic colors or gouache. Make the colors saturated and bright. If necessary, apply the paint in two layers. When the pattern is applied, cover the resulting product with a varnish. Now the handicraft can be decorated with beads, feathers, beads and other elements of decoration.