How to Create a Papyrus Model (Papier Mâché)

Papier-mâché, also known as papier-mâché (pap-yay mash-ay) or paper mâché (paper mash-ay), is an easy-to-make hard paper used to cover a variety of surfaces. This form of paper is commonly used in arts and crafts to create various models, fruit bowls, puppets, dolls and more. The surface of the paper is easy to paint, allowing you to add patterns, vibrant colors and interesting designs on the finished product. This article will detail how to make basic paper mache that can be used to make any model you want.

Table of Contents

Prepare to make mache

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Clean up the work area. The process of making paper mache can be quite dirty (What craft doesn’t, right?), so if you want to protect your beloved table at home, you’ll need to line it with newspaper or other waste material to keep it clean. Minimize cleaning work after completion. When collecting newspapers, you will need to add:

Large bowl or container
Flour, flour/glue for wallpaper or milk glue
Water
Sample
Paint brush
Newspaper (for pasting – not for cleaning)

Tear the paper into long pieces. The most suitable width is about 2.5 cm, but each craft project will require paper of different shapes and sizes. In addition, each specimen will be covered with three layers of paper, so you need to tear a lot of paper. Don’t use scissors – torn paper will blend more harmoniously than cut paper.

There is no right or wrong rule about paper size. In fact, if you want to increase the rigidity of the model by adding more pieces of paper, you will need paper of many sizes. So feel free to tear the paper.

Choose the glue that you will use to glue the backing paper. A few small differences will still produce the same finished product. Use the ingredients you have available.

Glue mixture: Pour 2 parts milk glue and 1 part water into a bowl. This quantity can be changed to fit the size of the craft. If you are using a stronger glue, 1 part milk glue and 1 part water should suffice.
Flour Mixture: Combine 1 part flour with 1 part water. Extremely simple!
- For large and elaborate craft projects, you will need to replace the water with milk glue.
Wallpaper paste : Pour 2 parts wallpaper paste and 1 part water into a bowl. This method is suitable for models that you want to keep for a long time – maybe several years.

Blend the mixture of your choice. Do this using a paintbrush, spatula, or stirrer. Stir until mixture is smooth.

If the mixture is too thin or too thick, simply adjust the ingredients. Add more glue if the mixture is thin or more water if the mixture is thick.

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Find the surface where you want the backing paper to be applied. For example, a balloon, cardboard, or some other specimen. Besides, you can also merge two objects together to create creative models.

If you’re using balloons, you can grease them with cooking oil before sticking the paper so that when the paper dries, you can easily remove the balloons.

Create a paper mache model

Dip a piece of newspaper into the glue mixture. Your fingers will be very dirty! But the dirtier your hands are, the better your product will look.

Wipe off excess glue. Do this by sliding two fingers from top to bottom of the piece of paper. Hold the paper over the bowl so the glue doesn’t come out.

Stick the piece of paper on the surface or specimen. Smooth the surface of the paper with your finger or paintbrush. Try to straighten the creases and clumps of the paper. You need to create a smooth flat paper surface for painting and decorating.

If you want to create a shape (such as a face), shape the piece of paper as you want, stick it on the surface, then apply an extra layer to smooth the surface. This can easily create volume, texture, and texture.

Repeat the pasting of the paper. Do this until the entire surface or specimen is covered with three layers of paper. This is extremely important when you want to remove the specimen after the paper has dried – the paper needs to be stiff and hold its shape.

Glue the first layer of paper horizontally, then glue the second layer vertically and so on. This way, you will know where you have glued and help the paper stick more tightly.

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Place the pasted model on the coated surface to dry. It will take a day or two for the paper to dry completely, depending on the model size. Do not touch the model after a day or two, then check if you can already paint on the model.

Start painting. You can paint or decorate as you like. Then admire the work! (And don’t forget to let others know it’s your own work.)

Some suggest that you should paint a white primer first. If you choose to paint a light color on the model, you will need this method (otherwise some paint will come off). However, if you stick the paper over the balloon, don’t cover the top part so that the bubble can be easily removed.

Advice

Prepare all the materials before starting the implementation.
Wait for the backing paper to dry completely before painting.
The paper you use doesn’t have to be long pieces. Any small piece of paper with any shape will work, as long as it makes it easy for you to do it.
Besides, tearing the paper with rough lines instead of cutting with scissors will make the finished product have a smoother surface.
Hairspray or polish will make the paper mache waterproof. Only add this step when you have finished painting or finished the model.
To make the mask, you can cut the circle in half and remove the bubble to get two masks.
You can stick paper mache on just about anything: picture frames, old CDs, etc.
If using a water-flour mixture, white flour will make the surface smoother than wheat flour.
Try using different types of paper instead of newspaper – kitchen towels also work.
Always apply enough glue to cover the entire surface of the paper you are applying it to, or the paper will come off after it dries.
To keep your fingers from sticking, you should wear latex gloves.
Have excess paper ready. It will be very inconvenient if you run out of paper in the process.

Warning

If making piñata with bubbles, make sure to apply enough layers of paper (at least 3 layers or more) or replace newspaper with thicker paper (like regular white paper) and make sure the paper is completely dry before take out the bubble. Otherwise, the bubble will pull the paper inward and create an indentation when the bubble bursts.
The glue mixture will be very difficult to clean if it gets stuck on a certain surface. If you’re worried about the glue on the tabletop, you should line some newspaper before you start.

Things you need

Glue/flour/wallpaper paste
Water
Bowl
Spoon/stirstick
Newspaper (for gluing surfaces and specimens)
Sample
Paint brush
Cooking oil (optional)

Steps

Prepare to make mache

Create a paper mache model

Advice

Warning

Things you need

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