File puptcrit/puptcrit.0810, message 175


From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Mathieu_Ren=E9?= <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca>
To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:59:00 -0400
Subject: [Puptcrit] Paper Mache Bark


Hi all.

The more I work with this method, the more I like it.
So here I am, sharing more about it.
I hope a lot of people will join in on the fun!

I am at my third full project with this method. Second project is still on 
the way, it's the giant skull mask, with articulated jaw. For the same 
"Death" costume, I need a talking skjull head walking staff, so last nigth I 
covered a mini skull head (my own clay model, covered in palstic wrap) in 
reccord time, thanks to the bark method.  You can see the bark paper mache 
texture, in progress and on the finished products, on two different posts on 
my laboratory blog:

.Giant Skull Mask (still in progresss, more pics coming eiher tonight or 
tomorrow)
http://creaturistelab.blogspot.com/2008/09/giant-skull-mask-wip.html

.Serpentine Demon (the liong haired freak of the two)
http://creaturistelab.blogspot.com/2008/07/macabre-puppets-nearly-finished.html


You know, how impasto, that heavy paint technique for creating obvious brush 
and knife strokes on a painting, is so wonderfully expressive and bold?
Well, the bark method is just as exciting as Impasto, but for paper mache!

It's great for Theatrical work, because it already has a lot of life, and 
forces you to sculpt the form in bold shapes, because tiny details will be 
lost in the heavy texture.
The wrinkles and folds in the crumpled paper ribbons turn a single piece 
into the equivalent of 5 to 8 layers, all applied at one time! What a time 
saver! A head size and complexity that used to take me 6 hours of paper 
applications can now take me two! If proper pressing and smoothing of the 
folds is applied as you work, the end result can still be relatively smooth, 
and can be smoothened further by adding a layer of paper strips, uncrumpled.

Use the right paper to start with, and you may not even need to paint the 
object much.
I like unbleached coffee filters for most of my paper mache work.

I never saw this method quite the same anywhere else, although I did base it 
on a few I learned from others.
The main influence came from our fellow Puptcritter Cary Tracy Pugh, who 
squishes her pasted paper pieces (the glue is acrylic medium) to build up 
details on her paper mache sculptures. Great for making teeth! I adopted the 
method, and still use it often, especially for teeth, edges of shapes, and 
small horns.
Thanks so much Cary!

Cary's method was the begginning of my experiments to make the bark, which 
worked very well on the second demon puppet I made for the Toronto customer 
a few months ago (see macabre puppets on my lab blog, link above). He was 
made with brown paper towels, because the unbvleached paper coffee filters 
were hard to find for a while. Even though the paper towel was a much weaker 
paper, the bark technique saved the day, making a very strong result!

The way I do the bark:

-Prepare my form to accept paper mache without sticking permanently. The 
usual form is either an oil-based clay model, or a newspaper and tape model. 
Eiyther vcamn be covered in clear packing tape, or plastic wrap, either of 
which will release the paper mache once its dry, very cleanly.

-pre-tear pieces of paper of about the size of my hand.

-Apply glue on both sides of the paper (I like exterior carpenter's glue , 
diluted with water until easy to spread)

-crumple the paper into a wrinkled flattened "ribbon", which I lay on my 
form, in a directional manner to create something structurally strong. If 
done well, it also looks good, texturally.

-when semi-dry (can speed it up with a fan or a heat gun, or both), flatten 
the pieces again, so they become a compact shell, very strong and without 
significant air pockets. A massage with your hands is good, but going back 
afterwards with a hard smooth tool, (and a mini rolling pin for large areas) 
makes it even better.

-If the texture is too strong for your project, you may soften the look by 
shaving the boldest "defects" with a  blade, sand it with coarse sandpaper, 
and if you really need a lot of softening, add a layer of paper mache 
strips, applied in the more usual flat way (brown paper towels work wonders 
for this softening).
-In addition to the bark, you may build up volumes and correct some edges 
with Cary's method of squished paper. Every piece of squished paper should 
be covered with a flat piece of paper strip, instantly holding things 
together, and smoothing them.

-Dry it in front of a fan for a few hours.  Without a fan, drying may take a 
week or two, or more, depending on the weather. With a fan, it's just a few 
hours. 8 hours of fan exposire at lowest setting is more than enough for 
most of my applications (usually no more than the equivalent of 8 layers of 
paper, which is one application of the bark technique).
At that time (or less), the cast is stiff enough to be cut away from the 
form, and re-assembled into the hollow strong shell I need for a puppet part 
or a mask. It's a good idea to do it now, not too late, because the fully 
cured cast is really hard to cut with a blade, while the smei cured is like 
soft wood.

-Look inside the cast, facing a strong light, to detect weak spots, which 
should be filled with the same texture, either witihin, or without. You can 
speed-dry it with a heat gun or a hairdryer, but wait for it to be stable 
before you apply any pressure on the form, to prevent any flattening or 
warping.

-some casts, especially masks and puppet heads, will need strengthening of 
the openings or rims, with some heavy gage wire, covered with more of the 
bark texture.  With a wire edge, a weaker cast can become much stronger a nd 
gain the stability it didn't have otherwise.  Any cut edge of paper mache 
should be re-sealed with more of the same paper and glue technique, until 
the edge is rounded and strong, resisting future warping from sneaky 
moisture that could have otherwise seeped sneakily.

-when it's stable enough so that it won't move when you manipulate it, you 
may texture, seal and paint it with acrylics (oils would stop the curing 
process, so should be avoided until the cast is really perfectly dry).

-place again in front of the fan until the cast has reached its final 
stiffness. One should not sell or give the product away until it is truly 
stable..


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