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.. _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org
Display software: ArchTracker © Malgosia Askanas, 2000-2005