Diy papier mache crafts for beginners

A special kind of creativity that anyone can master is the papier-mâché crafts with their own hands. And it doesn’t matter how old you are: at 7 and 40, such a creative pastime will give you a lot of positive emotions and a good mood. And most importantly, the material - papier-mâché - is very easily prepared from improvised means.

The essence of the papier-mâché technique lies in the translation of this concept from French - “chewed paper”. Fibrous paper or cardboard is mixed with an adhesive base (plaster, homemade paste, glue), and then superimposed on the form. After drying, the material is easy to decorate. Papier Mache can do:

• elements of decor for home, garden;
• toys;
• piggy banks;
• caskets;
• jewelry (brooches, beads, hairpins);
• gift boxes, etc.

Items from paper pulp look very natural. No wonder little children, seeing in the shop window chanterelles, bunnies, ask parents to buy along with treats and animals. The blanks of such handicrafts are strong and well-shaped, and even a beginner can work with paper in this technique. It is only important to properly prepare papier-mâché.

Materials for papier-mache

The main material for papier-mache is paper. It is best to take a newspaper or white tissue paper, as they are thinner than ordinary writing sheets. You can also use cardboard, but this is suitable for experienced masters. The fact is that the paper will have to be torn by hands - then the thin edges are leveled better. Pieces should be about 2 cm wide and 8 cm long. Therefore, the thicker the paper, the harder it is to prepare. As for the glue, it can be ordinary wallpaper glue, PVA or homemade paste. For the preparation of the latter, only 2 ingredients are required - starch (or flour) and water. The proportion should be 1: 6.

Cooking:

1. Heat in a saucepan 5 tbsp. water.
2. 1 tbsp. flour (or starch) diluted in 1 tbsp. cold water. Mix thoroughly to avoid lumps.
3. Pour the mixture into the water and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Such a paste is stored for a short time - about a day, as it loses its adhesive ability over time.

To make it easier to apply glue to the base and coat them with fine or small parts, you should definitely arm yourself with a brush. It is better if there are two of them - thin and thick.

How to work with papier-mâché

Before embarking on creativity, it is necessary to prepare a workplace. There are several recommendations regarding:

• workplace size. It is better that it is a large, stable table;
• table surface. Be sure to use oilcloth or thin disposable tablecloth, which after work can be discarded;
• aids. A few cloths will be very appropriate - to wipe your hands;
• lighting. Light should be directed to the table on the left side.

It is very important to decide on the form for crafts. It may be:

• frame, which will remain inside (then it is immediately coated with glue);
• the base, which will be taken out, in order to get the craft to be hollow inside (then a layer of vaseline should be applied to the form, and then covered with paper);
• a balloon (an ideal base, as the ball bursts after drying the paper).

After all the preparatory actions it remains only to dip the paper in the glue and, smoothing out the folds, to glue on the base. After one layer is ready, white paper should be applied. Repeat this sequence will have from 8 to 10 times. And in a day, the completely dried-over craft will be ready for decoration. To hide a newspaper font, paper stock can be coated with water-based paint.

Paper mache crafts for beginners

One of the simplest variants of original things made of papier-mâché are decorative plates.

Materials:

• ceramic plate;
• paper;
• glue;
• petrolatum;
• paints (acrylic or gouache).

Instruction:

1. Lubricate the plate with petroleum jelly (do not touch the lower part).
2. We put on pieces of paper, well moistened with glue.
3. Level the layer and apply white paper, torn on the flaps.
4. We alternate steps 8 times steps 2-3.
5. Give the craft to dry and paint at its discretion.

DIY animals do it yourself

The papier-mâché animals are very popular and can serve as a coin box for coins.

Materials:

• paper;
• homemade paste;
• PVA glue;
• glass jar;
• any color plasticine;
• fat cream;
• paint for decoration (gouache);
• paper knife.

Instruction:

1. On the jar we impose a plasticine base on an animal, for example, a fox. The back of the not stick around.
2. Now we coat the base with petroleum jelly and apply layers of paper, alternating newspapers and white sheets.
3. We make 12-15 layers, the last (white) we impose on the PVA - the craft will be stronger.
4. Give dry for about 2 days.
5. Knife cut the workpiece along, remove the base.
6. Glue the halves with pieces of white paper.
7. We make in the necessary place a slot for coins.
8. We make crafts with paints.

Original garden figurines

It is also possible to decorate a garden plot with a papier-mâché figurine. Only install such a sculpture is better in the shade and in a place protected from the wind. Consider the technology of making fungus.

Materials:

• wire for the frame;
• a piece of chalk;
• paper;
• PVA glue;
• paste;
• paints.

Instruction:

1. From the wire make the frame of the fungus.
2. Fill the paper with water, boil for 10 minutes and let it freeze for a day.
3. Add glue and chalk to the mass.
4. Fill the wire structure with a solid base.
5. Pasting paper base, making up to 25 layers of newsprint and white paper.
6. We give two days to dry and paint the details of the sculpture.

Handicrafts made from papier-mâché do it yourself easily. However, this creative process takes time and patience, since it will not be possible to immediately see the result: it will take time for the material to dry properly. But then you get a convenient basis for the design of their original creations.