Revisiting paper mache

Rick and I have been digging into the interwebs, looking for new information and inspiration on paper mache. What an amazing resource we have at our fingertips these days! The web was so tiny when I was doing my art degree, paper mache knowledge had to be distilled from dusty theater tomes in the library, or picked from of the brains of passing artists.

Here are some of the most interesting links we discovered, (weblogged here for my convenience, as well as for your benefit):

• The Paper Mache Resource
  Paper mache tutorials and articles, gallery of paper mache artists around the world, forum.
  

Sculpture by Sergio Bustamante, "The Farewell of the Night"

• A look at Sergio Bustamante, an absolutely breathtaking paper mache artist in Mexico.

• Interesting paper mache techniques by Wendy Harford. She has adapted ceramics techniques such as slab building and coil pots for paper mache.

• Demon Reapers by Stolloween
  Innovative Halloween prop builder's technique for making really interesting paper mache skull masks using flat cardboard cut-outs, and a lot of homemade celluclay.
  

(I'm a big fan by the way, of using flat cardboard pieces to make a three-dimensional armature for paper mache! The ears on the donkey mask I made were done this way, although I used Liqua-che instead of celluclay).

• Paper casting with sand

For a long time I have wondered if it might be possible to adapt paper-making techniques to make paper mask forms. The paper pulp used to make sheets of handmade paper is basically the same as the paper slurry or celluclay often used for paper mache sculpture. The problem is that papermaking molds are flat. The paper casting method linked to above looks like it addresses this issue. (And it also fills my head with wonderful daydreams of maskmaking on the beach!)

So why all the paper mache research? Well, for awhile Rick and I have been talking about using more paper mache for our masks. Plastic costs have gone up, and while we are able to recycle most of our scrap plastic, I really want to make more art from renewable and recycled supplies. Paper mache is an amazing material, and I look forward to making more amazing creations with it.