A amazing crafty work to do with children is "Papier Mâché", which literally translates to chewed paper. I've got to say, its consistency does look like that as papier maché is basically a paper pulp mixed with some adhesive, usually wallpaper glue. I remember that as a kid, I just loved being hands-on, whether I was baking cake or on the beach, making sand castles. I loved being covered by wet sand as I loved mixing cake dough using my fingers rather than a spoon. So, when my primary teacher told my class we were going to wear aprons and make papier maché, it was a new experience I was eager to have fun with.
Papier mâché is also quite easy to prepare.
The first step is to cut so news paper confettis. I usually find that the smaller the better, as it mashes more easily. You can use a simple pair of scissors although it is quite time consuming. Using a paper shredder helps out. Plus it is quite fun.
Once you have the confettis, soak them in water over night. Then, drain most of the water before adding the wallpaper glue. Careful, it should be neither too blobby nor too sloppy. Remember, it has to be able to stand upright if you wish it. Too blobby (too mush glue), it won't be as easy to shape. Too sloppy (too much water), it won't shape at all. In both cases, the drying part will also be a problem.
I don't think there is a perfect ration to respect. It depends on what you want to do and what you are comfortable working with. Anything around 1/4 of the total volume being glue should be ok.
It is also noteworthy that some people like to use a blender to prepare the paper pulp. In that case the paper confettis are even smaller which make the final craftwork quite smooth. It is also quicker to prepare. However, if you don't have such piece of equipment or if you don't want to use it, the method I described works really well. Remember, you can sand-paper papier maché, once it is dry, making look smooth too. Plus, I always cover the dried pulp with stripes of news paper stuck with some more wallpaper glue, before colouring the final crafty work. There are a few solutions, easy to operate, to smooth down papier mâché.
On the other hand, it can be quite interesting to used rough-looking papier mâché to give some character to what you want to create.
Papier maché, once dry, is quite light. However, if you wish to make giant pieces, a good option to consider is to use a hollow structure to support the paper pulp. I tend to use metallic meshed fence rolls to give the initial shape of my finial construction.
Papier Mâché has been used for many centuries, whether is was in Egypt to make masks or in Orient to decorate outfits. Nowadays, it is often perfect to prepare carnivals. But some artists have created some amazing pieces of work with papier mâché, my favourite of all being Niki de Saint Phalle with her Nana's sculptures. These are a couple of pictures of these sculptures I found on the web:
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