Paper Mache Animals

Paper mache or papier-mâché, literally meaning 'chewed paper' in French, is an exciting activity to create 3D models of different objects or animals. You can make fun creatures or animals with this fabulous art technique. Although making paper mache animals is time-consuming, it can be the best craft activity to bring out your child's creativity. It is easy and inexpensive and requires only a few basic materials.

How to Make Paper Mache Animals

The easiest way to make paper mahe animals is by using balloons. Joining balloons of different shapes and sizes to resemble animals requires imagination and creativity. If you want to know how to make paper mache, follow these simple and easy instructions and come up with whole lot of creatures and animals of your choice.

Things Required:

• Newspaper
• Balloons
• All-purpose flour
• Large bowl
• Safety scissors
• Cardboard
• Glue
• Water
• Paper towel
• Masking tape
• Rubber bands
• Pipe cleaners
• Poster colors
• Paint brushes
• Permanent markers

Directions:

1. The first step is to decide on the animal you want to make. Blow up balloons of different shapes and glue them up together to resemble the animal. You could also twist the balloons to get the desired shape. Make use of cardboard or construction paper to make the additional features like the ears, legs and feet.
2. In a bowl, take one cup of all-purpose flour and 2 cups of water. Stir it well to make a milky paste just about the consistency of pancake batter.
3. Now, tear the old newspaper into long strips. Dip the strips into the mixture, so that they are completely coated with the mixture.
4. Remove the excess paste and place it on the balloon figure. Every time you put a strip, smoothen it down with your fingers, so that there are no air bubbles or wrinkles. Cover the entire figure with paper strips.
5. Allow the animal to dry for some time. Stretch or bend the paper strips to give a definite shape to your animal. Then let it dry completely for about a day or two.
6. Once the animal has dried completely, you can pop the balloon with the help of a long sewing needle.
7. Paint the paper mache animal with poster colors. Add extra features like eyes, nose, antennae, whiskers, tail using pipe cleaners and make the animal as fanciful as you like. Your colorful paper mache animal is ready.

You could use newspaper to make the frame of the animal instead of balloons. Just scrunch bits of construction paper to create the main form of the animal. Masking tape can be used to hold the paper form together. When your rough animal figure is ready, use the above technique to coat it with the paper mache. Empty cartons or boxes can also be used to make the body frame of the animal. Making animals out of paper mache can get real messy and hence you should cover the entire workplace with newspapers or rags before you start. Use paper towels to wipe off the glue or flour that sticks to your hand. One more thing to remember while making these animal models is to allow the animals to dry completely for a longer shelf life.

Make different paper mache animals and turn your bedroom into a zoo! Have Fun!