It's Early, But...

If the marketplace can do it, so can I. So here're some pics of a papier maché Santa I've been working on.




He's all gessoed up, and waiting to be painted. Except I need to fill in the big indent in his hoodie. It's what happened when the sheet of pulp I was using curled up while it was drying. I could have done it before gessoing, but didn't have any more pulp, and didn't feel like mixing up more. I can't decide whether he should be holding a bag of toys in his hanging-down hand, or a little Christmas tree. Probably I'll pick a tree- I bought a huge lot of little ones meant for landscaping miniature train sets, and want to try using one. Haven't decided, either, what he'll be holding in his hand on his bent arm. We'll see.

I love papier maché. You can do pretty much everything with it-- I get to sculpt, paint, and embellish all over the place. It's messy, but the girls have gotten used to something hanging in a doorway to dry. Or standing on the stove. Or sitting around waiting to be finished.

And it can be incredibly strong; you can make furniture with it. But I like it for characters and trees and caves, and little things to stick on other things. I have bagsful of papier maché shells and hearts and little snowman hats. I also have bagsful of torn paper strips, which I hide in a closet so the girls won't complain any more than they already tend to do.

I use pulp and strips. I like making my own pulp, but you have to get the proportions right or the dried product will be too lumpy. And boiling paper doesn't smell very good to other people, but to me it smells like creativity. And in the winter it helps the house get nice and warm.

The worst part, though, is sanding it down. It's boring, boring, boring, and takes longer when you have Carpal Tunnel (hell, EVERYTHING takes longer!), because I have to stop all the time to let my hands calm down. I didn't sand this guy, though, because I wanted the texture. So that was a step I got to skip.

Now on to finishing it.