Paper Mâché Sculpt and Share!
​

Build your own sculpture using supplies easily found in the kitchen and in the home! Work any size or shape and create anything you can imagine. It can be functional, meaning you can use it, like a bowl for storing objects or non-functional like an animal, creature, self-portrait, or something pretty to hang on the wall!

Paper mâché is creating a sculpture using paper and an adhesive (like glue!), usually a flour and water mix.  This art activity is hand and mind friendly, and it helps create new brain connections.  This activity also offers a bit of science and math, and yet calms you at the same time. Parents, we encourage you to make sculptures with the children! 
 

Age Level: 5 years to adult
 
What you’ll need:

• Flour
• Water
• String
• Tape
• Gloves
• Paper: newspaper, magazines, paper towels, copy paper, etc.
• Water-based paints like tempera paint and acrylic
• Paint brush
• Participants should wear art making clothes and use gloves
  
  

Instructions:
Participants will create a base form then make a flour and water mix, and apply strips of paper, saturated with the mix, to the form to create a sculpture. After it dries then it can be painted.  

1. Decide on what your masterpiece will be. Make an animal, self-portrait, bowl, or anything you want. If you need some ideas do an internet search on paper mâché sculptures.
​
2. ​Take newspaper and shape it close to the size and shape of how your sculpture will look. Use some string or tape to form the general shape. 

Paper form held together with masking tape

3. Make your flour paste by mixing together 1-part flour to 1-part water. This means to use the same amount of flour and water. Stir the mixture well and make sure there are no lumps. When water is added to flour, gluten proteins change shape and become sticky. Because it is the same amount of flour to water, it will be pourable, but thick in consistency.  

4. Tear your paper into strips about 1” to 2” wide or smaller if your sculpture is small. You may want to make some that are different sizes. Newspaper is made from wood pulp. If you break down wood into very small fibers, add water, compress and dry it, you have newsprint paper.

Paper strips and flour and water paste

Microscopic view of wood pulp paper.

5. ​​Dip one strip at a time into the flour paste and get it very wet. Then wipe off excess paste using gloved fingers, the edge of a bowl or paint brush.

Coating the paper strips with paste

6. ​Apply the strip over your form and shape it, creating details, with your fingers. Then do another and continue this process. Shape it each time you apply a strip. Cover your form with one layer of paper strips then let it completely dry. Then apply a second layer when its dry. Then let it dry again. If you’re happy with it at this point. Then paint it. If you need more details then apply a third layer and dry it again.

Applying the coated paper strips to the paper form.

Here is an example of a completely covered paper form. Several layers were applied to make the heart. It is dry and ready to be painted.

7. Paint it with your favorite colors using tempera or acrylic paint.​
​
8. Take a photo of your finished masterpiece and share it with our Museum on Facebook and Instagram hashtag #marshallfredericksmuseum. 

Paper mâché sculpture idea

Painted paper mâché sculpture

​More great ideas can be found on Pinterest like the images below.