Paper waste

On average, each UK household disposes of 1.2kg of paper and card each day!

About a third of the contents of household bins is made up of paper and card, of which half is newspapers and magazines. You could reduce the amount of paper that goes in your bin, or to the recycling, (especially newspapers) by using it again yourself for papier mache modelling.

Becoming a dab hand at papier mache is not just lots of fun, but you can make presents for your friends and family too.

GET STARTED
Follow these basic instructions on getting papier mache ready for big and small projects.

You will need: old newspapers, old phone books, or low quality wrapping paper, PVA glue, an old tray or large shallow bowl.

Tearing a strip off – for big projects

1. Cover work surfaces with dry newspaper and have a damp cloth ready to wipe your hands – it can get messy
2. Water down the PVA – about one part glue with three parts water
3. Use a thick paintbrush to cover the bottom of the tray or bowl with a thick layer of this glue
4. Tear strips of paper to the size you want and lie them on the glue in the tray
5. Cover the strips with another layer of glue – they are now ready to use.

Gunk - for small projects

For more detailed work or making plaques, you want to make a sort of paper and glue gunk.

You will need: glue and tissue paper, kitchen rill or crepe paper, an old tray or large shallow bowl.

1. Cover the tray or bowl with a thin layer of glue
2. Lay sheets of tissue or other paper on the glue and then cover with another layer of glue
3. Use the edge of a craft shaper or ordinary table knife to scrape up the bits of gunky paper and stick them onto your work

GET MODELLING

Making a hollow 3-d object using strips

1. Find an object which you can cover in papier mache that you can use as a mould. You could use old ornaments, garden decorations or anything with a reasonably simple outline.
2. Cover the mould in Vaseline and apply a layer of newspaper strips soaked ONLY in water. This will stop the papier mache getting stuck to the mould.
3. If the mould sits on a flat bottom, leave this uncovered for now.
4. Apply about six layers of glued strips.
5. Let the papier mache dry thoroughly in a warm place
6. With an adult’s help, use a sharp craft knife to cut the papier mache way from the mould. Try and do this by making a single cut lengthways round the fattest part of the mould.
7. Put the two mould halves back together and glue them using more strips. Attach a card base if needed, again using card strips to attach it.
8. Add fiddly details using gunk. You can cut slits in the cast to attach card template first if you want to make flat details like animals’ ears.

Making an animal plaque using gunk

1. Draw the simple outline of your chosen animal onto thick card
2. Press on layers of gunk on the card to build up a 3-d effect
3. Let the plaque dry. You may need to weight down the edges to stop it bending
4. Turn the template over and repeat the modelling on the other side
5. When both sides are dry you are ready to paint your plaque

Paint job

1. Give your papier mache model a coat of white poster paint or emulsion.
2. When the base coat is dry, use acrylic or poster paints to paint your work properly
3. If you wish to protect your work, use a layer of varnish to finish off.