My latest project was this papier mache rhino head. I had to put quite a bit of time into this project but considering they usually cost over $100 and this cost me about $5.00 I can deal with it. Plus, it also gave me an opportunity to use some recycled materials which I always appreciate!
I started by crumpling newspapers into spheres and adding more newspaper each time. Then I would add a few spheres together to make the shape and adding masking tape. Below is the picture of the shapes that I started with to create my rhino. Also, there are tutorials available for other animals online. I referred to lil blue boo which explains the process for making a unicorn that turns out awesome. There are also lots of other great posts on that blog that are worth checking out.
Next, I cut out the shape of the neck from two pieces of cardboard. I made each section a little bigger and glued the pieces onto each other and attached the head portion of the rhino. This next step is important, mine fell apart because I didn't do this. Tape the head with masking tape completely to the back of the cardboard multiple times. You don't even have to cut the tape just keep circling around on different sections. The back of mine ended up looking like this picture below.
Then I started the paper mache process by layering ripped paper towels soaked a mixture of flour and water. I did not boil my mixture because I found a website that stated that it holds better if you simply mix the flour and water. I poured flour into a boil and added water until it was a little soupy. The flour is what holds so I used more flour than water in the mixture.
Next I added another layer of paper mache but this time I used the backside of wrapping paper to make the rhino a little smoother. I used the same flour and water mixture. Then I added joint compound that I had laying around to create an even smoother finish. I used a blow dryer to speed the drying time and painted 3 coats of white paint followed by 2 coats of varnish. I purchased a cable kit to hang it from home depot and reinforced it with super glue. Feel free to comment with any questions!
#animalhead , #DIY , #papermache , #rhino