Help building the largest human-edited directory of the web Suggest URL - Open Directory Project - Become an editor

directopedia.org uses links and structure from dmoz Open Directory Project.
The contents has been generating using technology developed by scientec.

Papier-mâché (French for 'chewed-up paper'), sometimes called paper-maché, is a construction material that consists of pieces of paper, sometimes reinforced with textiles, stuck together using a wet paste (e.g. glue, starch, or wallpaper adhesive). The crafted object becomes solid when the paste dries.

A form of papier-mâché had existed in China for hundreds of years until a much stronger version (including glue) was patented by Henry Clay of Birmingham England in 1702. It was a common technique for making dolls in the 19th century, before plastics became available. Piñatas are an example, as is one of the Papal Tiaras. Constructing papier-mâché is a common craft used to entertain children.

Russian papier-mâché

In Russia a variety of utilitarian as well as decorative objects have been fashioned from papier-mâché since the late 18th century. These items include wall plaques, trays, boxes, salt cellars, desk sets and paper knives, storage jars for tea and tobacco, album covers, beads cases, bracelets and brooches.

After the entire surface of the finished blank has been sanded smooth, several coats of black lacquer are applied to each article. It is then given to the artists for decoration. Highly complex and finely detailed miniature scenes are painted onto even the smallest black lacquered object. Russian lacquer art on papier-mâché has flourished for well over 200 years and has achieved the transition from folk art to fine art.

Simple Recipe for Papier-Mâché

Materials

1. 2 1/2 cups flour

2. 2 cups water

3. Large Mixing Bowl

4. Newspaper cut into long, thin strips.

5. Something to put the paper-mache on; ex: balloon, as shown in the picture above

Procedure

1. Mix materials in large bowl using either hands or large fork. Mix until the substance is a liquidy paste.

2. Now you can dip the strips of Newspaper into the paste and put it on whatever you want to cover, like a balloon, as shown above.

3. If you'd like, you can decorate your artwork with paint, markers, etc. once it's finished drying.

For an alternate and easy papier-mache, simply use liquid starch in place of the recipie above. Be sure you skim the excess off of the paper strips before you lay them flat, and don't use more than four layers. Overlap your paper.

This article is based on the article "Papier Mache" from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License. Here you find the list of authors of this article. The article can only edited within Wikipedia. Edit this article in Wikipedia.