Papier Mache - Tutorials - Killer Chicken

Introduction

This amazing piece of work was created by Louie after a customer walked into his gallery in Summer 2005. What the man was wearing gave him an idea. The sculpture is made using the same basic technique as Louie Rochon's FisHeads tutorial.

Inspiration

This sculpture was inspired by a t-shirt! Louie says: "I instantly bonded with this chicken. I mean how could you not love a surfboard riding chicken with a fowl attitude - now THAT cracks me up. The customer told me that he had gotten his shirt while visiting an Arizona restaurant called CHUY's Baja Broiler, home of the Killer Chicken".

: The inspiration

You will need:

- Marker pen
- Foam core board
- Stiff cardboard
- Styrofoam
- Sharp craft knife
- Aluminium wire
- Wide rasp file
- Wire cutters
- Masking tape
- Paper towels
- White (pva) glue
- Carpenters glue
- Gesso
- Hand dyed batik papers
- Acrylic paints/washes
- Polycrylic sealer

Let's begin

I used very little foam core board on this piece - only a little for the wings and beak. The body armature was made from packing crate styrofoam pieces, trimmed, cut and taped until it formed the basic shape I was looking for.

The legs were 4 strands of wire wound around themselves, bent and taped onto the body, and then many layers of papier mache and extra glue to make sure it was well attached.

The surfboard was slowly carved with 'surfoam' tools (like a wide rasp file) which works great for getting the rough shape from the styrofoam. I started the board with a 2" thick foam board (they come in 2' x 4' sheets from any building supply place - they are used for insulation). I use that material a lot for carving armatures, as styro is so strong and light.

The eyes were carved, rasped and sanded styrofoam blocks.

The eyelids were stiff cardboard, bent and formed, then taped and glued with a heavy clothlike paper attached and frayed at the ends to form strange eye lashes.

Carving and rough taping the assorted chicken parts.

: Carving and taping

Chicken is hard wired into the surfboard for added strength. Notice the upward tip of the board accomplished with a very hot blow dryer and lots of patience.