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I am trying to reproduce a surface that looks like rock-face, so far without success. Can anyone help with suggestions?
Hi,
My name is andre and I've got some tips for you if you like.
When it works maybe you can help me also to build a few bricks for the castle.
What you must do is get a piece of styropolen (wrapping foam) and gave it a shape as a rock or something else.
Now you have make a papermache "pulp" and cover it with a thin layer, let it dry and you have your rock and you don't have to paint it either.
If you wanna have more information feel free to mail at
papiermachee@hotmail.com
Don't forget to look at the papercastle project, there is discribed how to make the bricks.
thanks andre
Hi Alan,
Make an armature out of chickenwire, cover with paper strips then cover with pulp, using a generous amount of PVA at each stage. If project is to go outside, cover entire surface of dried pulp with a generous layer of undiluted PVA.
I used this method to make some stone-like sculptures for my garden with 100% success, which are still going strong after several years facing the elements.
Hope this is helpful.
Regards, Jak
Hi there
What kind of store do I buy chicken wire? And what is PVA?
Just learning. THATS PRETTY AMAZING ABOUT YOUR ROCKS!
Blessings Terri
Hi Terri,
You can buy chickenwire (wire netting) at hardward stores. It is the type used for rabbit hutches and pens. PVA is just white glue that you should also be able to buy from a hardware store/builders merchants or even from craft shops.
All the best
Jackie
Hello Fellow Sculptors,
Thank you for sharing your knowledge of the faux rocks, etc. For ten years I have worked with styrofoam with good success. Have desire to learn all I can about paper mache' techniques, durability without altering the natural finish. Some questions: Does the finish of the rock change appearance with the PVA additive. Do you know anything about how the product Pretex lends itself to weathering outdoors and it's affect on the surface appearance. Currently I am sculpting large 2'-4' native indian masks using newpaper pulp, sawdust and tree moss, which is found abundantly here on the coast of Florida. The masks are drying quickly with the use of a dehumidifier and dry to a primative color and texture that I do not want to loose. Now I am looking for a way to incorperate a hard, durable medium into this concockion. Not to alter the matt finish or color, which has a rustic, warm hue. Your rock ideas facinate me, and I want to try it in the near future. Incorperating colorful sands like I use sawdust and moss. Sandstone is plentiful here, but heavy. To capture that look with the light weight concept could be exciting and rewarding. And the variations of uses, designs could be endless.
Here are some more ideas for you:
1) Coat the entire surface of your PM "rock" with a thin coat of white glue, then sprinkle sand all over it. Wipe/shake the excess sand off when it's dried and you'll have a rough sandy surface (works great for bricks in particular). Alternatively, you can mix sand and other debris in with your paint, and apply it that way.
2) If the surface of what you're working on is soft enough to take impressions (like wet paper pulp), you could use actual rocks as texture stamps.
3) Beat the living hell out of your fake rock (assuming it can take the abuse). Have you ever gotten a box in the mail that appears to have been used as a football by your local postal service? Seriously: kick it repeatedly, throw it at walls, punch it, etc.--all of that abuse will translate into a random pattern of depressions, crevasses, etc. that will look rubble-like. Obviously, you might have to fix some of the damage afterwards if you go a little too crazy. If that's a little too extreme/physical for you, you can take a blunt object and purposefully hammer your form into a more natural looking rock-like shape.
Also, a lot of the rock "look" can be accomplished with paint alone. You might even try taking some photos of real rocks, print them out, and decoupage the entire surface of your PM rock with those images (kind of like texture mapping a polygon object in a 3D video game or CG movie).
Last edited by Patraw (2011-07-14 21:30:10)
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Paint can look like rock.
Prepare two or three colors (or more). Paint the whole thing some appropriate, nondescript color like grey. Let it dry.
Dip a stiff brush in the next color and daub it onto the base color. Don't brush, just daub. Dry.
Take your next color and daub it over the surface, in between and overlapping the last color. Let enough of all the colors show -- you're not just applying solid layers.
And, as Patraw said, you could mix sand with the paint to give a rougher surface, and still use the multi-color paint method.
Sue
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Joint compound spread on top of your PM would also make a convincing rock texture.
I've made rocks for childrens productions before from just wadding up newspaper and using masking tape to tape all the wads together and then just using paper strips PM'd to the surface. It's all lumpy and bumpy just like a rock but is super light!
Depending on how big your rocks need to be you could use a box or a few different sizes of boxes taped together and then wadded up newspaper on the top of those, and then your layer of paper mache.
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