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As a beginner (who buys a lot of books and therefore has a LOT of mailing boxes in my garage) I was looking for pointers on making furniture in PM. Are there any sources of info out there? Any preferred papers or glues for this type project? I was thinking of starting with a shrine-type structure which shouldn't be too hard to do. But then I was thinking of a table with drawers as I have several sized boxes that would fit beneath a larger one that would act as the top.
I suppose I should have started by asking the obvious question: is this do-able?
Any suggestions?
Donna
PS I have some PM experience (though limited) from years ago when I made a tree trunk with my kids using paper bags (torn, soaked in water, squeezed to remove excess - which also gave it a bark-like look), Elmer's glue watered down, and a cardboard skeleton. And the usual grammar school art project experience and pinata making
Last edited by bookbinder45 (2007-07-18 18:47:20)
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Yes, it certainly is possible. Have a look in the tutorials at 'Pedestal Throne' by Jilly Tinniswood. Then google 'Les Cartonnistes' and you should get the site of a group of French artists who make furniture out of card.
Good luck
DavidO
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David-
I have lifted my jaw from the table long enough to say, "THANK YOU!" followed quickly by "WOW!". I certainly came to the right place for answers and inspiration.
Just thought of a fun addition to the desk idea. I have been doing ply-splitting with papercord. A basket soaked in glue for a pencil holder or added on the side for a waste basket. Either could be incorporated into the desk during construction.
Check out www.weavershand.com's gallery for ply splitting or www.lindahendrickson.com who sells plied paper cord. I'm not affiliated with either site, but thought it might spark an idea for someone out there. Linda's site (I believe) also offers a tutorial on plying cords which anyone could use with papercord purchased from the craft store.
Thanks again for the site suggestion!
Donna
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I'd never come across ply-splitting before, so thanks for the links. Of course, you can mix any media and pm lends itself to so many ways of working. Go for it!!
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Interesting links. We're rather new at pm ourselves (this year), but doing furniture has nipped me hard in a good way. Seems all I can do is work up plans for the zillion boxes I have. Desks, shelving, stands, kitchen hutch, even a garbage can. heh I'm enjoying working with such large pieces.
I have one suggestion... don't use newspaper. Go with craft or stronger. Far less layers needed and makes a fantastic bond that the kids can jump on without breaking.
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To go into a bit more detail . . . .
I use two tools much more than any other when working with corrugated card. The first is an electric jigsaw. I haven't found any other tool which cuts through the card easily and accurately with minimum tearing. You could use a scroll saw.
The next is a hot glue gun.
Having cut the shapes, if I want to join the edges, I trickle PVA along the join, leaving a few gaps, two being at the ends. Touching the empty points with the hot glue gun, I press the two edges together. The hot glue seizes the card and holds it tight in seconds. Meanwhile the PVA will continue to harden and strengthen the joint.
If I were to make a drawer, for example, I would take two or even three pieces of card, each a little larger than the piece I want to cut and at right angles to each other. Brushing PVA across each one, they are pressed gently until dried as a single block. Marking carefully, the jigsaw can saw the exact shape.
Each piece is then carefully joined using the hot glue/PVA method. Depending on how strong the drawer needs to be, I would use one of several methods to give added strength.
DavidO
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David and Seeria-
Thanks for the suggestions. Sorry it took so long for a response, but I was sidetracked by a certain 750+page book. hahahahaha Guess I'm still a kid at heart.
I look forward to trying your ideas out. I also ordered the video from www.vinestreetworks.com out of curiosity (it's a bit pricey, though, for a 30 minute movie) but I loved the pieces on the website - and it was cheaper than traveling to NYC for a class!
Thanks again,
Donna
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I also ordered the vinestreetworks movie, just got it yesterday. It was interesting though I felt the length and production quality was a bit modest for the money. I also had a distinct feeling that there were a few trade secrets we weren't being let into. I can't see the finishing, or indeed the construction with box tape, being a long or even medium term proposition. I would also think that bigger pieces would need more than one layer of card front and back. There are also lots of different quality cards out there, even in the three layer/2 corrugations type. Still the basic construction ideas were sound and it was quite a good starting point.
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I've really been thinking of ordering the vinestreetworks movie, and am a little sad to hear that it isn't as good as it could be.
I feel as if my options are limited because I can't find any other information on the method of construction that they are using anywhere on the internet.
Does anyone know if there is some book out there on it that i don't know about?
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Bookbinder 45,
I know this is an old thread but if you are still interested I have recently come across two books by the same authors, Carla and John B. Kenny. They are called, The art of papier mache and Design in papier mache. The books are from the early 70's so I would think they are out of print but they cover furniture making in depth. I checked them out from the library but they would be fabulous in a reference library for any paper mache artist. You could probably find them online somewhere. Hope this helps.
Moni
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