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Hello, I'm very very new to doing papier mache and have decided to try my hand at making a LARGE sculpture. A dragon...wings extended, standing on back feet. Now, I have the idea and the will to do it...but lack the knowledge of what I should use to A. make the basis for the sculpture B. whether I'll need chicken wire and something INSIDE the wire to begin C. What I use to sand it once the sculpture is made and dry D. Will I be able to use regular craft paints and finally E. do I need to spray it with some type of finsihing spray?
If that isn't enough questions for ya...hehe
Thanks in advance folks!
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Hi! I'm pretty new to this, too, and I am getting ready to do a large bird. I don't have answers, but just thought I'd say hi, as I'm going to be dealing with similar issues. I did do a five foot long dove a long time ago, using chicken wire. But I didn't do paper mache. I coverd it with quilt batting, and sewed to shape it more finely. I am trying to remember if I needed any other support. I don't think I did. At any rate, maybe we can compare notes as we figure things out.
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i'm fairly new to papier mache too, but i know the basics of armaturs.
a. i start the figures using heavy wire (wire coat hangers) and duct tape. depending on how big you're making it, try connecting the wires with glue or soder.
b. also depending how big your sculpture is. if it's pretty big, and your mesh is stable, you probably won't need anything inside of it. no harm in keeping it hollow, i think.
c. if you are looking for something to stand it on, try a scrap piece of ply wood. where the "feet" meet the ground, make little loops with the wire and screw it into the wood for support. if you don't wish to keep it on the wood on the final product, do most of your sculpture first, and then the feet last once you un screw it from the ply wood.
hope that helps.
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Hello!
I use a very easy method which involves twisted paper and wire. I begin with crumpled and twisted paper such as newspaper or packing paper. Once I have designated the limbs and torso, I tape everything together portion by portion.
Beginning with the legs, I arrange them in a particular stance by using twisted paper taped into place. Then, I coil floral wire around the the twisted paper. floral wire comes in different weights and is easy to work with. It gives you flexibility when coiled. That way, you can position your stance however you want and not have it topple over. Once in position, then add your first layer of mache strips to make them sturdy.
Proper balance will help the structure support itself. Same things with the wings. Make it balance right into the design. The tail can compensate for some of the weight. If you scale is extremely large, then improvise the same technique with a flexible wire that will work for you.
Keep it lightweight to medium weight by not saturating the layers. Make the under layers dry, followed by wet strips. This means that you should not have to hollow it out. However, if you chose to, then place dowels or rods inside the legs for additional support. When completed, you can decide to attach to a board or platform. You can use acrylic craft paints and then finish with a laquer or varnish.
This sounds like an awesome project. Have fun with it and show him to us when completed. I am partial to dragons. :mrgreen:
Hope this helps.
Rozani
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It's been a long time in coming!!! I had to reformat the pc and lost all my info on the dragon project I'd collected *sigh*, SO I am working on it again.
Basically, what I've done thus far is get the drawing and the weight distribution figured out. I'm working on getting the wire and "stuffing" as I've decided to make a LARGE animal. I am also getting small 2x2 and smaller widths of wood to piece the "stick figure" together. I want this guy to be heavy so as not to topple over or break easily when my daughter starts toying with him. There's also the idea of making it work as a RIDEABLE animal. (I saw some of these kinds of stuffed animals in Wal-Mart recently and loved the idea!)
SO, I haven't any pics so far. When I start the actual putting together I'll post a url for pics 
THANK YOU for encouragement!!!
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Hi. I have another idea.
You can get some 1 inch thick PVC tubing, with all the necessary couplings, branches etc. and just construct the basic shape of the armature. If you need to bend them, you can use a heat gun to heat it up and bend. When it cools it will set.
Then you can get some bubble wrap which gives the most volume, to flesh out the structure to approximate shape. And duct tape all over it to make the shape even more stable.
This should give a good armature.