I fell in love with sculpting with paper mache during my first project five years ago. However, I never really found a recipe that was worth the time and effort and mess that it took to get what I wanted. As a result, I used Celluclay for most projects. However, I recently stumbled upon an incredible blog called, Ultimate Paper Mache where Jonni (the artist and blogger) shares all sorts of tips, tutorials and recipes to help anyone on their way to successfully paper mache-ing. I am blown away by what Jonni can create, but I was especially grateful for the recipe she shared on how to make your own paper mache clay. Hot dog! It is easy as pie, quick, and works like charm!
For my purposes, I ended up altering the recipe just slightly so that I could get the thicker consistency that I like. Here's my version of the recipe but I strongly suggest popping over to Jonni's site where she posts all sorts of details that you might find handy):
Paper Clay:
2 Cups toilet paper
1 Cup regular joint compound (the premixed kind. Jonni recommends not using Dap brand since they changed their product and it doesn't work for the recipe anymore).
3/4 Cups paper mache paste or Elmers glue (much cheaper to use your own paste).
3/4 Cups flour
(The original recipe calls for Linseed Oil, but I didn't really find much difference, other than it was smelly and one more thing to keep out of reach of my boys.)
Start off by soaking your toilet paper in water:
When it is fully wet, remove cardboard center, squeeze out as much water as you can and break up into chunks.
Add all ingredients and mix on medium-high for 2-3 minutes and viola! You are ready to sculpt your heart out! Recipe yields 3 Cups of paper clay.
21 comments:
Love your blog! I have 3 kids - one 4 year old boy and 2 girls in their 20s....I too am always creating something with my son (or as the rest of the family calls him THE PRINCE LOL!) and I love this recipe - thank you! DO you find that it molds after a while? We had a paper mache project took forever to dry and ended up having some mold...so it had to get tossed away.
Maria
I am way excited to try this! Who would have thought of t.p.? I've used torn newspaper and boiled it until it breaks up; strained it; then mixed up wood glue, flour, wallpaper paste, linseed oil (you can use fine sawdust), and just munged it all together with my hands(I wore gloves) until it was the consistency I liked. Sadly I sprinkled it with bleach as well, to help avoid mold growth (oil of cloves apparently does the same). In industries that produce papier mache molded moldings (these are many feet long) the recipes for the papier mache are a well guarded secret. The papier mache is put into the molds under pressure (it is really crammed in as it shrinks) and then slow heat dried. It is a very strong product and you can treat it like wood. Stain it, sand it, screw into it. I made a bunch of marionettes and screwed right into their heads to attach the strings. And literally sawed it with a wood saw and a metal file to shave off bits of dried papier mache. Anyway...I don't want to write a tome here. I wanted to say you can put the creation in a low oven (200 deg. F.) for 8 or more hours to assist the drying. I cannot count the times I've thrown out lovely papier mache things I've made that have got bugs in them (they ate zillions of pin holes all over the item). I just can't figure out if the bleach would have helped or really what would have helped. It is a puzzle to me. Also mice love papier mache. They are especially fond of eating the face right off of my beautiful little dolls. There are many papier mache stories. I love your blog and am excited to try your recipe!!! *smiles* Norma
I have made this recipe (Jonni's) several times. If you want a less pulpier version I pureed the toilet paper in a blender (my paper making blender) and then used my paper screen to drain out the excess water. The reason for linseed oil is to prevent mold and keep the bugs off of it. I recommend lavender oil (I think I used about 20 drops)if you don't want to do the linseed oil.
My kids love playing with it and it works just like Celluclay (rock hard and you can sand it).
Manda :)
Doll maker here and I'm very interesteed in what you've done. Do you have any pictures of objects you've made with this clay recipe?
Dixie
Gosh! Thanks! I love this! I had big plans, but really, really didn't want to buy {pay for} the ready-made stuff! A friend of mine pasted your link on Pinterest. I love it! Thank you!
Thanks so much for this post! Lots of fun!
Well son of a gun, who knew you could make your own paper clay?! Thanks so much for the recipe and the links!
Should you really use a new toilet paper roll? Old newspapers may take a longer time to dilute under the solution but it can be a cheaper alternative.
For the Paper-clay do you measure the Paper-mache paste wet(mixed to goop) or dry powdery?
Hi,
Ifound this recipe a few months back...along with the paste recipe.... the linseed oil is to keep the clay from getting moldy....might be a good idea for some climates.
one of
jonni's later videos has a finer recipe calling for powdered clay..... I communicated with Jonni about it and also the distributor in Oregon....the people in Oregon were surprised their product was being used that way ... and mentioned a mask should be used as the dust could be toxic.
Again, this is as far as I've gotten...i'd like to hear from anyone having success with the powdered clay paper clay recipe. ---Darwinia2@aol.com
Try this - I'm an art teacher and use it with my students. "GreenFiber" (a friendly blown insulation made from recycled material - no fiberglass...about $10 at Home Depot for a HUGE bag) mixed with Elmer's Art Paste (a dry glue used in paper mache. Prepare the Art Paste according to the box instructions (will look like shampoo). Mix the fiber and paste until it has the feel of meatloaf. That's it. use it just like clay. Dries light like paper mache...can cut it, paint it, add wet to already dry.
To the teacher above using "Greenfiber" - the manufacturer mixes boric acid into this product to make it flame retardant. So even though it is labelled non-toxic, it is not something you want your students to handle without gloves & masks on!
Just a quick note here, you might want to use the linseed oil. It was initially there so that when the paste drys up the oil hardens itself exactly like in linseed varnishing process.
Just my wo cents ! Mlove your blog!
The fire resistant used in GreenFiber is Borates, not Boric Acid. Borates is from the element Boron, which comes from the minerals Borax and Kernite, which are water soluble minerals. Boric acid is a weak acid of boron often used as an antiseptic, insecticide, flame retardant, neutron absorber, or precursor to other chemical compounds. It has the chemical formula H3BO3 (sometimes written B(OH)3), and exists in the form of colorless crystals or a white powder that dissolves in water. When occurring as a mineral, it is called sassolite.. It's been used for centuries as a food preservative--though it's toxic if ingested or inhaled in large quantities.
All that said, it's always safer to use protective glasses and dust masks when dealing with dusty materials, especially for kids.
I thought this recipe was for paper clay for firing in kiln lol, potters use vinegar to stop our paperclay becoming stinky might work in paper mache paperclay
Hi, Im in South Africa so i had a way to go to find the local equivalents, Joni was amazing, what a woman!
You could use baby oil (mineral oil) instead of linseed, it does the same thing, is safe for kids and makes the mix smell great. I have been using this clay for 3 years and cant fault it, it can even be rolled out as thin as card! wonderful stuff...
Lovell Southey
Hi Im in South Africa, so had a real mission to find the local equivalents, Joni is amazing, she will help any queries in an instant!
You could use mineral or Baby oil instead of linseed, its safe and smells great.
I've been using this clay for years now and it is great.
It can also be rolled out super thin and draped like fabric over armatures...have fun.
Lovell Southey
I cannot wait to give this a try! Thanks for posting!
Just wondering if you used toilet paper with lotion in it. Would that negate the need for linseed oil? lol I will just have to give this a try. Thanks for the recipe and pics.
Energy Patent Lawyer
add a little bit of salt to the mix to keep it from molding
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