Paper Mache Clay: Eye

I discovered this awesome site - The Ultimate Paper Mache Blog - a few weeks ago.  However, I never had the chance to actually make the paper mache clay that she has listed on her site.  I finally did tonight.  And I love it.

One of my ideas for the eye square completely flopped.

Yep, that's supposed to be an eye.  It didn't work out so well.

This happens.  I'm not happy that it happened, but hey - move on.  So I did.  And with the due date not just fast approaching, but rapid galloping towards the cliff... I need to get cracking quickly.  So, I pulled the nails from the board, and started my third (or rather, technically a variation of my first) idea.  I'm excited about it, and I plan on working hard core on it so it's finished and dry by the time I need to leave for Toronto.


So, I used the recipe that she outlines on her blog.

• 1 and 1/4 cups of damp (complete soaked and then wrung out) toilet paper.  This was most of the roll for me - you can see those three lumps left over.  And you measure the toilet paper by smushing it pretty well down into the measuring cup.
• 3/4 cups of white (I used Elmer's) glue
• 1 cup of joint compound 
• 1/2 cup of white flour
• 2 tablespoons of linseed oil - and yeah, I completely eyeballed this as well

I broke the wet pieces of toilet paper up as she described, so that the mixer could deal with them.  And then I combined all the ingredients and mixed.  I'm pretty sure that I had too much toilet paper in mine - the mix is supposed to be like cookie dough, or frosting... lets just say that mine isn't.  But it works.








The resulting mixture.  It goes on very well with just my fingers.  I should think about use a different delivery method, but I love to work with my hands.

But!  You still need an armature to work with.  If I were to use this like actual clay, not only would it be pretty heavy, it would never ever dry.  So, I used some of the left over tissue paper and tape to make an eye armature over the illustration board.

I wanted a sideways looking eye, for reasons that will become clear as this goes on.  This is the first layer going on.

I'm not thrilled with out the eye lids are looking.  or rather, not looking.  So I decide to add another layer of tissue paper and tape.  This is pretty much what I do until I get the desired look.  Exaggerated details work well when applying the paper mache clay.

 Better eye lids going on.

After that, I still felt like the top lid wasn't pronounced enough.

 The finished armature.

It has a vague eye-like shape.

 So, I started to cover the armature!  This is pretty much where I immediately fell in love with this stuff.  Seriously in love.

It goes on pretty well, not many lumps at all.  And it has a nice texture to it.  Slightly papery, as you might expect.

 

And here is the first layer of the paper mache clay eye!  I'm drying it now, and I may need to build up a few details here and there.  A tip that is kinda gross... this stuff smooths better with spit than it does with plain water.   However, I don't recommend it.  I'm thinking that using an oil (like linseed oil) would be a good substitute for a smoother as I am working.

I can't wait to start painting it!