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Step 8In which skin is added...
Our hands already look nice, what with the masking tape and all, but how can we make them fabulous? I have no clue, but I can tell you how to make them look nicer.
The method in which I will be employing is paper mache (or papier-mâché if you're pretentious). Before you panic, this isn't your grade school paper mache, although it's similar. I've gotten some good results, so bear with me.
The paste I use is the one I got off of http://www.stolloween.com/?page_id=209, Stolloween's website, as he is the undisputed master at the art. It consists of six (6) cups of flour, one (1) cup of liquid starch, one (1) cup of white glue, and a splash of bleach (to kill off anything that might choose to eat it, like yeast). Mix with enough warm water to get to the consistency of thin pancake batter.
Stolloween says to use a blender, but I know if I did in my house, my wife would punch me in the face. Since I like my face, I use a paint mixer attachment to my drill.
Learn from me, wear old shoes you don't much care for, as it will drip and harden. Also, use that stupid grilling apron that your brother-in-law got you for Christmas last year. It will save your clothes.
Pose your hand and wrist the way you want now. Once you start laying on the paper mache, you're done with the posing unless you do some surgical alterations, then you have to fix the gaps and that means more paper mache and time...
Shred the newspaper into strips about six (6) inches long and one (1) inch. Don't use the cut edge, ripped edges blend better. Each strip needs to be dipped into the paste and squeezed off with your fingers. Begin applying the strips along the arm up to the hands. When you get to the fingers, you might want to switch to smaller strips. Try to not let the corners of the paper where you when around a curve pop up. If they do, don't panic, we can trim that off later with a sharp knife.
This step is by far the most time consuming as you can only do one side of the hand/arm at a time. You should build up at least three (3) layers of strips, alternating directions, one layer only after the first one dries, top one layer, bottom the next. I found it convenient when changing directions between layers to alternate between standard white one direction, colored for the next (like from advertisements or the funny pages). Don't use anything that is glossy. The varnish prevents the paste from saturating the paper and you get a weak layer that way. Again, learn from me...
If it's hot and dry out, you might get away with adding more than layer per day, but I would allow a day for each layer to dry. You don't want to trap moisture in your arm or hand. Mildew. Enough said.
Once you've built up the proscribed layers, you will find that you have a rigid shell around the hand and arm. But, however, it's not a very nice skin layer, what will that the strips being visible and all. I'm coming to that.
Trim off any unsightly mistakes with you sharp knife. Having done that, it's now time for the final layer of paper mache.
Get some tissue paper, and I don't mean the toilet kind. Any really thin paper is what you want. Rip it to irregular shapes. You might find that this paper doesn't have a ripping grain like the newspaper did. Add this paper to the arm. You will notice that it tends to wrinkle and you place it on your arm. Use that to your advantage. This layer covers a lot of sins. Color of the paper, at this point, doesn't matter and can be quite amusing.
The method in which I will be employing is paper mache (or papier-mâché if you're pretentious). Before you panic, this isn't your grade school paper mache, although it's similar. I've gotten some good results, so bear with me.
The paste I use is the one I got off of http://www.stolloween.com/?page_id=209, Stolloween's website, as he is the undisputed master at the art. It consists of six (6) cups of flour, one (1) cup of liquid starch, one (1) cup of white glue, and a splash of bleach (to kill off anything that might choose to eat it, like yeast). Mix with enough warm water to get to the consistency of thin pancake batter.
Stolloween says to use a blender, but I know if I did in my house, my wife would punch me in the face. Since I like my face, I use a paint mixer attachment to my drill.
Learn from me, wear old shoes you don't much care for, as it will drip and harden. Also, use that stupid grilling apron that your brother-in-law got you for Christmas last year. It will save your clothes.
Pose your hand and wrist the way you want now. Once you start laying on the paper mache, you're done with the posing unless you do some surgical alterations, then you have to fix the gaps and that means more paper mache and time...
Shred the newspaper into strips about six (6) inches long and one (1) inch. Don't use the cut edge, ripped edges blend better. Each strip needs to be dipped into the paste and squeezed off with your fingers. Begin applying the strips along the arm up to the hands. When you get to the fingers, you might want to switch to smaller strips. Try to not let the corners of the paper where you when around a curve pop up. If they do, don't panic, we can trim that off later with a sharp knife.
This step is by far the most time consuming as you can only do one side of the hand/arm at a time. You should build up at least three (3) layers of strips, alternating directions, one layer only after the first one dries, top one layer, bottom the next. I found it convenient when changing directions between layers to alternate between standard white one direction, colored for the next (like from advertisements or the funny pages). Don't use anything that is glossy. The varnish prevents the paste from saturating the paper and you get a weak layer that way. Again, learn from me...
If it's hot and dry out, you might get away with adding more than layer per day, but I would allow a day for each layer to dry. You don't want to trap moisture in your arm or hand. Mildew. Enough said.
Once you've built up the proscribed layers, you will find that you have a rigid shell around the hand and arm. But, however, it's not a very nice skin layer, what will that the strips being visible and all. I'm coming to that.
Trim off any unsightly mistakes with you sharp knife. Having done that, it's now time for the final layer of paper mache.
Get some tissue paper, and I don't mean the toilet kind. Any really thin paper is what you want. Rip it to irregular shapes. You might find that this paper doesn't have a ripping grain like the newspaper did. Add this paper to the arm. You will notice that it tends to wrinkle and you place it on your arm. Use that to your advantage. This layer covers a lot of sins. Color of the paper, at this point, doesn't matter and can be quite amusing.
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