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Step 2Getting A Base Shape
ok i started this project with a casted version of my head that i made back when i was in school, but you could use a polystyrene head or a balloon or something.
If your going to make a cast of your head i would suggest asking a friend or two to help. fist off your going to need plaster bandages cut up into 2 inch sqaures. Have your friend cover your entire face with vaseline and either use clingfilm over your hair or a shower cap.
now get your friend to cover the whole of your head with about 3 to 4 layers of plaster bandages, leaving a gap over the top of your head from ear to ear so that you can get back out of it,
Once dry which takes about 20mins remove and then place both pieces together and join with more plaster bandages.
Once you have your basic head shape its time to start making a base for the helmet. i used plastercine to get a basic shape, extending the chin slightly and the forehead. all done by eye, i never had a template or measured anything, but you could try drawing out a template to help guide you.
Then i covered the whole thing with light weight air drying clay, and then waited for it to dry out before starting to shape it. I used light weight air drying clay in the past and found it very easy to mold and sand after it is dry, you can get a really smooth finish on it using wet and dry paper. but use the paper dry cause it shapes it easier.
If your going to make a cast of your head i would suggest asking a friend or two to help. fist off your going to need plaster bandages cut up into 2 inch sqaures. Have your friend cover your entire face with vaseline and either use clingfilm over your hair or a shower cap.
now get your friend to cover the whole of your head with about 3 to 4 layers of plaster bandages, leaving a gap over the top of your head from ear to ear so that you can get back out of it,
Once dry which takes about 20mins remove and then place both pieces together and join with more plaster bandages.
Once you have your basic head shape its time to start making a base for the helmet. i used plastercine to get a basic shape, extending the chin slightly and the forehead. all done by eye, i never had a template or measured anything, but you could try drawing out a template to help guide you.
Then i covered the whole thing with light weight air drying clay, and then waited for it to dry out before starting to shape it. I used light weight air drying clay in the past and found it very easy to mold and sand after it is dry, you can get a really smooth finish on it using wet and dry paper. but use the paper dry cause it shapes it easier.
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cheers
Is it best to try and carve out rough details such as the eyes before it dries?
If anyone questions stability and strength of Papier Mache...all I can say is that Movie Studios use it all the time. Life size horses made over armatures of wood and chicken wire have been made...saddle put on it and actors posing on it like a live horse. I once saw a used auto dealer that had a lifesize horse made and displayed out in front of his lot to draw attention from passing motorists...the horse was in a front legs up raised position...out in the elements of weather all year round. Yup...it's durable.
Taxidermists use it every day in their shops. I have a head I made once for a Ventriloquist figure ('dummy' as most folks call them)...which I made over a clay sculptured head I made (I am NOT a Sculptor by any means...just shaped it almost human life size by just just shaping it)...using a full 5-lb box of Modeling Clay.
Once it dried, I coated the clay with motor oil and applied the Papier Mache...let it dry for a week...cut it in half carefully with a sharp knife and removed it. The tip of one ear broke off the dried clay model as I was removing it but I just glued it back onto the head...still looks same as when I made it...some SIXTY YEARS ago. :-) Howzatt for durability?
The layers of saturated Paper are built up to the thickness you want.
I once made a large artificial rock for a model to sit on when posing for photos. They are LIGHT in weight and Stronger'n heck.
Good luck with your project(s).
~ ED
PS...I'm thinking of creating a ible on how to make and use the Papier Mache as professionals use it.
everything i've ever made from papier mache still looks like it was made from papier mache!