6 Foot Paper Mache' Humpback Whale

What You Need:

A Butt Load of Chicken Wire
6 Ft, Wooden Plank
Blue, Black, and White Paint
Clear Coat Spray Paint 
Newspaper
Flour
Water
Glue
Rope


1. You'll need to shape the chicken wire over the plank, into a whale shape, so roll some of it up (only one layer) and mold it into a whale. Don't make the tail, dorsal fin, or flippers yet, just make the general shape. Make it thin out as it gets longer towards the end.
2. Next, suspend it from the ceiling in a space you are willing to get messy, use any method of hanging, just be sure it doesn't fall. Next, cut out two 2 ft. long fins for the whale, including a small curved dorsal fin and tail fin. It's handy to make the two flippers one piece, so you can just slip it through the chicken whire with no danger of one falling off. Duct tape the dorsal and tail fins onto the whale.
3.Tear up a bunch of newspaper, and fill a bowl with water, flour, and glue. Keep adding ingredients until it has a stick but watery consistency. Dip the newspaper into the mixture and press onto the wale, I recommend doing the fins first, simply because they are easier and you'll start to get the hang of it after a while. Cover the whole thing in three or four layers of it, this could be a few day process, be sure that each layer is completely dry before you put the next one on, or it will trap moisture and grow mold.
4. For the facial features, you can use the newspaper. Make the mouth a long curved line running up both sides of the head, and put the eye right above the middle of it on each side. For the bumps on its chin, just ball up some newspaper and stick it on there, then put a layer over it. For the chin grooves, put a few wet layers on it and cut through it with a knife. The eye is hard because you need the eyelids, so make a bump using the earlier method, then put two strips of newspaper around it to make the eyelid. The blowhole is just two dents atop the head, think of it as the underside view of a nose. Let it dry for another day.
5. Painting time! Paint the belly and chin mostly white-grey. Make the rest of the body a mix of blue and black. Paint the ends of the fins a faded white. Let that dry overnight then spray it with a clear coat. My whale hangs over my bed, but you can basically put the thing anywhere. Be creative!