So if you read yesterday’s entry on paper making, you must be curious about what I have done with this particular craft that takes it from the simply creative to the outrageously creative. At least in my opinion! I have made some things with this method of paper making that have been so perfect for decorating, gifts, package wrapping, and just the sheer fun of indulging myself creatively. I call it 3-D paper making because it is, in many ways, paper sculpting.
Now if you think you can’t sculpt, don’t stop reading. I can’t either. I do not understand the form or art of sculpting at all. If I did, I would be writing about clay or whatever it used to do that kind of art. I cheat. Big time and you can too but it isn’t so big of a cheat that you won’t feel you aren’t making your own art.
First of all, learn how to make the paper flat by reading yesterday’s posting. Once you have that down, and it won’t take long, I promise, you can move on to the 3-D form.
Go to your local cooking or baking gourmet shop. You probably have one in a mall or even in a strip mall. A shop that specializes in candy making will also do it. You actually need candy molds so that might be preferable depending on how items of this nature are sold in your area. Craft stores that carry candy making supplies will have candy molds. Cake decorating shops and shops that specialize in the best of cooking supplies are good for candy molds as well. The best ones are plastic, clear and do not have a huge amount of intricate detail. Chocolate shows detail much better than paper does so think on a larger scale or at least a plainer one.
For example, one year I made Christmas angels. The mold was about six inches long and about three inches wide. The details were found in the face and wings, but there wasn’t so much detail that it was lost. I have also done bunnies for Easter, crosses, and other shapes I have found of interest. I have heard it is possible to “build” a gingerbread house (or at least something that looks like one) although I have not tried that myself.
Pack the wet paper (drained as much as possible in a collander, but not as much as if you had pushed it through the screen) into the molds. Get each and every little nook and cranny filled solid with the paper mixture. You will find out very fast how important it is that your paper be completely mushed up prior to this step. If you attempt to push in large chunks they will not pick up the detail from the mold. So just push it in with your fingers, section by section, evenly and with a firm, but not too forceful of a pressure. When the molds are filled, level off the top.
Set the molds aside to dry. And since this is going to take some time, find something else to do… for about a week or two, depending on your climate and humidity. You can put a small room fan blowing on the molds but do not attempt to hurry this process along with heat - no dryers, no extra hot rooms, no direct sunshine. They will dry the most evenly if you just set them in a cool, evenly lit place (or even a darker area is fine) and let the natural air blow on them. You will be tempted to pop them out of the mold to see the finished work but remember the inside is going to take a very long time to dry. The weight of the finished project will be considerably lighter after all evaporation has occurred.
Remove the paper project by tipping the mold over. If it is dry, it will fall right out. If it doesn’t want to come out, it isn’t dry. I have had thicker molds take up to a month to dry but once you get this process going, you will have a “batch” ready for painting and decoration every week. It’s hardest to wait for the first group to dry.
Now that it is dry, let it sit a day or two without the mold to ensure that each and every part of the project is totally and completely bone dry. Let the fan continue to blow on it and don’t touch it. A fingerprint smack in the middle of an angel’s face isn’t something you are going to be able to fix. You can recycle it into your next paper creation, but that mold will be ruined so as we say to the kids, “touch it with your eyes.”
After you are certain the drying process is complete, get the paints, glitter, silk, flowers, leaves, wires with attached stars… anything you can think of and find at the craft store or find outside. You will be amazed at what you come up with. And although it took forever to dry your paper creations, you will find the decorating goes fast and makes incredibly unique decorations on gifts or as a gift itself. Put a ribbon on the back and hang it up. A set of three angels makes a beautiful gift for an angel collector. Bunnies can be adorable in the kitchen, bathroom, or a nursery. Hang a small one in the center of a wreath. A little fish or sea creature would be adorable in a bowl of shells.
Just don’t hang or place your finished work where it will be exposed to water. With proper care, meaning a dry environment and a little dusting every so often, these creations will last at least a decade. My angel that I kept for myself is about 16 years old now and looking every bit as good as she did the day I made her.
