Paper Mache "Party Animals"- Finished
Hey everyone,
Thank you for being so patient. Well, here they are at last. My paper mache party animals are finally finished. The first photo is in my studio. They really took up a great deal of space. My studio felt empty after I took them out. As you can see, the donkey and the elephant were painted with the same light gray color. I then added "washes" of red and blue (with white stars) to add the final, political logo-like touch. Well, and I put a mane on the donkey. You just have to trust me that they look much better in person.
Below is a photo of Doug, the engineer and fix-it person for the 5 Spot, tightening the bolts on the brackets holding the elephant. Doug is the one who rigged all of the wires between the front doors of the restaurant and the arms of the elephant and hind legs of the donkey. That was not an easy task, believe me.
Taking photos of my paper mache is always hard. They never do the pieces justice. It was very difficult getting good shots from inside the restaurant. But I think you can see the pieces pretty well. As I mentioned before, when someone opens the blue front door, the donkey kicks his hind legs. When the red front door is opened, the elephant throws up his front legs. In the end they worked perfectly. And I am very happy with how they look. I am very proud of the fact that I made these in three short weeks. I don't recommend it. I actually had the hair dryer out at times trying to dry some pieces.
Thanks for tuning in.
Dan
PS. In case the title of this paper mache project eludes you, I'm referring to the pieces reflecting the two political parties. (A few people have asked me about this.)
Thank you for being so patient. Well, here they are at last. My paper mache party animals are finally finished. The first photo is in my studio. They really took up a great deal of space. My studio felt empty after I took them out. As you can see, the donkey and the elephant were painted with the same light gray color. I then added "washes" of red and blue (with white stars) to add the final, political logo-like touch. Well, and I put a mane on the donkey. You just have to trust me that they look much better in person.
Below is a photo of Doug, the engineer and fix-it person for the 5 Spot, tightening the bolts on the brackets holding the elephant. Doug is the one who rigged all of the wires between the front doors of the restaurant and the arms of the elephant and hind legs of the donkey. That was not an easy task, believe me.
Taking photos of my paper mache is always hard. They never do the pieces justice. It was very difficult getting good shots from inside the restaurant. But I think you can see the pieces pretty well. As I mentioned before, when someone opens the blue front door, the donkey kicks his hind legs. When the red front door is opened, the elephant throws up his front legs. In the end they worked perfectly. And I am very happy with how they look. I am very proud of the fact that I made these in three short weeks. I don't recommend it. I actually had the hair dryer out at times trying to dry some pieces.
Paper Mache "Party Animals"
Thanks for watching this unfold. If you are in Seattle, you can find these at the 5 Spot Cafe on the top of Queen Anne Hill. They will be there through the election cycle. Thanks for tuning in.
Dan
PS. In case the title of this paper mache project eludes you, I'm referring to the pieces reflecting the two political parties. (A few people have asked me about this.)
Posted by Dan the Monster-man at 10/18/2010 11:37 AM 
Categories: Paper Mache Party Animals
Tags: papier mache political parties politics republicans party animals paper mache donkey democrats elephant red states crafts sculpture mixed media blue states tea bags
Categories: Paper Mache Party Animals
Tags: papier mache political parties politics republicans party animals paper mache donkey democrats elephant red states crafts sculpture mixed media blue states tea bags
Anyway we can get video of them in action? I'd love to see em.
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Hey Justin,
That's not a bad idea. It's just a bit awkward taking photos in the place. It's always packed. But I'll give it a try. It's not really exciting. But it's fun. Thanks for popping by.
Dan
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Absolutely increadable work Dan. Man i'd love to see the faces of customers sitting under or near those when the doors open. I bet they were shocked lol. Brilliant, brilliant funny stuff gotta love it lol.
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Thank you so much Jonty! I'm very flattered. I know that you understand the effort that went into them. As always, I really appreciate your opinion.
Take care
Dan
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OMG they are just beautiful, you sure have a talent for making this stuff! I too would love to see a video of them in action! I know how the camera just doesn't make them look as good as in person, so these must be spectacular in person, cause they are so fabulous! The faces are excellent, love them!! Fantastic job Dan! I really can't imagine you doing this in less than one month!! And then the trouble with the trunk taking precious time too, man the stress! Again, amazing work!
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Hey Suz,
After watching every step so carefully I'm really glad that you like the finished product. The deadline did just about kill me. But it always seems worth it after a few good night's sleep. Thank you for all of your nice comments and support. It means a lot to me.
Dan
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Wow! I thought these would be sitting on the ground in front of the doors, not floating in the air! That's really cool.
These look awesome! I love how they're painted. What's going to happen to them when the voting season is over? Are you going to take them back, or are they going to keep them and hang them up again next season?
Take care,
Lindsey
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Hey Lindsey,
I'm so happy that you like them! Yes, the floating in the air made the entire project seem impossible at times. But they are still hanging. So they must work.
So far as I know, when the election is over they will go into a giant warehouse somewhere in Seattle. It's kind of sad. But I suppose they will end up being resurrected for some future election. I'll be happy so long as they don't end up on Ebay with a price twice what I got for them. Other than that, I'm fine with whatever they decide.
Now I just need to figure out what to do next....
Talk to you soon.
Dan
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These are AWESOME! I just love them!
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Hey Lisa,
Thank you! I'm glad you like them.
Dan
PS. I looked at your website and really like the cats. It's a great site.
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Kick ass and kick elephant butt!! Two to be seen to enjoy for sure!! I hope this will wake people up to GO VOTE!!!! thanks Dan you are absolutley super in what you create.
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Thanks Eva!
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I have just been digging around your blog. The first image you have before the sculptures are hanging, I love them! I am a huge sucker for textures. Your paint job really brings them to life as well.
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You, Sir.....are amazing!!
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Thank you so much Teresa for the wonderful compliment! I really appreciate it.
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If you ever run out of paper you could probably get expired fliers from stores they seem to have lots of old ones that they just shot out.
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Hey Isac,
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Amazing work, Mr. Reeder. Three weeks...that's insane. In fact, that's absolutely NUTS! Thank god you pulled through though - and managed to update us with the progress as well. Your dedication and perseverance in regards to your passion is both surreal and inspiring and you are truly a MASTER of your craft!
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Thank you once again Stephane!
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Hello, we are not quite sure how the teeth are done on th dragons, my 11 yr. old son thinks they are attached via glue to outside of mouth, which would make them fall off easily, i think they are embedded into the paper mache, please help, thank you
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Hello Patti,
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Wow these look awesome!
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I got the Dragon Makers book quite some time ago and it is great.
Finally got around to getting the Monsters book. (got it through amazon) Wow! It has so many great ideas in it. It is amazing!!!
You have a unique writing style that is very entertaining. It is also filled with really good pictures.
What a fun book!
Thanks
Lori
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Hey Lori,
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Fabulous!
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You are always too sweet Mona. I'm glad you like these.
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Hey Dan. I really love all your work and have learned a lot from your books and videos. This blog is great also and I've learned a lot from the real time videos. Obviously you have been extremely busy lately with your commissions and dragon projects,etc. However, I was wondering when you'll get a chance to resume the monster building project? There's a few things I can't get the hang of quite exactly from your Monster book and think a video would help me. I couldn't master your finger/toe making technique til I saw the videos. Now I'm pretty good at that. Thanks for your time Dan and hope you have a great Holiday season.
Don
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Hey Don,
Dan
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Your work is incredible! You're extremely talented. I've been looking for how to make a paper mache dragon for a friend, and thats how I found your website. I love making things myself, but I've only worked with paper mache once and that was in 2nd grade (16yrs ago). To be honest it looks a little intimidating for me. Does Papier Mache Monsters have small projects?
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Hello Ruth,
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Thank you so much. One more question; how long would it take to make a small paper mache dragon?
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Hi again Ruth,
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Wow! Weeks?...Thanks for answering all of my questions.
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muy buenos están estos animales me gustaron bastantes esto me da mas ideas para mis próximos proyecto lo felicito mi amigo Dan Reeder usted es un maestro de maestro en este arte
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Gracias Carlos. Su apoyo es siempre apreciada. Buena suerte en su próximo proyecto. Usted es un maestro!
Dan
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