New Paper Mache Dragon- jaws and details
So it's time for a head. I'm using one of the smaller, more elongated paper mache balls. As you've seen me do many times, I cut the ball in half and pull out the paper from the inside. I use one half of the ball for the upper jaw and the other for the lower jaw. I've said this many times, some people sculpt with chicken wire or balloons and then add a "skin" of paper mache. I sculpt with the paper mache balls and appendages. I cut them up and put them together with masking tape. Then I add my skin of "cloth mache".
I used hot glue to attach the teeth to the paper mache shells. After that, I wrapped each tooth with a small strip of cloth and glue. Then I put a larger piece of cloth into the middle of each jaw.
I will paint these jaws before putting them on the dragon. I'll come back to them later.
Time to add a few details to the dragon. Earlier I broke the paper mache leg at the knee. The clothes hanger inside the leg kept it in the shape I wanted. I crumpled up some paper and put it in the hole to make a knee. Note that I also added some "muscles" on the thigh. Those are just smaller paper mache shells like I used for the jaws that I taped on.
Next, a little work on the feet. As you can see, the foot is not too interesting as it is. Now that I've bent the toes to conform to the wood in the nest, I want to embellish them. For this I use little balls. Here is one of my trade secrets. I just tear off a few pieces of masking tape and roll them in my palms to make balls of various sizes. The stickiness of the tape holds them together.
I use the smaller balls for knuckles. Just add them and cover with small pieces of masking tape.
I hot glue the claws onto the toes and then wrap them with tape. Next, add the cloth mache around the claws...
...and then cloth mache the legs. In this case I also cloth mached the arms.
By the way, once again I changed my mind about the tail. I wanted it longer. So I made another tapered piece and added it to the end of the tail. I like it much better.
Thanks for stopping by. See you soon.
I used hot glue to attach the teeth to the paper mache shells. After that, I wrapped each tooth with a small strip of cloth and glue. Then I put a larger piece of cloth into the middle of each jaw.
I will paint these jaws before putting them on the dragon. I'll come back to them later.
Time to add a few details to the dragon. Earlier I broke the paper mache leg at the knee. The clothes hanger inside the leg kept it in the shape I wanted. I crumpled up some paper and put it in the hole to make a knee. Note that I also added some "muscles" on the thigh. Those are just smaller paper mache shells like I used for the jaws that I taped on.
Next, a little work on the feet. As you can see, the foot is not too interesting as it is. Now that I've bent the toes to conform to the wood in the nest, I want to embellish them. For this I use little balls. Here is one of my trade secrets. I just tear off a few pieces of masking tape and roll them in my palms to make balls of various sizes. The stickiness of the tape holds them together.
I use the smaller balls for knuckles. Just add them and cover with small pieces of masking tape.
I hot glue the claws onto the toes and then wrap them with tape. Next, add the cloth mache around the claws...
...and then cloth mache the legs. In this case I also cloth mached the arms.
By the way, once again I changed my mind about the tail. I wanted it longer. So I made another tapered piece and added it to the end of the tail. I like it much better.
Thanks for stopping by. See you soon.
Posted by Dan the Monster-man at 3/2/2011 7:37 AM 
Categories: New Paper Mache Dragon Project
Tags: paper mache papier mache paper mache recipes ultimate paper mache sculpture dragons paper mache instructions
Categories: New Paper Mache Dragon Project
Tags: paper mache papier mache paper mache recipes ultimate paper mache sculpture dragons paper mache instructions
Once again I am amazed at how simple/easy you make it look. I especially like the detail on the toes. Looking forward to the next stage!
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Wow Ande, you are fast! I hope you read the post after I fixed a few errors. See you.
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Dan take what i said last time then double it. This IS going to be some serious piece of dragon art. Loving it.
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Thanks again Jonty!
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Dan, Just wanted to thank you very much for opening up a whole new art form for me. I have both of your books and have completed my first dragon and started on number two and a wall mount. Clive Barker (the horror guy)has requested a viewing of my dragon.
Thanks again your instructions are great
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Hey Joseph,
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Amazing what a few balls of tape can do to add character to those feet! Your instructions are so invaluable, I'm so glad you share your trade secrets with us! Your talent for putting these together, still amazes me though! Thanks for sharing Dan!
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Hi Suz,
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Hai Dan nice work. Question can you make papier mache so you can use it outside ??
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Hi Miriam,
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Wow, Estoy impresionada! you are a very good artist! wowwwwwwww
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Whoa! Your art has seriously blown my mind and inspired me! I have dabbled in paper mache insofar as making my son's birthday pinatas for the last four years. I have always used a balloon base, and have played with sculpting over it using tinfoil and several final layers of paper mache. Every year I make his pinata I swear that I will make some other projects for fun, and never get around to it. I am a teacher of young children, and decided to offer a five week paper mache sculpture class to finally make good on this promise to myself. I LOVE the idea of sculpting with just paper, tape, and maybe some wire. Thank you so much for posting your instructional videos, I found them to be very helpful as well as funny. I look forward to trying your techniques, and seeing what my students do as well. I am SO GLAD I found your site! Thank you thank you thank you!!!
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Hi Carolyn,
Thank you for the nice compliment! I really appreciate it. You are a saint to do this with small children. I think most teachers steer away from anything really messy. So kids don't get the experience of doing work like this. My students loved it. I was always in trouble with the custodians of the school. But I figured the tails shouldn't wag the dog. Those kids had their "Screamers" for many years after. How many math papers did they keep? Anyway, it's wonderful that you'll expose kids to sculpture. Thank you for that.
And thanks for popping by. Good luck on your projects!
Dan
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Hello Dan,
We ordered your book. And began the process of a dragon. In my perfectionism
I am procrastinating on the Dragon, however I am now a puppet maker. They are all paper mache and cloth material. They look beautiful..Thank you for the idea and encouragement...Gina
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Thank you Gina! You aren't procrastinating, you are just doing the projects you want. That's a great thing! Good luck. Someday maybe a dragon will be in your future.
Dan
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Hello Dan,
I find your monsters very inspiring. This week I began making my own using your book but have had a few setbacks. First I made all my monster parts and hung them outside to dry on the clothes line and a they were torn down and eaten by javelina (I live in Arizona).I was able to salvage the hangers, I don't know why the didn't eat those tasty morsels. Then today I remade the parts but used wheat flour instead of white flour. What a gooey mess! But they are hanging from the roof drying taunting the hungry javelina below. I gave the job of finger and toes making to my retired mom but she is not happy with her job. She can't seem to roll them to make them properly bumpy and during her last report she said she decided to tape on cotton balls, which I feel is unfortunate. I showed her a video of yours where you are making fingers but she complained that it went too fast. Any tips for making those fingers and toes and how do you feel about cotton ball usage? I looked at your virtual studio. Don't you find it kinda gloomy with all those monsters hanging around? What do you think they do at night when you aren't there?
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Hello Jennifer,
I had to look up "javelina". Never heard of them. So they are little, live pig type things? They just wander around eating body parts? And you wonder how I sleep at night? I don't know what I'd do if I had to contend with something like that. I hope your next batch of body parts make it. I've used whole wheat flour before. I agree, it's terrible. It's clear that you are very dedicated. You will be rewarded.
About the fingers, I add knuckles on the fingers later, usually after I've put together a hand or a foot. They all start out pretty smooth, with just paper wrapped around wire. I'm not sure about cotton balls. I think they would work if she is squishing them very tightly together and then putting tape over them. Still, it seems they would be kind of large. Nowadays I just roll a piece of masking tape together into a small ball. Since it has some part of the sticky side on the outside, it will just stay where I put it until I add more tape over it. All of it just needs to hold together until I put the cloth on.
Good luck. You get the prize for perseverance. And it's wonderful to have a mom willing to make your fingers and toes!
Let me know how all of this turns out.
Dan
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Hello,
I really love your work and, as an Art and English teacher from Germany, I'm planning to paper-machee monsters with my students. For this, I've translated parts of your book "Monsters" to serve as an instruction to my students. I've received a lot of frowns from my German colleagues from the Art department, who suggested I rather do Niki de Saint Phalle's Nanas in Paper Mache. But, personally, I find this far too limiting. If you care to get the translation (and maybe hand them to other German teachers who are interested but find it troublesome to use the English instructions), you could send them the PDF version (for free).
Thanks for your great work!
Best, Marnie
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Hello Marnie,
Thank you for the kind words about my art. It's great that you are doing some paper mache with your students. I also think that it is very accessible to them. I've made monsters with kids for a long time. Some of my students have had their monsters many years after they leave school and still love them. I think paper mache is underutilized for sure.
I appreciate the fact that you have translated the text of my book for your students to understand. And thank you for the offer of the translation. But I would not be able to distribute a digital version of my book, in any language, since it is copyrighted material. My publisher would not allow it. But thank you for using my book with your students. I am very flattered.
Good luck! I would love to see photos when you are finished. I would put them on my site if you are interested.
Take care
Dan
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