Ice Dragon – Details
Happy New Year to you all!
I know I haven’t posted for a while, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been working. There are parts of this project that just take a lot of time. For example, I left you last time having just finished adding all of the horns. There were a lot of them. I added cloth mache in between all of those horns.
I had to be more careful than usual because I didn’t want to get too much glue on the resin horns. It was difficult cleaning the glue off the horns once I was finished. This took a few days.
I added two rows of “frills” (not sure what else to call them…sort of a webbed mane I guess) on the top of the neck. I twisted some newspaper around pieces of wire clothes hanger and wrapped them with masking tape to make the spines.
After arranging them on the neck I draped wet cloth between them.
After the cloth dried I trimmed them using scissors and an Exacto knife. I added some holes to give a more “dead-like” appearance.
Maisie wanted to see what I was doing so I moved her cat post close to the action.
I also wanted some tattered shreds of skin (or something) under the chin and neck. I just cut some shapes out of the cloth. I painted them before hot gluing them under the neck.
I decided rather than using the triangular scales I usually make to just add some plate-like shapes on the neck and head. I did this using “paper clay”. There are many recipes for paper clay online. I just mix some toilet paper, Elmer’s glue, and commercial “Celluclay” together into a kind of thick dough.
Then I tear off blobs of the clay and press them onto the dragon.
With that I have finished the sculpting. I think I’m happy with the result. Here are photos of the project with the lights off …
…and with them on.
Next….painting! Thanks for stopping by!
Gourmet Paper Mache Blog 
You sure do put your heart and soul into your work Dan.Very impressive!
You are always very sweet Mona. Thanks! Happy New Year!
A real work of art!!!
Thanks as always Sue!
AMAZING!
Thanks Craig!
AMAZING!
Thank you Howling Corgi!
That’s pretty amazing, can’t wait to see the painting.
Thanks Cath! Me too!
SERIOUSLY WAY COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Kathy!
Awesome!!
Thanks Wanda!
WOW! just WOW!!!
Thank you Barbara!
A … MAzing!! I’m so looking forward to seeing it complete.
Thank you Michael! Just painting now.
Nice! The clay scales look great, and I really love how, when you turn on the LEDs, you get those spots of light which diffuse out through the resin horns and teeth.
Hey Stella. Happy New Year! I’m liking the lights more and more. I hope I can capture it with photos. I notice that the eyes just get blasted out so that you can’t see the irises.
Wow! Im speechless!!!! This thing is just amazing!!! Congratulations man!!!! What a well executed project! It just seems that you outdo yourself with every new piece!!!!
That’s very nice of you to say Juan! Glad you like this so far! Take care
I just love watching you create these masterpieces. The Ice Dragon is wonderful. Cannot wait t see him finished.
Thanks Helen! Painting now. Should be done very soon. Take care
I love your work, and I have purchased your book and am trying to make a dragon of my own. I’m wondering g if you could give me your clay recipe? I have the ingredients, just no idea of the ratios of each involved. Also do you wet the toilet paper or incorporate it dry? I haven’t been able to find a recipe online with the three ingredients you use. Could you help me?
Sorry just now seeing this question. I first tear up toilet paper, add white glue and mash it with a fork until as much of the fiber is broken as I can get. Then I had commercial “Celluclay” kneading it in until it is like dough, not too sticky to work with, but not too dry so it still spreads well. So I can’t offer exact amounts of anything. I hope that is clear enough. Good luck!
Awesome Dan.
Thank you Eric!
ART THEFT! This website is using your images and word to sell fake knockoffs: https://www.mayaangell.com/products/the-domineering-evil-dragon-wall-lamp?fbclid=IwAR2qfhKA8SuKKYJe-Zul7lN3_Pqbn4eskVj-XeGIR1E5TsrzAIhSUT4Cbc8 they’re advertising on facebook
Sorry Sonnet. Just now seeing your message. Thank you very much for taking the time to write to me about this! I did track down where the websites were hosted and I filed copyright complaints. And when I checked yesterday both websites were taken down. That makes me very happy. I’m just sorry that people sent them money before the sites were removed. Take care
I’m glad you took action and they were removed from the internet. It really irritates me to see these kind of websites pop up and take advantage of people!
I give credit to people like you who alerted me to the sites. I would have never known. It was not easy tracking them down. And I was lucky this time that the sites were on the Amazon servers and they took action. There are other servers out there who are less likely to investigate copyright complaints. Thank you again Sonnet!
No problem 👍🏻 I really admire your work btw. I can tell you pour a lot of time and effort into every piece.
Hi! I am not sure if you are still posting but my 8 year old son and I recently came across your work online. He was so into it that I started making a dragon based on some of your designs. And i am loving why we are making so far! I am curious about the “spit wad” technique. I know you shared the ingredients (celluclay, tp, and glue), did you find that it molds? I read a few reviews that mentioned this and I live in Florida (very humid). Any thoughts or suggestions(only if you have time of course!)
Hello Beatriz. Sorry, I am just now seeing your comment. Glad you are enjoying this medium! Mold is a function of water. It only lives if something is holding water. So to eliminate mold, or the possibility of mold, you just need to make sure that everything has a chance to dry thoroughly. There is no organic material in that mixture. Celluclay is just paper fiber, as is toilet paper. When they are impregnated with white glue that also keeps it from holding moisture. Good luck to you!