Papier Macheniacs: The Grim Reaper

Whoa! I've been gone for 4 months?! That is so unlike me! I bet some of you thought I'd died or something!

And THAT, folks, is my train wreck of a segue to our latest Papier Macheniacs project: THE GRIM REAPER!

Handsome devil, ain't he? Who would've thought that this vile face was once a pretty little China doll mask?

We just love disfiguring the pretty little China doll mask. It's like a sport to us.

So we hacked away at the doll face's perfectly flawless chin without an ounce of remorse. Then, we proceeded to add abomination-like details. Rope for eyes, thick board for craggy teeth, and --oooh!-- more cardboard for that disturbingly skewed, hanging jaw.

Then, of course, we even things out by slathering the monstrosity with paper mache. For those who have just tuned in, that's a tissue-glue-water combo AND the very foundation of Papier Macheniacs' existence. Oh, look-- you can hardly see perfect little China doll mask in there now. Hello? Where are yooouuu?

Aaand,,, BOO!
Nothing like a spot of paint to bring out the color of its eyes, huh?
Okay, one tiny bit. If you're painting with your kid (provided creepy skull masks don't creep the heck out of him) and he accidentally spills over the lines, or if his strokes are a little too scraggly for Van Gogh --calm down. This is the Grim Reaper we're making! Believe me, this guy isn't the kind who'd drop by a salon before having a good time.

Now grab a black cloak and you or your kid is ready to go!
Oh, wait --Did you see the tiny add-ons we threw in there, too? THE SCYTHE Never leave home without it. This weapon of destruction we paper mache'd used to be a roll of cartolina. The blade is plain box carton.
Another add-on: SKELETON HANDS! These we made with surgical gloves. Surgical gloves have that bony color to it that makes it perfect for this project. For authenticity, we lined joints with a thick, black marker.

There you go! Now go ahead and scare people! When you own a Grim Reaper mask... everyday is Halloween!

Papier Macheniacs: Bad Piggy Minions!

Remember that time we made Bad Piggies' King Pig? Well, it was getting lonely at the top. So we decided to make the old, snorty royalty some faithful minions. And here they are.

You can make your band of mini piggies, too --as long as you have the balls for 'em.

No, seriously. You'll literally need balls.

In our case --and because the season kinda called for it-- we used these big Christmas balls.

Then, we sliced a long, empty tissue roll to make these cute snouts.

And glued on these cola caps for eyes. With some extra cardboard, we also added in some details. Like,  little ears and adorable headgear.

Regular Piggy Minion

Soldier Piggy Minion

Mechanic Piggy Minion

Papier mache time! You have no idea how relaxing it is to brush glue over tissue paper squares over a smooth orb. That sounds weird, but believe me, this exercise can be quite therapeutic. And cheaper than shopping. :)

Oh! We penned on features, too. Like that classic, toothy grin every Bad Piggy is known for. Well, when the Angry Birds aren't giving them a bad day, that is.

Before you know it, you got a litter of Bad Piggy minions at hand! Our King Pig has never felt more empowered! Neat, huh?

There are many different designs from the Bad Piggies game you can copy or draw inspiration from. Try making a couple. Heck, try making a bunch! It's pretty easy once you have the balls for it. :P

Papier Macheniacs: YO, KING PIG!

This project has been on our waiting list for like forever! Well, we finally found the time (and the ball) to get this project running --and so here it is!
EVERYBODY… BOW DOWN TO YOUR PAPER MACHED KING PIG! :P

Sculpting this guy was a blast. He's made out of common household materials. A plastic ball, an old sippy cup, a smaller ball which we sliced in two, and newspaper.

We wanted some 3D action going on so we used bottle caps for his nostrils, too.

The ball had texture and it was difficult working around that even during the teepee stage. But then we decided the spikes actually gave our pig a bit of personality.

After an overnight drying time, we painted this bad boy.

And before we know it, we've got our own Bad Piggie head honcho rolling around in the house --turned-up snooty snout, golden crown, and permanent angry shriek on his puffy mouth. Haha!

If you think this is a cool project, just follow our lead and make your own. It's pretty easy to make royalty, you'll see. :)

Up next: Tiny Piggie Minions! Darnit… we're gonna need more balls...

Papier Macheniacs: Springtrapped!

Heeeeee…. I LOVE THIS PROJECT! I am so fangirling about it because it's the creepiest character in Five Nights At Freddy's and he's my personal favourite! Eeeeekkk!!!
*slaps self* 

Okay, the project in question is our Springtrap paper mache mask with moveable jaw. As usual, we used only items on hand to build it. Basic pieces for this mask are a couple of paper plates, three empty flip tops, and a number of plastic drinking straws.

One of the reasons why we liked this project was because we didn't have to make it perfect. Springtrap in the popular game, is a horribly destroyed animatronic. So, in creating its paper mache counterpart, we had a field day wrecking his face and trashing his ears. None of the usual trying to create smooth surfaces and perfectly sculpted edges. YAY US! Haha!

Painting the mask was equally a blast! Lots of marring and disintegrating and splattering done single-handedly by my big boy. Looking at the end product, it was a museum artist's nightmare and a Papier Macheniac's delight.

After that, it was all a matter of attaching Springtrap's lower jaw with a stud-type folder fastener…

Snapping a couple of Done-and-Done pics…

And then stuffing the masterpiece with our very own screaming-for-his-life resident Purple Guy.

Oh, but you know us. We don't stop there. As you ponder on the possibility of crafting a Springtrap paper mache mask for yourself (or your kid), please do feast your eyes on this little video we made.

Cool fact: I didn't even add special effects to my little boy's voice here. He makes all-natural monster voices perfectly. Hey, yeeeeah! Now that's a skill you wanna put in your resume. :)



* Credits to the awesomeness of The Bonnie Song

Papier Macheniacs: Whippin' Out a Wonka!

Nothing like a good summer vacation to get our hands dirty again. This time on some well-deserved chocolate time.
So how did we make this delectable baby?

DVD. Yep. That chocolate bar is an old DVD box. The sleeve is a pizza box. And the golden ticket is a couple of folds of newspaper.

It's a pretty simple project so we decided to kick the challenge up a notch by making 2D work of the Wonka logo. Tiny newspaper rolls, glue, a pair of tweezers, and a pair of shaky hands did the trick.

After that, it was paper mache time.

And then the ultimate joy-joy that is painting time. We don't get to work with gold a lot so my boys had a field day painting this ticket. Let me tell you though that the lettering was hard. I was never good with writing. And my boys took after me. *sigh*

I have to brag that the embossed lettering on Wonka was pretty boss though. Hehe. We sculpt better than write. Ugh.

So there you have it! Our tribute to Willy Wonka's awesomeness that's good enough to eat.

But, please. Don't.

Papier Macheniacs: The Gunslinger

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Engineer's melee weapon… The Gunslinger!

Goshdarnit! Let's start this DIY walkthrough with a videoooooo!

Now, let's get our hands dirty.
Our Team Fortress 2 Gunslinger has 2 parts: the wearable hand structure, and the wrist attachments. Both of which are made out of stuff you have lying around the house.

The hand part needs to fit you like a glove. So that's exactly what you'll need! A gardener's glove, a washing machine hose, and fishing floaters. Yes, fishing floaters! You'll have to cut the hose to a variation of ring lengths. The floaters, you'll have to carve at the bottom for finger space. Whip out your handy glue gun --and TA-DAH! You got yourself the basic foundation of power!

Now paint the floaters silver grey. This melee weapon is basically a robot arm. The floaters original ice cream colours just won't cut it.

Moving on to the wrist attachments --Oh, we got a lot going on here. You'll need a Pringles canister chopped into 2 parts.A Lays canister sliced for your top hand piece. Empty matchboxes for the bigger wrist band. Coins for buttons. And more washing machine hose rings for the details.

Paper mache like the devil!

Paint and distress.

And you're set!

Now get out there, kick some intense butt, and be the Engineer of your own Team Fortress destiny!

Papier Macheniacs: TF2 Metal Jaw

The Team Fortress 2 Metal Jaw (also seen on Heavy and Engineer) is one of our easier mask-making projects. First of all, it doesn't require the whole face. The details were simple enough. And the paint job was pretty much a free-for-all.

Our version, naturally, started with a paper plate --folded and taped with a bunch of newspapers and coins. The coins were for the rivets. Genius, huh? :P

The dents and breaks on the surface were fun to make during paper mach stage. The imperfection of this piece brings out a lot of your creativity.

And then, you just let loose on painting it. Miro decided on a post-battle Metal Jaw, hence, the rust and blood stains. The boy really went to town with realism here. Proud mom moment. *sniff*

Make your own paper mache TF2 Metal Jaw. Because… Just because.

Papier Macheniacs: Universal Fun!

First day of the Christmas break and we're already taking on the world! *tu-dug... tsss!*

Presenting, completely in 3D, a papier mache Universal Pictures logo! Kenji has a thing for logos, specially when he's making one of his epic home movies. :P

This, by far, is our messiest creation yet. Mainly because we had to sculpt the letters. We didn't need to, but we like to challenge ourselves. We love getting down and dirty, too.

First, we did a pencil draft of the letters on a flexible cardboard. Huge emphasis on 'flexible'. You're going to need to bend this on your globe later on. If you're as lazy as me, you can do this freehand.

Then, the letter-sculpting. We dipped paper towel strips in glue, and shaped them ever so messily to form each letter. Very tricky. And drips everywhere! Be ready with a damp wash cloth to quickly wipe them away before they harden on your furniture's surface. You can tell my kids love this part.

Once you're happy with the shape and uniformity of your letters, stick the board on a plastic or rubber ball. For that 3D treatment we were going for, we used cut and rolled newspaper taped on the ball and the letter board to give both items distance from one another.

After that --you know the drill. Papier mache time! Remember, use tough paper towels and good, spreadable glue. And really, really work in between those letters' nooks and crannies.

Painting time is definitely my boys' favourite part (second to making a mess with letter-scuplting, that is). The ball rolls away so you have to put it on a stand. We used a simple plastic cup to sit the ball on while painting.
We followed some of the essential parts of the Universal Pictures' globe, but since this is 3D, much of the back part we did out of whim.

See? Philippines, represent! However geographically incorrect. Lol!

So there you have it --our very own Universal Pictures' logo in 3D!
I'll make sure to post Kenji's home movie soon. In the meantime, Miro is planning our next Papier Macheniacs project. Stay tuned for a crafty holiday!