Papier Macheniacs Goes To War!

World War 1 has exploded on our work table!
A gas mask, a portable oxygen tank, complete with air hoses. FUN!

And it all began with (you guessed it) a paper plate. And, paper cups. And a mad amount of tape.

The straps are made out of folded newspaper.

And then, paper mache'd to authentic image and likeness. If I do say so myself. :P

Painting! We used the Multipurpose Black paint for this one and the coverage was fantastic. It stunk for a while but nothing a little airing out can't fix.

The green lens is standard Yema cellophane wrapper.

The oxygen tank is any kind of can we had our hands on.

Standard black washing machine hose for the breathing tubes.

Just a little finishing touches after that and we're done!

And THAT'S how you go to war! Just make sure the enemy isn't using water guns. Lol! Have fun making your own with paper mache.

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!