Paper mache is an art form that uses paper pieces or pulp molded and bonded together with glue or paste to form 3D objects. It has been used to create decorative boxes, masks, dolls, sculptures, furniture, architectural features, boats, and observatory domes. Common terms for paper mache include papier mache and papier maché, originating from French. Many countries have developed paper mache traditions, like Russian lacquered boxes, Korean hanji sculptures, and Mexican skull designs. It is a versatile material that can be used for both decorative and functional creations.

1. Paper Mache : The art of using
paper to create objects/images
Newspaper Strips

2. PAPER MACHE: The Art of Paper Made
Objects: Paper is ‘molded’ or “formed’.
Terms: Papier-Mache, Paper-mache,
Carton-pierre, Decoupage, Lacquer,
Armature. Please note that most of
these terms originated in the French
language.
Papier-mâché (French for
'chewed-up paper'
because of its
appearance), sometimes
called paper-mâché, is a
construction material that
consists of pieces of paper
, sometimes reinforced
with textiles, stuck
together using a wet paste
(e.g., glue, starch, or
wallpaper adhesive). The
crafted object becomes
solid when the paste dries.
[1]
Countries where we find paper-mache used as an artistic medium:
Persia, Kashmir, Japan, China, England, Russia, India, Korea,
America, Italy, France, Germany, Poland, and France.

3. Paper Mache Animals are popular as masks, piggy banks, and as piñatas.

4. Paper mache items
can be used for
home décor (these
won’t spoil like the
real fruit)
This papier-mâché
lacquered bowl could
be used to hold the
papier-mâché fruit!
Aesthetically
Pleasing Work
Paper Mache is
useful for home
design/décor. We
can make
FUNCTIONAL or
AESTHETICALLY
PLEASING pieces.

5. Papier-mâché was used for
doll heads starting as far
back as 1540, and continued
to be used into the early 20th
century. The heads were
molded in two parts from a
mixture of paper pulp, clay,
and plaster, and then glued
together. The head would
then be smoothed, painted
and varnished.
Paper Mache
has been used
to create DOLL
HEADS in many
different
countries. This
has gone out of
use with the
development of
modern plastic
materials.

6. Papier-mâché is commonly used for large,
temporary sculpture such as Carnival
floats. A basic structure of wood, metal
and metal wire is covered in papiermâché. Once dried, details are added. The
papier-mâché is then sanded and painted.
Carnival floats can be very large and
comprise a number of characters, props
and scenic elements all organized around
a chosen theme. They can also
accommodate several dozens people,
including the operators of the
mechanisms. The floats can have movable
parts, like the facial features of a character
or its limbs. It is not unusual for local
professional architects, engineers,
painters, sculptors and ceramists to take
part in the design and construction of the
floats. Italian float makers are some of the
best in the world,

7. Papier-mâché MASKS
and theatrical head gear
are important to the
world of play-acting

8. Paper Mache has been
used to create FLOAT
DESIGNS for parades.

9. Papier-mâché has been used in Theatre for
creating Set Design objects and Costume
Parts

10. Puppetry involves the
creation of Papier-mâché
Puppets and other
associated set pieces.

11. AMAZINGLY: Paper
Mache has been used to
create ARCHITECTURAL
FEATURES such as
CELING DESIGNS.. …
WALL DESIGNS…..EVEN
FURNITURE!

12. RUSSIAN PAPER MACHE WORK: Decorated Boxes
The village of Fedoskino (Федоскино)[ located not far from Moscow
on the banks of the Ucha River, is the oldest of the four art centers of
Russian lacquer miniature painting on papier-mâché, which has been
practiced there since 1795. It stands apart both geographically, and
in that that oil paints are used rather than egg tempera.
The lacquer artists of Palekh, Kholui
and Mstera continue to use the
technique of painting in egg-based
tempera overlaid with intricate gold
leaf highlighting.
A Palekh jewelery box
No Russian lacquer artwork is
presently considered genuine piece
unless it bears the signature of one
of the recognised artists from one of
four villages, each village having its
own style.

13. Many
Countries have
used paper
Mache to
create
beautiful
objects. To
the LEFT are
Russian
Enameled
paper Mache
Boxes. Below
are items from
Asia.

14. FUNCTIONAL OBJECTS
can be made out of
paper mache.

15. Carton-pierre
(French for 'stone
cardboard') is
papier-mâché that
has been
decorated to
resemble wood,
stone, or metal,
and is used as
decoration.[2]
Starting around 1725, gilded papier-mâché began to appear
in Europe as a low-cost alternative to similarly treated plaster
or carved wood in architecture. Henry Clay of Birmingham,
England, patented a process for treating laminated sheets of
paper with linseed oil to produce waterproof panels in 1772.

16. Japanned is most often a heavy black lacquer, almost like
enamel paint. The European technique uses varnishes
that have a resin base similar to shellac, applied in heatdried layers which are then polished, to give a smooth
glossy finish. It can also come in reds, greens and blues.
Originating in India, China, and Japan as a decorative
coating for pottery, it made its way into Europe by the
1600s.

17. Hanji (Korean paper art)
Hanji is the name of a traditional paper art form originating from Korea.
There are two basic divisions of hanji, a two dimensional and a three
dimensional.
Two dimensional hanji uses paper of various colors to create an image in a
similar format as a painting, however the paper itself is folded and crumpled
making the image stick up from the paper it is adhered, but the image itself is
only a 2 dimensional likeness, although there may be depth to some of the
elements. 2 dimensional hanji are typically framed much like a painting.

18. Korean Hanji 3Dimensional Sculpture
Korean Hanji lacquer Boxes
Three dimensional Hanji is similar to papier-mâché, in
that it attempts to make sculpture type objects which may
stand unsupported.

19. One common item made in the 1800s in America was
the paper canoe, most famously made by Waters &
Sons of Troy, New York. The invention of the continuous
sheet paper machine allows paper sheets to be made of
any length, and this made an ideal material for building a
seamless boat hull. The paper of the time was
significantly stretchier than modern paper, especially
when damp, and this was used to good effect in the
manufacture of paper boats. A layer of thick, dampened
paper was placed over a hull mold and tacked down at
the edges. A layer of glue was added, allowed to dry,
and sanded down. Additional layers of paper and glue
could be added to achieve the desired thickness, and
cloth could be added as well to provide additional
strength and stiffness. The final product was trimmed,
reinforced with wooden strips at the keel and gunwales
to provide stiffness, and waterproofed. Paper racing
shells were highly competitive during the late 1800s.

20. Papier-mâché panels were used in the late 1800s and early
1900s to produce lightweight domes, used primarily for
observatories. The domes were constructed over a wooden or
iron framework, and the first domes were made by the same
manufacturer that made the early paper boats, Waters &
Sons. The domes used in observatories had to be light in
weight so that they could easily be rotated to position the
telescope opening in any direction, and large enough that the
could cover the large refractor telescopes in use at the time.
In 1881 the largest of
their domes was placed
on the new Lusk
Observatory at the U.S.
Military Academy in
West Point. It was
slightly over 30 feet in
diameter and contained
over 2,000 pounds of
paper.
Built in England-one of
the first built paper
domes

21. More
SCULTPURES
: Note the
stylized
forms versus
completely
realistic
forms.

22. ARTISTS use
paper mache
to create
interesting
SCULPTURES

23. Skulls are a
popular item
for artistic
designs
within the
country of
Mexico.
Artists from
around now
design
skulls.
Skulls have been
used by many
artists for ‘DESIGN’
work…these are
papier-mâché skull
masks.
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