Hello,
As we proceed into October, I wanted to post a project I finished at the beginning of the month. Much like the past Halloweens, I made a papier mache pumpkin using Dan Reeder's mache techniques. Larger than the previous entries, here is Voracious.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-51_zfQtuLKUB6T_2jW1MBjA0ACohLyR9XLjdvAkGEh88sCtiMnmRjH4dTeBJuXUGzD_SLpzuris_rfi5agflcMktAiOiYEmhizAL2GX5X1qSeeYSuoxn90-bZ4mo2lhZFRqDKb81c26n/s320/DSC02770.JPG) |
Front View |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13rcrg10UyMjQQ9LWSd6PP08K9YX6BGE0sbC-NW3VEK59KWFjDH9grnK7k3kxZhhtnPk8116BHv3-_YJ9Mke35w63g5gRVBkImq2QWIOBqBjff61Xkr1uu1j3-zaWChHGUk39-x0c8qkR/s320/DSC02776.JPG) |
Side View |
One of the challenges of this piece was getting a large enough base mache ball to use for the body. I put together several large newspaper balls with masking tape and then joined them with other scraps, shaping the whole thing into a rough sphere as I went. Here is a sequence of images from the production.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5E63CJz682VBRjSdIt0-K4OHpXYSyWQQgD5XSXn2NlqJCDFai3xl__p2AnfnZ2f1zOwNZEbZkBh1wSzDVMya54OYagsBFozG4uG3mcop4OVqrdfsk17fbABWaKnB6ngF1MMZ4bNpT34cn/s320/DSC02636.JPG) |
Construction Phase |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOUg4J-B7e5VLfjWcQ3F1878OUvtSfT9i5JeD68RHutz5hacML2bNCq6zdbOkMjhDm9_icr_ZhkvKSRVD4edqCT_fjHbKmjeZ33huadAWZCX4j0DsphlR-9mR4kjjqk129c4miUHxB3Ok/s320/DSC02763.JPG) |
Cloth Skin Phase |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHZmk9xaBrQG-U43qXmjOT-aWDHgyHkWYOAU5SH_DgiOESETA-SxK1XWfUD-KnfGk8wMO93rrpgwvyce2DiBok37OSXivT57GeRXXEe4i5voEqMJl-YRJdFGqdSgKToamqUocLRpuf7DL/s320/DSC02764.JPG) |
Side View |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1RwK8BIIREbkxkXzrIsaQNNYd0oo9eFBKPM6D7HuVtP7fvDs_qkxnuywd6Ii1pfBPzd_VKxxYI-PmyShp4L8_GteQFd9id5Py9InJQ5r2T2HEFugGaIAKKFBS4qP1DIQbRb5PYDEJMGs/s320/DSC02765.JPG) |
Paint Phase (pre blackwash) |
Once the main ball was mached, I cut it in half to start working on the details. The hollowed out core was easy to shape and I was able to fasten the eye sockets from the inside using two halves of a mache ball with a cloth skin. The eyes and teeth are polymer clay and glow in the dark like the past pumpkins. As I built the shape out, I tried to find some distinct details that would make this pumpkin unique. I settled on the sharp horns and forehead jewels. After the construction phase, it was just a matter of putting the piece back together. I did add a strip of black nylon on the inside of the mouth so you can't see into the hollowed out core. Once the piece was taped up and the shape finalized, I added the layer of cloth and glue and then painted it once everything was dry. The painting was straight forward and I washed over the final coat with diluted black paint to create the highlights and shadows.
That's it for this one. I am working on a multi-part papier mache project that I'm hoping to get done this month. I may have to release it in phases since there are several different pieces I need to make. There will be more to come.
Thanks for stopping by!
~Zan