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A friend and I decided last night (as a spur of the moment sort of thing) to make a life size paper mache figure of a character of hers that she draws frequently: a six foot tall, lean, mean velociraptor. Before now, we've done a small dragon together, about the size of a large house cat with wings, for a school contest between all students in art. (We got awarded Best Overall.)
But now that we're doing something so grossly HUGE, I'm sort of confused as to where to start. She's making measurements of her doors, so we know the limits to dimensions. As for materials and things... I don't think EITHER of us know what we're doing. We're your average pencil and paper sort of people. We're going to devote all our Christmas spoils towards this project, so we do have funds, but depending on how much everything costs, I don't know if we have enough. Suggestions on anything at all?
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For something that large you need a sturdy armature. You could make it out of PVC pipe, chicken wire, hardware cloth, wood, thick wire (like coathangers), cardboard or all of the above. You'll want to mount it on a base so it will stand upright and be sturdy. You want to be certain that its center of gravity is ... well, centered, so the object doesn't want to fall over all the time - hence why a good base is a good idea. Plywood is a good base and you can get a smaller piece of plywood at a Home Depot type store for just a couple bucks. You could also get a couple L shaped brackets with holes in them that you can attach one side to the base and attach your armature to the other side. These brackets are also pretty cheap. There's lots of odds and ends like this that you can get pretty cheap at a home improvement/hardware store.
I'm sure there are plenty of tutorials around on making armatures so just look around this site or check out some of the links.
Materials for papier mache can be pretty cheap or free. I am an accomplished scavenger. I like to save boxes and packing materials that we get deliveries in. I save scraps of wood. I save wire coat hangers and anything else that I think I can use. I've saved the bases of two broken stand fans because I think they'd make great bases for a project. I dread anyone coming into my house and seeing all the crap I save. :oops:
If you work somewhere that gets deliveries of items in boxes or crates, ask for some of them and packing paper, too. Ask your friends and family if they have access to anything like that. Ask at a store. Check out scrap materials at a construction site (ask someone first if you can have it, you don't want to actually steal the stuff they can use).
Good luck and have fun! A life sized velociraptor sounds like a great idea.
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They weren't all that big, about 2.5 ft tall by less than 6 ft long. You shouldn't have trouble getting something that size through a door.
Wile E gave a lot of good tips. And when he says to use a plywood base, make sure it's plywood, and not the cheaper, weaker, heavier and MUCH more susceptible to moisture sheets of chipboard.
Build your skeleton first, then build upon it.
I hope you post photos in the gallery of your creation.
Sue
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...
Wile E gave a lot of good tips. And when he says to use a plywood base, make sure it's plywood, ...
...
Psst! "she".
I uploaded my avatar to avoid further confusion. 
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I am very sorry indeed! :oops:
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Thank you all! I''ll take all advice into account. Most of those things will be easy for me to get, including wood/plywood.
((Velociraptors WERE small........ But her character is 6 or so feet tall. ^^
)
It'll make a good summer project. ^^ I'll most likely post pictures when we're done. If nothing else, it'll make a great conversation piece for her.
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I am this other "friend" Fear is my character, and it is a little hard to explain, yes i know, but to briefly say, fear is a tall, skinny raptor... oh, I better just show you her...
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that's a rough adobe i did a long time ago. More updates on this project when we start it; i already measured my doorways. 
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Yikes! I wouldn't want that hanging over my bed, lit only by lightning... 
Please, please, please show us when it's finished!
Sue
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Hi, this sounds like a really fun project.
I am frequently commissioned to produce theatre props of all shapes and sizes and I would suggest you might like to consider using polystyrene for your armature.
When creating large pieces pm is great for giving the work's outer layers strength and endurance but the built up layers can also make it heavy. If you are going to be moving your character around you should consider it's weight and your poor backs!
When making props for theatre productions polystyrene is easy to work with and keeps the pieces light enough to be moved around without loosing their strength. You just have to remember to weight the base.
Lumps of Polystyrene can be glued together and then carved to the shape you require. I've found it for certain pieces of work to be the best material suitable for quick results and you can apply pm strips or pulp straight to the surface of it.
Like Sue, I hope you will display the finished piece here for as all to see. Best of luck.
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:x
Jilly
Just for interest . . . . .what adhesive do YOU use to join the polystyrene blocks?
DavidO :shock:
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Sorry thought it was obvious. Just ordinary pva glue or wood glue, depending what I have on hand. You have to be generous with it and give it ample time to dry before you attack the polystyrene.
Cutting or carving up the polystyrene can just be horrible, worse than nails on a chalk board but the results are quick because you can be more precise with the shaping of the armature. Did I mention how strong this stuff is? Its also great for creating armatures for furniture, if it is tightly blocked together (cutting it up into cubes).
You are also doing the environment a favour by using it too, because polystyrene usually lands up being broken down and shovelled into land fills with other rubbish that presently can't be recycled.
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Thanks for the advice! Yes, we'll be doing a lot of lifting on our own, so weight will definitely be something to think about. (As will transportation, but we'll consider that later. ^^; ) I'll post a photo when we're done, definitely!
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David, when I use foam as an armature, I have used the adhesive for foam insulation paneling. It doesn't eat into the foam like most of them do. But it doesn't work fast, taking overnight to cure (but it doesn't have to 'dry', which can be an asset). For a stronger join, I set whatever handy weights are around in lieu of clamps.
When working with foam, the easiest thing to cut it with is a long-bladed serrated knife.
Sue
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Alas, bad news. This may never come to be. My dad put his foot down and said nothing will be built on our property if it's larger than 3 feet in any direction. >_<* We're trying to find somewhere else to do it, and I'm begging my dad over and over to even let me do it outside, behind our barn, even though it's January. So we'll see if it actually happens.
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Maybe try asking at the local art center or community center, or if you're in public school, you might ask the art teacher if you can use the art room.
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Just a thought... have you thought of making your project in detachable parts? Maybe I'm not explaining myself very well. What I mean is, creating the legs, body and head separately (or however you feel it could work best). That way your sort of remaining within the bounderies of your father's rules (as each individual piece should be less than 3 feet).
For instance, if you've ever pulled apart an action figure or doll (not that I'm encouraging senseless mutilation of the plastic figure world but...) it should give you an idea of how it would be possible to create the pieces of your project in away that they could be attached or detached for
easier transportation.
Polystyrene should be ideal for this.
I hope some of this makes sense. I know what I mean, just not very good at putting it into words. :oops:
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