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I'm very new at this. I just got all that I need and I'm staring at it. I have a funky mold over a doll's face. I have a ballon-belly started, legs attached. I have cardboard boxes, ping pong balls, paper cups, straws, tin foil... erm.. all of it. I'm staring at it, wondering.
I'm wondering if this is a viable method for building up areas:
Let's say you're making a dog. Whatever! Your dog needs shoulders that are well formed. So, my thought is you build the dog torso with carboard and masking tape, carefully cutting a pattern and taping it together. Then you start layering strips. At roughly 3-4 layers, you build the shoulders with pulp, thereby rounding them. Then layer 2-4 more strip layers. When you're done, sand it.
Is this method used? Is it viable. SHould I build more layers than 3-4 initially? Is there a better way? Anything I need to know?
I tried something else too. This kinda works, but is dangerous -- balloons pop!
You wanna make a head with cheekbones, and a forhead. You blow up a balloon to the right size, then change the shape of the balloon by taping it tight with masking tape. You tighten where the eyes go to sink them in. To make the cheeks, you make a V shape, tighting from right side of head to under the chin forwardly. Do the same from left side, meeting under the chin. This works! You can continue on the back side of the head to make a man's head, a child's or a woman's. The only trouble is, the balloon might pop on you. That is most disappointing! It happens too much, and just when you're almost done!
I'm thinking that the tape is what's making it pop. If you screw up, forgiving as masking tape is, when you pull the tape off to rearange it, kablooey! So, the question is, what can you use instead of tape? Anybody got an idea? Has anybody done this? Gimme the hot tip, please!
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Hi Lengo
I can see by all your postings that you are both very excited and eager to get things going. Have you looked in the information section there is a lot of information on glues, pulps and construction.
Ballons are great molds but they do shrink on you and go bang. A tip I read in here was to put one balloon inside the other and blow them up together. I think that adding features using screwed up paper, foil or layers might be less dangerous than the tormented ballon idea :shock: .
As for layers you sort of know how many is enough by the feel of it put your layers on let it dry feel it. If its nice and strong and your happy with it its done if not keep layering. It really all depends on what your making. If I'm making a bowl i can put up to twenty layers on, if I'm covering pulp its alot less because the pulp is strong and its only detail work.
Some good people to ask would be Dopapier and Catperson.
I hope this is of help all the best with your new project and take your time papier mache is not a race its a feel thing 
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Sue.
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Hi Lengo,
I seem to be replying to each of your threads, I think I am task avoiding :oops:
Further to Sue's advice another good form for heads is the green block that florists use for flower arranging. Here in the UK it is known as oasis and comes in both wet and dry form. The dry is for dried flower arrangements the wet for cut flowers (this latter holds water) I doubt that it matters which you use but I tend to use the dry. It comes in either a block or globe form and is very easy to carve, although not so easy to add to.
I also like to mould a head in plasticine and then PM 4 or 5 layers of paper over that. When thoroughly dry I cut the head in half and then PM back together again. A tip from David for this method that really works is to paint a layer of PVA/White Glue over the PM and let it dry before cutting. This helps the shape to hold true when adding more PM.
Charlotte
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"Is this method used? Is it viable. "
Yes it is used. Yes, it is viable. Remember, there are no rules, just that some things work better than others - and for different people and climates.
If you want to distort the balloon shape so much, I wouldn't bother with a balloon. Screw up some newspaper, tape it, add some more, tape it ad infinitum until you have the rough shape you want to start with.
If it is small then plasticene or hard foam works well.
DavidO 
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Thanks! I'll try that green florist block stuff. That sounds promising.
Yeah, it's something of a race for me. I'm disabled and have to rely soley on disability benefits from Social Security. I need to recapture what I spent! Also, I'm hurrying to get my balloon-belly guy shaped before the balloon starts to deflate.
Distorting the balloon works wonderfully, though it's very laiable to pop before you can get a layer on to "memorize" the shape. I'm actually quite proud of this. You get very smooth, natural curves! But, you gotta get symetry. It looks really good... um, until it goes pop!
Thanks! I apreciate your help. I'll get some florist block soon! I'll wing it on the thickness, hoping that it's thick and strong enough too. I'm not keen on rumpling some newspaper wads. I'm not confident that I can get it smooth enough. :shock:
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