This past Halloween was pretty much a non-starter due to Covid-19 virus. I am hoping that 2021 will be a spectacular Halloween. I want to be ready with some great decorations.This past Halloween was pretty much a non-starter due to Covid-19 virus. I am hoping that 2021 will be a spectacular Halloween. I want to be ready with some great decorations. I wanted to show you my two latest paper maché pumpkins. They will soon be turned into Jack O' Lanterns for my (hoped for) 2021 Halloween decorations. I have been working on this project for a while, but I am just now finding the time to blog about it.
I want to have a dozen or so carved or decorated pumpkins that I could use year after year. However, a dozen of the Funkin type pumpkins available locally sell for about $30.00 each at the craft store. Maybe I could find them cheaper online, but they are still fairly expensive. The larger size paper maché pumpkins I did find online were still $5.00 apiece. That is a better price range, but still, why pay sixty dollars when I can make them all for about $7.00 total. Even better, I can make the paper maché pumpkins waterproof for just a few dollars more.
The large pumpkin was cast on a real pumpkin, then cut off in quadrants and then put back together with hot glue and more layers of paper maché. The smaller pumpkin was cast on a styrofoam pumpkin. I think you can see that the one made using a real pumpkin is much more lifelike.
I have already cut off the top and finished the edges of the top on the large pumpkin. That is really the most frustrating part of the entire project. When you cut open paper maché the layers separate and flare a little bit, so the don't always settle back neatly into exact position. I have to cover the edges. Also, I build a rim on the inside of the pumpkin and on the inside of the top to help the top fit on neatly without any gaps. Picture a sugar bowl and how the top fits on that to understand what I am saying here.
Before I start creating the Jack O' Lantern face on the large pumpkin, I plan to cast a few more pumpkins using this pumpkin as a mold. The original pumpkin has long since become unusable and gone into the trash. I would like to have a few more pumpkins in this size before I start making the faces on them.
Before I start with the layers of paper and paste, I covered this pumpkin completely with a product called Press and Seal. It can be found in supermarkets in the plastic wrap aisle. I prefer Press and Seal to regular plastic wrap because it seals to itself. Plastic wrap works, but can come loose or leave leaves areas where the plastic wrap bunches up. I will say that the Press and Seal does not have a good cutting edge on the box. I usually pull off a big piece, place it on a cutting board, and cut it into strips using a ruler and a craft knife. For a large pumpkin like the one above, I was cutting the Press and Seal into two inch strips. (I place the strips vertically on the pumpkin.) I know it sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but it makes a much neater surface for the paper maché. That may not be important in every project, but if someone is going to be viewing the inside of the finished project, then it might be a factor.
It takes about 45 minutes to cover a pumpkin of this size with one layer of paper maché. I usually only add one layer at a time. I want to make sure that the layer is completely dry before adding another layer. You can add two layers, but don't do more than that at one time. Paper maché can mold if it stays damp too long. All told, the pumpkin will have six layer of paper maché with additional layers over the edges where the pumpkin was cut apart and put back together.
A large pumpkin like this one will take about six to seven hours of paper maché work, plus several more hours to take it apart and put it back together. Then the actual fun begins of making the face. I can understand why some people would rather buy the Funkins or craft pumpkins. But, if you like working in paper mach, all of that work is just part of the fun. It is a challenge to start with a flat piece of paper and turn it into a three dimensional project. I like that.
I put on three layers, then mark and label my cutting lines and any cutting cues for putting the pumpkin back together. Then, I cut the form off the original pumpkin. I find that it comes off best in quadrants. (For more info and pictures about this see my post on December 29th, 2020 at folkartbycaroljones.blogspot.com) Once it is apart, I put it back together with hot glue and more layers of paper maché.
The smaller pumpkin was cast and reformed in the same manner. I did not cast the stem for this pumpkin. I found the stem was somewhat of an annoyance while working on the large pumpkin. I will make my own stem when I cut off the top and open up the pumpkin.
I mentioned that for a few dollars more, I could make the pumpkins waterproof. I found that rather than using water to make the flour paste, I could use Thinset Mortar Admix. It is in the tile section of hardware stores. If you can find a smaller bottle, you are to the good. Mostly you will find it in gallon size. I had some leftover from my stained glass gazing ball projects. This product also comes in a powder to which you add water. Either way, it works.
This product is really a liquid latex. I experimented with it on some small projects. I made a paper maché ball using the thinset mortar admix. After drying the project, it soaked it in water for three hours. The paper held together. When removed from the water and set out to dry, the entire ball stayed intact. It was amazing. It will help these projects last for years. (You can read more on this on my blog on December 30th, 2020 at folkartbycaroljones.blogspotcom)
So my plan for the next few weeks is to make a few more pumpkins. By that time I will be pretty bored with laying strips of paper, so I will take some time to create the faces and paint the Jack O' Lanterns. When I am bored with that process, I will go back to making pumpkins.
Will I be able to make all of the pumpkins this year? I don't know. Life has a habit of getting in the way. However, I will do what I can. If it takes a year or two years, I will still have a great display.
