Today's change in the paper mâché cat I have been working on is slight, but at least it is progress. I have added two layers of strip paper mâché to the cat. I would like to add two more layers of strips before I start adding the "fur" to the cat. Since the "fur" will also be a layer, I am not adding as many layers of paper mâché strips.
This is a one-eighth scale project. It seems that working this small it would not time to get two layers on it, but that is not really the case. The smaller size makes it a little harder to handle and you have to use smaller strips of paper. Also, the first layer is always the hardest one. After that, the second layer adheres much better.
To make the first layer stick to the form better, I often smear it with some of the paper mâché paste so it has a bed of paste to lay the paper strips on so that it has a sticky base.
I allow it to dry thoroughly between layers of the paper strips. Generally, that means that I only do one layer a day. Most weeks I only have time to work on it two days a week.
This was how the cat looked before the paper mâché strips were added. This photo shows more accurately how the cat will look when it is mounted on a pole.
I felt as if I had hit a wall on the project this week, and I needed to take a break for a couple of days which also contributed to my not getting as much done as I would have liked.
My husband and I went up to the mountains for a few days. After weeks of just pushing through one thing after another we both needed time to make an attitude adjustment. After a few days of relaxing and enjoying the fall colors, I am able to come back to my project with fresh eyes and some much-needed enthusiasm.
I guess I should tell anyone who plans on working on a long-term project that burnout can be a problem. Working day after day, week after week on a project is wearing. Enthusiasm starts to wane, and you start wishing you had never started the project to begin with and would rather be working on something else. When it hits the point that you would rather do just about anything than head into the room to work on the project, it really is time to take a break. After a while you will be ready to take up the project again. So, give yourself a little time to do something else you enjoy when you begin to feel this way. You and your project will be the better for it.
Anyway, that is today's progress report on the project. I want to do a little research on another way to use cotton to make fur since I was not enamored with the type of cotton clay I used last time. I hope to have photos of the cat with fur in the next blog post. Check back next Monday or Tuesday for a new post.
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