Do-it-yourself papier-mâché pumpkin. Step by step instructions and helpful tips

On the night of October 31 to November 1, one of the most interesting and original holidays is celebrated - Halloween. He combined in himself two completely opposite features: showing respect to evil spirits and admiration for all the saints.

If you are also partial to the traditions of the ancient Celts of Ireland and Scotland, you are probably wondering how to make a pumpkin on your own. There are many options for creating the main symbol of the holiday - Jack's lamp. You just need to choose the most interesting ideas and highlight a little waking time.

History of the main symbol

There is an old legend about the lazy Irish farmer Jack, who did not disdain drinking and stealing. Once, in one of the taverns, he met with the devil and offered to skip a glass of ale, agreeing to give his own soul in return. When it came time to pay, the stingy but enterprising Jack asked the owner of the underworld to turn in a gold coin, and then put it in his pocket next to a silver cross.

No matter how hard Satan tried, he did not succeed in returning his former appearance.

For his release, Jack asked for several years of free life. After the agreed time, the devil appeared to him to collect the "debt". The cunning farmer asked only for the last favor - to taste an apple growing on a tree.

The dark lord climbed an apple tree, and Jack quickly scratched a cross on it, depriving Satan of his strength. And again, the farmer bargained for himself years of carefree life and the opportunity not to give his soul.

But it wasn't long before he died. The gates of Paradise were closed to the rogue, the devil also refused to let him into Hell. Since then, Jack has been wandering the earth in anticipation of the day of judgment, lighting his way with an ember from a hellfire placed inside a turnip.

With the first settlers, the tradition firmly settled in the United States, while the turnip was replaced by a large and bright pumpkin. According to legend, such lanterns help souls find their way to purgatory, scare Jack and other evil, otherworldly forces away from home.

Classic lamp

The pumpkin from which you make a Halloween lantern with your own hands should be free of damage and rotten areas.

Choose a vegetable of the size you like and proceed with the execution, guided by step-by-step photos and recommendations:

Cover the work surface with oilcloth.
Decide what kind of lighting you will use. If you intend to lower the inside of the pumpkin, mark a circle or square with a marker in the upper part (where the tail is). When using a flashlight, mark a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin.
Cut out the outline with a sharp knife. If you are cutting from above, then hold the blade slightly at an angle to create a tapered notch. In this case, when you return the “cap” to its place, it will not fall into the vegetable.
Clean the pumpkin from the pulp and seeds. You can use a spoon or scraper. Especially carefully work out the walls, on the outside of which there will be a “muzzle”. Their thickness should not be more than 2 cm.
Draw the facial features with a marker. You can print out the template, stick it to the fruit with adhesive tape and point out the outlines of the pattern. Remember, the larger the fragments of the eyes, nose, mouth, the easier it will be for you to cut.
With a well-sharpened knife with a short, thin blade, draw along the marked lines. The main thing is not to rush, act as carefully as possible. Otherwise, you can not only spoil, but also accidentally get hurt.
Push the cut pieces inside the workpiece or, conversely, squeeze out. Areas with an uneven contour or particles of pulp, clean with a knife.
Treat the cut points with Vaseline. It will prolong the "life" of your flashlight.
Place a small candle inside. It is best to use "pills" so that the pumpkin does not bake on the fire. Do not forget to make a few holes in the "hat" for hot air to escape. If the opening is located below, cover a flashlight or an electric garland connected to the network with a vegetable.
Prepare your Jack-o-lantern 1, maximum 2 days before the holiday. To keep the product longer and not lose its appearance, put silica gel inside, which you will probably find in many shoe boxes. Each ball should be pressed lightly into the pulp, but not too deep.

If you notice that your work of art has begun to deteriorate, soak it for 8 hours in a solution of 4 liters of water and 5 ml of bleach. Then, pat dry using paper towels. To keep the vegetable as long as possible in its original state, spray it daily with the indicated mixture.

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Bat

In addition to the classic Jack-o-lantern, you can make a cute bat out of a Halloween pumpkin with your own hands.

Just follow the step by step instructions:

Prepare the vegetable: cut off the top, free from the pulp and seeds, go through the walls well with a scraper.
At the bottom, use a black felt-tip pen or marker to draw a smiling mouth with two teeth.
Draw a large “heart” from above, with a rounded bottom. Inside, add another one, but much smaller. These are future eyes.
Use a utility knife to cut out the pumpkin along the marked outline. Smooth out any unevenness.
Paint the fruit with black acrylic. You can pre-apply some DIY caulk, which is available in aerosol or cans. On it, the paint lays down better and more evenly. After the sealant has dried, proceed to change the color of the workpiece.
Take 2 double-sided very thick cardboard in a rich blue hue (A4 size is suitable). Turn over in the manner of an album sheet and draw wings for a bat: draw out half of the oval, and in the lower part make a kind of wave with three sharp peaks. To the edge of the cardboard, from the last tooth, draw two lines forming a rectangle. Due to it, the wings will be inserted into the pumpkin. Cut along the outline.
On red single-sided cardboard, using the template, draw 12 identical circles. Cut out, glue on the wings in random order.
Take a pumpkin, make two narrow symmetrical cuts on the sides with a clerical knife. Gently insert the wings into them.
Wrap the tail on the "lid" with twine. Do not forget to mark several holes for hot air to escape.
Put a candle inside.

For more information on how to create a bat, see the video.

Papier mache

If you do not want to use a fresh vegetable, but really want to make your own Halloween pumpkin, you can resort to improvised materials.

You will need a balloon, twine or tape, old newspapers, glue, orange paint, and a paper cutter:

Blow up the balloon. It should be elastic, but not too tight.
Drag the workpiece with twine or tape, forming characteristic "slices".

Wrap the frame with cling film. So it will be easier to extract it from the resulting pumpkin.
Cover the structure with 2 layers of torn white tissue paper soaked in water, then 3 layers of shredded newsprint. Leave the tip of the balloon open. Let dry completely.
Next, glue 3 more layers.

After drying, pierce the ball with a needle and carefully remove it through the top hole.
Mark the borders of the eyes, nose, mouth. Cut out. To create the effect of thick walls, glue a wide strip of white paper along the inner contour.

Cover the frame with papier-mâché paste. To do this, soak white paper napkins torn into pieces in boiling water, squeeze them out after a day, and chop the resulting lumps in a blender. Then, add PVA glue and some linseed oil. Stir until smooth.
Cut off the “hat” from the dried pumpkin. Also decorate the inner surface with a mass of papier-mâché. Just add red paint to it first.

The tail can be made from a cylinder from cling film or foil, shortened to the required length and coated with a sticky mass.
From plasticine or polymer clay, mold teeth and eyeballs. Attach with clear baguette glue.

Paint, varnish.

If you wish, decorate the pumpkin with a thematic pattern using the decoupage technique. You can “plant” your creation on a stump made from a putty bucket. To provide additional illumination, cut out the bottom and place an LED flashlight inside.

Holiday symbol made of paper

At home, you can also make a voluminous pumpkin from colored paper:

Take a dense double-sided sheet of orange.
Cut into strips of the same length and width (approximately 210 mm by 25 mm).
Fold each section in half. At the fold and along the edges, make holes with a hole punch.
Take the first strip and thread the decorative wire through the center hole.

Repeat the manipulation with the remaining pieces of paper, laying them out at a slight angle in relation to each other. You will get a kind of sun with equidistant rays. Fix the central part with tape.
Wrap each strip by passing the outermost hole through the wire.
Having collected the pumpkin to the middle, put a small surprise inside. For example, candy.

Roll up the remaining strips. Periodically, you can glue them a little to avoid deformation and shifting.
Decorate the top with a leaf.
Wrap the wire in a spiral.
It is not necessary to use only orange paper. Create as far as your imagination allows. In addition, you can glue the eyes, nose and toothy mouth to the pumpkin.

Table decorations

If you have a desire to make a symbol of the holiday without using a pumpkin, try creating the main attribute of the holiday from polymer clay.

Cute, funny, cunning or dangerous faces will be a great souvenir for friends:

Shape the gray material into a perfect ball.
Make characteristic grooves with a toothpick.
From above, mark the outline of the cap, and insert a wooden tail in the center.
Squeeze out the eyes, nose, mouth.
Bake for a few minutes in an oven preheated to 100°C.
Paint the blank with dark orange acrylic.
Highlight the inner part of the muzzle in yellow.
Wear gloves when working with polymer clay. If you sculpt without them, be sure to wash your hands. Particles that remain on the fingers and then enter the body can cause poisoning. After baking in the oven, place a large container of water inside, heat to maximum temperature. Repeat 2-3 times and ventilate the oven well.

Simple Decor Ideas

To quickly create a holiday atmosphere in your home, you can use the following options:

Paint the pumpkin white and put on a lacy nylon stocking or glue on separate openwork patterns.
A glamorous interior will be created by vegetables painted in golden or silver color. Use aerosol cans.
Rhinestones and marbles on black pumpkins will look mysterious, give the holiday a special, mystical atmosphere.
Take ordinary glass jars, decorate with different colors, glue black eyes, nose, mouth. Insert lit candles inside.

There are a lot of options on how to make a pumpkin for Halloween with your own hands. If you have absolutely no time, you can inflate orange balloons, draw funny or evil faces with a black marker, and make a ponytail out of corrugated paper.

Indeed, in the end, the main thing is not the ideal appearance of all the attributes of the holiday, but a fun pastime with friends and a great mood.

You can create almost any shape from papier-mâché, which is what craftsmen use to make a variety of crafts with their own hands from this incredibly flexible and plastic material. In the article we will consider only one master class, you can create crafts with your own hands both on its basis and fantasize, bringing your unique ideas to life.

Papier Mache Craft: Halloween Pumpkin

Step 1: Foundation

Much of the successful work depends on the frame, the basis of the product. After all, if it is done clearly and correctly, then all that remains is to paste over it with paper and the product is almost ready. As a frame for the base, you can use balloons, paper tape, bags, wire, paper, various waste materials that people usually throw away (for example, a cardboard reel from adhesive tape). To create the basis of our sculpture, we will use:

ball;
narrow tape;
food film.

We don’t inflate the balloon too much so that it doesn’t burst when forming the “slices” of the pumpkin - the balloon should have a reserve of tension.

We create “slices” on the pumpkin with thin tape. You can increase their bulge to your taste at this stage or later, with the help of mass. Or you can generally leave the ball absolutely round, because such pumpkins also exist.

Before starting work with papier-mâché, the ball can be wrapped with cling film, so that later it would be easier to remove the ball from the inside. But this stage can be skipped, then you may have to tinker with removing the ball.

Newspapers for pasting can be cut and torn with your hands. In our MK, this is not important, because from above we will still be coated with mass. We apply 2-3 layers of paper to start. In order not to get confused with the layers, you can use colored paper or glue the pieces in different directions, for example, one layer along, the other across. After 3 layers, you need to leave the workpiece to dry completely, and then apply another 2-3 layers of paper.

After the base has completely dried, we get a durable product, with which, however, we still have to work. Next, we need to extract the ball from the inside. To do this, do not seal the string of the balloon, just untie it and the balloon will slowly deflate itself, remaining unharmed. However, you can just pierce it.

It's time to cut out the face. Practice first on a piece of paper, and then you can transfer ideas to the "pumpkin". To create the effect of thick walls, simply glue a wide strip of paper along the contours.

We decided to make a lamp out of a pumpkin, but how to fix the light bulb away from the base, because we have a paper pumpkin? To solve the problem, let's put it on a stump from a putty bucket, pasted over with various pieces of paper to create bumps. Inside it will accommodate a base with a light bulb.

By the way, from the mass prepared by us earlier, we will get such animals: we paste over the wire frame with paper tape and coat it with papier-mâché.

Cut out the bottom of the dried pumpkin. Since we will see its "insides", we also need to paint it from the inside.

A pumpkin stalk can be made from a cylinder of cling film or foil. We cut off the required length, coat it with a sticky mass, creating a shape, make grooves on the stem with a stack. We attach to the pumpkin with the same mass, you can additionally coat with PVA.

Step 2: Design

From plastic we make teeth for a pumpkin, we wait until they harden.

We fix the teeth with transparent glue for skirting boards and baguettes. Later, using the same glue, you can also fix the pumpkin's eyeballs. The result of the "visit to the dentist" in the photo:

Add volume to pumpkin lips.

We paint the stump-stand, we finish the pumpkin itself, increasing the volume of the "slices".

The possibilities for ideas in creating papier-mâché crafts are practically unlimited. A master class on how to make papier-mâché for beginners includes learning how to make a mass consisting of water and flour, and creating simple DIY crafts. Using this technique, you can create toys, figures, masks and many other products.

How to make papier mache easy

The mass for crafts is made using a mixture of water and flour, mixed in a ratio of 2: 1 to a creamy consistency. If the mixture is too thin, a 1:1 ratio can be used. Salt is added to it so that the mixture does not rise. There is also a recipe that requires boiling: a mixture of water and flour is boiled, stirring, over low heat for five minutes, then cooled and 3-5 drops of mint oil are added to give a pleasant aroma and prevent spoilage of the mixture. The mixture is stored in the refrigerator in a tightly closed container.

Having learned this technique, it is easy to understand how to make papier-mâché at home. Whatever the manufacturing technology, the mixture is used in the same way. It is impregnated with paper, which is then attached to the form, after which it is painted. Currently, hobby and craft stores provide materials for creating papier-mâché crafts.

It is better to use wax paper as a work surface. Spilled drops of the mixture must be immediately removed from surfaces and clothing, since the dried mass is more difficult to get rid of.

Works for beginners

Many are interested in how to make papier-mâché from newspapers. This is very easy to do and doesn't take much time.

Multicolored flying saucer

A simple product that can be hung in a child's room. Necessary materials:

2 paper plates;
ready mix;
adhesive tape;
scissors;
newspaper;
pencil;
paints of different colors;
brush.

How to make a papier mache plate:

1. Draw and cut out a small circle in the center of each plate.

2. Turn the plates right sides to each other and tape their edges with duct tape.

3. Tear the newspaper into strips, dip each into the mass and completely cover the plates with the strips. It is also important to process the form from the inside. The more layers applied, the stronger the product will be. Dry naturally.

4. Paint the plate with paint.

The flying saucer is ready. Children will love its bright colors.

Animal with a shape made of wire or thick paper

A more complex project that requires creating a form from crumpled paper or wire mesh. Necessary materials:

newspaper strips;
finished mass;
thick wrinkled paper or wire mesh;
soft wire;
sandpaper;
dye.

How to make papier mache animals:

1. The main thing in this project is to create a base shape in the form of any animal from wire or thick paper. The made figure is fixed with a soft wire.

2. The figure is carefully covered with newspaper strips soaked in the mixture and dried.

3. If necessary, the dried figure is treated with sandpaper to remove lumps of the mixture.

4. Now the craft can be painted and left to dry.

The animal is ready! In the same way, you can make a doll or any other figure.

Techniques for the little ones

The benefit of involving children in making crafts is that they learn how to work with the material. Through the process of selecting, touching and working with materials, children learn how different objects feel and manifest themselves.

Easter Egg

Not everyone knows that papier-mâché can be made from toilet paper. This project is extremely simple and suitable for the first work of a small child. Necessary materials:

oval balloon;
strips of newspaper or thick toilet paper;
finished mass;
paint in several colors to choose from.

How to make a papier mache Easter egg:

1. Paint the paper strips in different colors and leave to dry.

2. Using the mixture, completely cover the balloon with strips and allow to dry.

This technique allows you to quickly create simple shapes. The Easter egg is ready.

fancy mask

How to make a papier-mâché mask:

1. Apply the mass to the mask mold, then stick it with paper strips. Let dry.

2. Separate the mask from the form. Paint the resulting mask, let the paint dry.

3. Now you can decorate the mask with rhinestones and feathers.

You can attach an elastic band to the mask to wear it for a masquerade and for games. An elegant mask will look good on the wall.

As you work, it's a good idea to let your child touch and examine each material and ask how the material feels, looks, and what it's used for. It encourages children to express themselves through language and makes DIY crafts exciting.

Festive items

It's great to make some decorations on your own during the holiday season. It's always nice to decorate your home or garden with homemade décor.

Halloween decorations

Halloween doesn't have to be gloomy. Pumpkins and spiders are constant attributes of this exciting holiday.

Ball pumpkin

If a real pumpkin is hard to find, you can make your own. Necessary materials:

round latex balloon;
ready mix;
strips of newspaper 3 cm wide;
sandpaper;
soft wire;
orange paint;
black paint (optional)
tassel;
wooden stick 1.5 cm wide and 5 cm long;
a sheet of thick cardboard;
paper knife;
scissors;
hot glue;
small nail;
small bowl.

How to make papier mache pumpkin:

1. Inflate the balloon. Its size depends on the desired size of the pumpkin.

2. Without tying the balloon, measure the circumference of the balloon with a soft wire and cut the wire so that its ends meet when wrapped around the balloon. Cut three more pieces of wire the same length.

3. All pieces of wire are wrapped around the ball, their ends are tied into a knot. The wire moves apart so that all its parts "hug" the ball from six sides.

4. Inflate the balloon a little more so that the wire is stretched and held firmly without moving.

5. Continue to inflate the balloon until the sections between the pieces of wire begin to bulge out, creating ribs like a pumpkin.

6. Dip newspaper strips into mixture. The strips should be completely saturated, the excess mixture can be removed from them by stretching each between the index and middle fingers.

7. Layers of the mixture are applied one at a time. Each layer must dry before applying the next. You will need 4-5 layers in total.

8. A well-dried product is ready for painting. But first you need to carefully process the ball with sandpaper to remove pieces of the mixture.

9. If the newspaper used had dark places - headlines, images, etc., then before applying orange paint, paint the pumpkin black and let it dry. In this way, dark areas can be avoided showing through the orange paint.

10. Putting the bowl on the top of the pumpkin, cut out the shape along its contour with a knife.

11. Cut out a circle from cardboard. Its size depends on the size of the cut out top - the circle should be about half its size.

12. Using hot glue, the circle is glued to the inside of the top.

13. From the outside, a carnation is inserted into the middle of the top, then removed. After that, the top is turned over and the carnation is inserted again and fixed with glue.

14. Glue is applied to the bottom of the wooden stick, then it is inserted so that the carnation is stuck in the middle.

The product is ready. You can’t eat such a pumpkin, but it will last longer.

Spider

To make this spider you will need the most ordinary balloon. Necessary materials:

ready mix;
balloon 20-23 cm in diameter;
newspaper strips;
black tempera paint;
small bowl;
tassel;
hot glue;
needle;
3 black brushes for cleaning pipes;
soft wire;
2 large rhinestones;
a bunch of black wool or any other material that imitates hairs;
red acrylic paint;
transparent paint with glitter.

How to make a papier mache spider:

1. Inflate and tie a balloon. Tie the knot with a piece of wire 5-7 cm long.

2. Dipping strips of newspaper into the mixture, place them vertically on the ball until they cover the entire surface of it. The ball is then hung to dry.

3. Pierce the ball with a needle and carefully remove it from the mold.

4. Apply 2 coats of black paint to the mold.

5. Using hot glue, pipe brushes are glued to the bottom of the mold. They are glued in the middle to the bottom to make 3 legs on the sides.

6. Glue rhinestone eyes and hair.

7. The spider is decorated with sparkles, the mouth is drawn with red paint.

The creative spider is ready. You can decorate furniture with such a toy, it will be especially interesting to look at a “flock” of several such spiders.

New Year's projects

Everyone's favorite holiday cannot do without elegant decor. After hanging the garlands and decorating the Christmas tree, you can begin to create your own New Year's crafts. You can make papier-mâché for every taste and fantasy.

Christmas tree

Even if the house already has a large Christmas tree, then a small papier-mâché Christmas tree can decorate the kitchen or children's room. Necessary materials:

Ready mix;
polystyrene foam cone;
strips of thin colored paper 2.5 cm wide and 6 cm long;
brush;
Polish for hair.

How to make a papier-mâché Christmas tree:

1. Moisten the paper strips in the mass. Cover the cone with them, smoothing the paper with your fingers.

2. Leave the cone completely covered with paper to dry overnight.

3. Cover the dried cone with a thin layer of hairspray.

The Christmas tree is ready. It can be used for every New Year.

bottle snowman

What New Year would do without one of the symbols of winter? Necessary materials:

finished mass;
white, orange and pink paint;
brush;
a bottle with a volume of not more than 1.5 liters;
newspaper rolled into a ball;
artificial snow;
woolen fabric;
scissors;
glue;
button;
black and red markers.

How to make a papier-mâché snowman:

1. Put a ball of newspaper on the neck of the bottle. Apply the mass to the entire surface of the bottle, including the ball, and leave to dry.

2. Cover the form with white paint and immediately sprinkle with artificial snow. Let dry.

3. Cut a small scarf out of the fabric, wrap it around the “neck” of the snowman and secure it in front with glue. The button can be sewn to the scarf in advance, or you can attach it with glue to an already worn scarf.

4. Draw a mouth on the head with a red marker, a nose with black.

5. Orange and pink colors are needed for the nose and rosy cheeks.

The product is ready. This snowman will never melt.

Making beautiful and unusual crafts with your own hands is uplifting and soothing. Some people claim that it is akin to meditation. For a child, early exposure to the creative process always has a beneficial effect, helping to develop his imagination and ability to express himself. Therefore, making papier-mache is a great hobby for children and adults.

"Jack's Lantern" from papier-mâché do it yourself

The most mystical holiday of the year is approaching - Halloween. The symbol of which is a pumpkin, thanks to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, who, after his death for his bad temper, was expelled from both hell and heaven. So Jack wanders alone between the worlds. And the only element that accompanies him and illuminates his path is a small ember from the Devil, which he received because of compassion (!), and Jack placed it in a carved turnip. It is believed that Jack's "hell lantern" scares away evil spirits on a festive night and helps not to stray from the true path. At first, it was customary to cut it from turnips, beets or potatoes, but later pumpkins began to be used for these purposes.

Today we also decided not to deviate from this tradition and show you how to make a cute "Jack Lantern" with your own hands from papier-mâché, which will not lose its appearance for a long time and can be a great Halloween gift.

As you know, papier-mâché is a mixture of glue and paper. It is done very simply: the paper is torn into small pieces that need to be smeared with glue and put on top of each other. With the help of papier-mâché, you can create any relief forms.

To create a papier-mâché candlestick you will need:

Small pumpkin or other round object

Pieces of paper

Acrylic paints (yellow, red, green)

Satin gypsum or regular

Small sawdust (they need to be sifted through a chintz)

Tools: kitchen sponge, clerical knife, brush, sanding block or paper.

The process of creating a papier-mâché candlestick:

Advice: it is advisable to pick up a pumpkin with a minimum height of 15 cm so that the flame from the tablet candle cannot touch the inside of the mold - thus, the candlestick can last much longer and will not create a fire hazard.

In order for the future mold to be removed from the pumpkin without any problems, apply the first paper layer without using glue. To do this, simply moisten pieces of paper with water and put on a pumpkin (Fig. 1).

Subsequent paper layers must already be glued to the base. Why apply glue to a small area of \u200b\u200bthe form, and put pieces of paper on it. Smooth it with a brush for a tighter fit. You can also smear pieces of paper with glue, and then glue them to the base.

Advice: it is better to tear the paper into pieces with your hands, and not cut with scissors, as the torn edges will overlap better.

Before pasting over the form, consider which areas you will not apply papier-mâché to. The strength of the entire form will depend on the number of applied layers.

After the form has dried, it must be removed from the base, for which you can simply cut it with a clerical knife (Fig. 7).

Draw a traditional "Jack's face" on a paper pumpkin with a pencil (Figure 13).

In this case, a semblance of a gnawed pumpkin was created - semicircles were drawn along the edge of the form (visibility of Jack's teeth imprints) (Fig. 14).

In order to protect the form from the flame of a candle, apply a solution of satin-gypsum to the inside of the pumpkin. Why dilute the gypsum with water (a small amount is required) (Fig. 16).

Advice: you can also use regular gypsum, but it hardens much faster. Therefore, you need to work with it faster.

Stir until a thick sour cream solution is obtained (Figure 17). Apply the solution to the inner surface of the mold and leave to dry completely (Figure 18). If you apply a very thin layer of gypsum, then after drying it can easily fall off the mold.

After the plaster has dried, apply a mixture of very fine sawdust and PVA to the top of the mold - this will make it homogeneous, without protrusions.

After complete drying, prepare the form for painting, for which go over it with sandpaper to smooth out roughness (Fig. 20).

Advice: you can also use sandpaper for the inside, plaster part of the mold.

Using a piece of kitchen sponge, apply a couple of coats of basic yellow acrylic paint to the candle holder. Paint the candlestick on top (Figure 21-22).

Combine yellow and red paints until an orange tone is obtained and draw characteristic orange stripes on the form (Fig. 23). On the orange stripes, make green blotches and paint the stalk brown.

Advice: acrylic paints tend to dry out rather quickly, so you can add a special preparation to them during painting, which will increase the period of hardening of paints. It can be purchased at any art store.

"Jack's Lantern" from papier-mâché is ready! Happy Halloween to you!

Papier-mache is a mass that is usually made from paper and glue. Those who are interested in the question of how to make papier-mâché are usually also interested in what exactly can be done using this technique. In fact, anything can be made from papier-mâché, the only thing that matters is what the layers will consist of and how many of them will be needed. During excavations in China, even helmets were found made of papier-mâché with multiple layers of varnish applied.

In order to make papier-mâché at home, you will need: a base, any paper (newsprint, office, toilet paper), a lot of PVA glue, bandages, a brush, a container for glue.

First you need to cut or tear a fairly large amount of paper into pieces of different sizes. It is better to have a lot of these pieces so that they do not end at the most important moment. Experienced needlewomen advise using a different type of paper in each layer, and making some layers from bandages. All this is best prepared in such a way that there are enough “spare parts” for at least two or three next layers.

You should also prepare the glue for work. PVA glue can be used in its pure form, but it can also be slightly diluted with water so that it soaks the paper faster. You should know that diluted glue softens pieces of paper more and, moreover, dries longer. PVA in its pure form dries noticeably faster, but it will need a lot more.

Glue is applied to the base with a brush, after which pieces of paper are superimposed on top of it, which are also smeared with glue on top. Pieces of paper should overlap a little. Most often, newspapers are used for the first layer. The paper should completely cover the entire base, after which you can start applying the second layer. If you use toilet paper for it, then it will be much easier to work, because it will be clearly visible where the new layer is already pasted and where not yet. If the base has too many well-defined dents or edges that the finished product should also display, you can do it a little differently. In this case, paper (it is better to use toilet paper) is cut as small as possible, folded into some container, filled with glue and mixed thoroughly. The result is a fairly thick mass, a bit like homemade sour cream. This mass is smeared with fingers on problem areas. It is important that the mass does not lie down in a very thick layer, so that the process of its drying does not take too long.

After all large irregularities are smoothed out, this mass can cover the entire model as a whole. This method allows you to create the finished product much faster, its only drawback is the need to wait for the paper to dry completely, which is not necessary with the traditional method.

Sometimes it becomes necessary to cover the model with something at the end of the work for the final covering of irregularities. Experts warn against using embossed acrylic, because although it evens the surface well, it greatly softens the model. If this happens, you can reanimate by gluing several layers of papier-mâché from a bandage.

It is better to cover the model with putty, it is much better suited for leveling. If you need to sand the irregularities of the putty, then you should not use sandpaper, but an abrasive tape. Before painting, the model must be impregnated with a primer, which, in order to save money, can be bought not at a needlework store, but at a construction store.

If you do not plan to use putty, then you can paint the top layer of paper in the desired color. Before painting, the entire model must be coated again with glue to strengthen it and additionally protect it from damage. It looks very impressive on finished figures made of papier-mâché.

Another, rarely used method of making papier-mâché is the modeling of figures from the glue-paper mass described above. This mass is easy to form, but dries for a very long time. Any papier-mâché technique is not difficult, but it requires patience and utmost accuracy. Sometimes, due to the long drying of the material, the manufacturing process of the model is delayed for several days.

How to make papier mache pumpkins

If you want to have fun and usefully spend the autumn holidays, then this master class on making papier-mâché pumpkins is for you.

This would make a great Thanksgiving decoration or a Halloween costume. In addition, papier-mâché pumpkin can be used as a street lamp, masquerade mask, candy vase or door decoration.

There is nothing difficult in making papier-mâché pumpkins, the main thing is to get excited, be patient and be guided by this master class.

You will need:

Balloons;
Dense thread;
Newspaper;
Flour;
Water;
Salt;
Wooden knot;
A piece of cardboard;
Paints;
Scissors;
Hot glue gun.

Manufacturing:

Inflate a balloon the size of a future pumpkin and tie it tightly. We measure the circumference of the ball with a thread with a small margin and cut off four threads of this size.

We tie the ball with threads, creating a volume as close as possible to the pumpkin. We do not bandage strongly so that the ball does not burst.

In a bowl, mix water with flour, adding a little salt. We stir everything until smooth, until we get a sufficiently viscous adhesive consistency.

We cut the newspapers into strips and, dipping each strip into the resulting glue, glue the entire ball. Let it dry for two hours and glue it again. Thus, we apply 3-4 layers of paper on the ball for a strong pumpkin.

When the last layer of paper is dry, we process the pumpkin from all sides with sandpaper.

Holding the ball at the base, pierce it with a needle and remove it from the pumpkin.

To create volume, we apply stripes of black paint into the recesses of the pumpkin.

Then we completely paint the pumpkin with orange paint, preferably in several layers.

If we plan to use the pumpkin as a vase, then we cut off its upper part - this will be the lid. For the tail of the pumpkin, we select a wooden knot that is suitable in diameter.

Carefully attach the tail to the pumpkin with a washer and glue.

If we make a mask from a pumpkin, then instead of a lid we make the necessary cuts, sealing them from the inside with a black cloth.

Halloween is a spooky and fun holiday full of intrigue and adventure. On the day when doors open between the other world and ours, people put on costumes and hide in the crowd so that evil spirits do not take them away. Jack-o'-lanterns are lit in houses to ward off evil spirits, and odd-looking goodies are placed on the tables. To give Halloween a little lightness and festivity, we offer, along with a video tutorial, to make a pumpkin from balloons.

For crafts, we need to take the following components:

three orange balls - 12 inches or 30 cm;
one modeling ball (shdm) green - size 160;
two pumps - a small one for shdm and a large one for round balls;
calibrator.

Take one 12 inch orange balloon and inflate it with a large pump. Then let the air out and inflate again. On the calibrator, set the markings to 6 inches and measure the desired size of the balloon.

We tie the ball when it reaches the desired size. Then we divide the ball in half, pressing our thumbs into the center. We try to capture the opposite side, and then twist.

This is what the end result should look like.

And we do the same with the other two orange balloons, leaving the size the same.

After that, we take two blanks and connect them with a cross. We twist so that they stand on the same level. Then we do the same actions with the third ball. We straighten them all in one line. We get the basis for the pumpkin.

Now, we take the green shdm 160th and make a ponytail out of it for a pumpkin. When inflating the balloon, leave an uninflated tip for three fingers. From the other end, we measure a segment for four fingers, make a twist, then three fingers and twist again. We connect them together with a tail.

We continue, make again a four-finger bubble, then three, and connect the two segments. We do this five more times, connecting them together into a flower. We straighten the bubbles so that at the bottom of the workpiece there are cuts for three fingers, and at the top - for four. We look, as shown in the video lesson.

To connect the stalk to the pumpkin, we try to put the bubbles on three fingers of the green ball inside the cuts of the pumpkin.

We measure four fingers from the base of the stalk on the remaining piece of the ball and twist. Cut off the rest and tie in a knot. We get a nice "airy" pumpkin for Halloween.

Papier mache is an excellent material for making various crafts: masks, dolls, boxes. We all probably made different apples and plates at school in labor lessons. Making various souvenirs from papier mache, in addition to positive emotions, will also bring practical benefits, children develop hand motor skills, spatial thinking.

In this tutorial, we suggest you make a pumpkin from papier mache with your own hands.

To make it, we need:

Big ir balloon;
Several meters of twine;
Newspapers;
Water, flour, salt;
Paints;
A small piece of a branch (to make the future pumpkin look natural);
Round piece of cardboard;
Measuring spoon (optional, you can do without it).

From tools:

Scissors or a sharp clerical knife (the ideal option, of course, would be a drill with Dremel-type attachments, but not everyone has one);
Small nail;
Glue gun.

Note: Not all tools are shown in the photo.

Ball preparation
First of all, decide on the size of the future pumpkin. Having inflated the balloon to the required size, take the twine and measure its circumference. Cut 4 pieces of rope to the desired length, fold each of them in half and tie all ends into a knot.

Now you need to insert the balloon inside the resulting loops and start inflating it, while adjusting the loops as shown in the figure. When you line them up, keep inflating the balloon until you get a nice pumpkin shape. (see photo).

Making papier mache
To make papier mache with your own hands, you just need to take water and flour and mix them until you get a good consistency (Basic rule is to take 2 parts of water for one part of flour). You can also add some salt to prevent mold from growing on the finished pumpkin.

Now that you have prepared the paste, you can cut strips from the newspaper and dip them into it. Here are some tips:

The stripes should not be very wide. The optimal width is about 2-3 centimeters. When sticking wider strips, wrinkles will appear;
Newspapers should be well saturated with paste, but when sticking, you need to squeeze out the excess by stretching a strip between your fingers. Excess paste will not allow the finished papier mache to dry quickly;
It is best to stick layers one at a time, waiting for each of them to dry completely.

Three (preferably four) layers will be enough for a good, dense pumpkin.

Painting
After your pumpkin is pasted over with a sufficient number of layers and dried thoroughly, you can start painting. It is advisable to sand the bumps a little with fine sandpaper before that.

If you are using conventional spray paint, follow all instructions and paint only in a well ventilated area.

I decided to paint over the space between the ribs of the pumpkin with black paint to visually give it volume. Black paint can not be spared, because in the future the entire pumpkin will be completely covered in two layers of orange paint (see photo).

Your pumpkin looks more and more like a real one)

Top cutting
I wanted my pumpkin to have a removable top, so I took a small bowl, put it on top and with a marker I outlined the future cut line. If you have a Dremel (a small drill with attachments) - this will greatly facilitate the process for you. If not, it doesn't matter - the same result can be achieved with an ordinary clerical knife.

At the same stage, you can cut out the eyes and mouth of the pumpkin if you want to make a Halloween pumpkin)

Add naturalness
I decided to make the pumpkin as similar as possible to the real one and attach a small tail to it on top. To do this, you need to cut a small circle out of cardboard. You need to attach a small washer to it, drive a small nail through it and put a piece of branch on it. Pass the resulting structure through the hole in the top of the pumpkin from the inside and glue it with a glue gun.

Addition
The finished pumpkin top can be easily turned into an unusual hat for an autumn photo shoot. You just need to attach a small piece of twine or elastic from the inside.

Here are some photos:

In my opinion, it turned out to be an excellent do-it-yourself papier-mâché pumpkin.

You can create almost any shape from papier-mâché, which is what craftsmen use to make a variety of crafts with their own hands from this incredibly flexible and plastic material. In the article we will consider only one master class, you can create papier-mâché crafts with your own hands both on its basis and fantasize, bringing your unique ideas to life.

Halloween decoration - pumpkin