Papier Mache Guide!
This guide was made for the Fall 2025 Core Sculpture demo. If you have any questions, please contact Katie Delaney at kdelaney@udel.edu.
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What is papier-mâché?
Papier-mache (AKA papier mache, papier-mâché, translates from French into “chewed paper”) is thought to have been used in the Han dynasty to make armor. Still, its household name originates from the 18th century when it became popular in France. The process consists of softening paper with a glue to make the fibers moldable. As the glue dries, the form is hardened and can be added to with more paper, paint, or other materials.
What will you need?
There are many different recipes for papier-mache, but the one I use most often consists of blended paper or paper strips, soaked with wood glue and joint compound.
Equipment
-Bucket
-Blender*
-Cheesecloth or Burlap*
Ingredients
-Paper
-Glue
-Hot Water
-Joint Compound*
*optional, elaborated in demo
Directions for Pulp
1. Take paper and shred with hands. If you do not have a blender, take your time to tear paper up very small
2. In a bucket, soak paper with hot water for 30 minutes
3. If you have a blender, blend paper with water until fine. More water than paper will prevent blender from overheating.
4. With cheesecloth, burlap, or your hands, strain paper pulp from water.
5. Mix 2:1:1 paper pulp to glue to joint compound
Directions for Papier-Mache
1. Tear paper into strips. Paper has a grain to it, and is easier to tear when going with the grain.
2. Dip strips into glue and wring between your fingers to take off excess glue.
3. In different directions, lay pasted paper onto your form.
4. Let the layers dry before adding more. If you are putting pulp on top of your papier-mache, you’ll want to do 5 layers of paper.
Cooked Flour and Water Paste
I use wood glue for my projects as it hardens fairly quickly. However, you can make glue by heating flour and water on the stove. Add salt to preserve the mixture. This recipe comes from Jonni Good at www.ultimatepapermache.com
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons of white flour
- 1 cup of cold water
1. Mix the white flour and water in a small saucepan. Stir until there are no lumps. A whisk works really well for this.
2. Put the pan on the stove at medium heat and slowly bring it to a boil, stirring constantly.
3. When it begins to thicken, be sure to watch carefully and keep stirring, to make sure it doesn’t burn. Stir with a silicone spatula if you have one. As soon as it starts to bubble, remove the pan from the heat and allow the paste to cool.
4. The paste will be somewhat runny when it’s hot, but it will gel slightly as it cools. You’ll obviously want to keep your hands out of it while it’s still hot enough to burn.
Good says makes a note to say you should only “make up just enough for one sculpting session. (...) Wild yeast is attracted to flour (that’s how sourdough bread is made.) If the paste is kept over from one session to the next, the yeast will break down the flour and make the paste less sticky (and slightly stinky)."
What kind of base can you papier-mache on?
I have had the most luck with cardboard; however, you can use chicken wire, plastic, bunched paper, aluminum foil, and even glass!
When the glue is touching something that is plastic or glass, it may take longer to set.
Dry between!
Make sure you're drying between layers of papier-mache. This will strengthen the integrity of the work. And building up many layers may result in moldy work that takes much too long to dry. Setting your work outside, in front of a fan, or using a blow dryer on it helps shorten drying times.