The helmet-and-hangers idea sounds perfectly doable, I think (and comfortable and lightweight). You'll probably want to do a layer or two of papier-mache over the base structure, and then build onto it with some plain (dry) paper (cut, folded, stacked, or whatever, and taped on) to make the shape more exactly what you want, and then papier-mache over that again. It's really hard to get the shape you want with just papier-mache over the original structure (unless your base structure is already exactly the shape you want, but that sounds really hard to do with a helmet and hangers, which probably won't want to stay stuck together at all before you start papering).
Oh, and if you can find non-newsprint paper to use for the last layer of papier-mache, I'd highly recommend it. It takes several coats of paint to cover up newsprint. Or, to get a more dinosaur-like texture, you could make the outer layer with toilet-paper-mache, which is awesome. I wish I could give you a recipe for it, but all the ones I'm finding on Google seem way overcomplicated and involve joint compound or boiling stuff. :P The way I make it, I just mix a whole lot of ripped-up toilet paper with a little water, a little flour, and a lot of Elmer's glue, adding ingredients until it makes a mushy, brain-like dough that sticks to itself. (I also add some salt to keep it from molding.) You can dye it with paint or food coloring, or just paint it after it dries. It's awesome for adding little details like the ridges over the pterodactyl eyebrows that would be a pain to do with regular papier-mache. And it covers up all the lines where the newspaper bits overlap, and makes it look like one continuous texture.
Oh no, never too much for costumery, especially something like this that I've never really done.
I like the toilet-paper idea! And it is just a grey pterodactyl, so I can probably get away with just primer paint and maybe some sponging so it doesn't look too even.
The biggest obstacle I see right off the bat is what I should use to make a frame for the jaw & back crest, cause you're right, those frames are not going to stick together before I start papering. Unless I get some cheap wire to wire them on, I guess.
I may see if my neighbor has any chicken wire -he has all sorts of weird stuff in his garage - but I think could would be super-heavy.
For about ten whole seconds, I seriously considered using my hair for the back crest, cause it's not too hard to punk it up like that. But I feel that I am too lazy for that route.
Did you get that steel mesh for the pirate's legs at a hardware store? I have the rest of the week off at the dayjob, so I may spend some time at the thrift/hardware store, giving myself an idea of what stuff costs.
I think your cardboard and duct tape idea sounds like the best thing. Chicken wire would be pretty heavy, and it would be hard to bend it into such a narrow shape. (And it really does cut up your hands.) But you should be able to get the shape you want with cardboard and paper. If you've got any old paper towel or wrapping paper tubes, those would be great. Or even toilet paper tubes, if you tape them together.
Yay tape and paper is cheap - I can get any number of boxes from the night job!
Seriously, the way this is going, the red-and-white striped tights are going to be the most expensive item. I got the dress & shirt today for a buck a piece. *thrift store queen*
...To answer your actual question: Yep, we got it at a hardware store. You'll want the kind that's called "hardware cloth" -- it's thinner and easier to bend than chicken wire. I think we paid about $10 for the roll we bought, but they might have smaller rolls that would be cheaper.
The helmet-and-hangers idea sounds perfectly doable, I think (and comfortable and lightweight). You'll probably want to do a layer or two of papier-mache over the base structure, and then build onto it with some plain (dry) paper (cut, folded, stacked, or whatever, and taped on) to make the shape more exactly what you want, and then papier-mache over that again. It's really hard to get the shape you want with just papier-mache over the original structure (unless your base structure is already exactly the shape you want, but that sounds really hard to do with a helmet and hangers, which probably won't want to stay stuck together at all before you start papering).
Oh, and if you can find non-newsprint paper to use for the last layer of papier-mache, I'd highly recommend it. It takes several coats of paint to cover up newsprint. Or, to get a more dinosaur-like texture, you could make the outer layer with toilet-paper-mache, which is awesome. I wish I could give you a recipe for it, but all the ones I'm finding on Google seem way overcomplicated and involve joint compound or boiling stuff. :P The way I make it, I just mix a whole lot of ripped-up toilet paper with a little water, a little flour, and a lot of Elmer's glue, adding ingredients until it makes a mushy, brain-like dough that sticks to itself. (I also add some salt to keep it from molding.) You can dye it with paint or food coloring, or just paint it after it dries. It's awesome for adding little details like the ridges over the pterodactyl eyebrows that would be a pain to do with regular papier-mache. And it covers up all the lines where the newspaper bits overlap, and makes it look like one continuous texture.
/probably-too-much-reply ;)
Reply
I like the toilet-paper idea! And it is just a grey pterodactyl, so I can probably get away with just primer paint and maybe some sponging so it doesn't look too even.
The biggest obstacle I see right off the bat is what I should use to make a frame for the jaw & back crest, cause you're right, those frames are not going to stick together before I start papering. Unless I get some cheap wire to wire them on, I guess.
I may see if my neighbor has any chicken wire -he has all sorts of weird stuff in his garage - but I think could would be super-heavy.
For about ten whole seconds, I seriously considered using my hair for the back crest, cause it's not too hard to punk it up like that. But I feel that I am too lazy for that route.
Reply
Reply
In any case, I highly recommend paper and tape!
Reply
Seriously, the way this is going, the red-and-white striped tights are going to be the most expensive item. I got the dress & shirt today for a buck a piece. *thrift store queen*
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment