Papier-mâché is French for chewed paper. There are more than a hundred types of techniques for making various papier-mâché crafts. One of the most common methods is making fruit dummies from a liquid mass.
Making papier-mâché
You will need a medium-sized basin, sheets of loose white paper, or lots of old newspapers and napkins. White paper is preferable as newspapers produce a dirty gray color when wet.
The paper must be torn into small pieces (the smaller the better), folded into a basin and filled with hot water to the top. Consider if you have enough material. Add more papers if desired. Poured paper should be allowed to stand for a day. Stir the paper occasionally and rub with your fingers.
After the wet paper is infused, it must be boiled, allowed to cool and squeezed, draining excess water.
A little chalk powder should be added to the loosened paper. And, stirring, pour in the wood glue. You can also use wallpaper glue or PVA glue. The resulting mass should be similar in density to the dough.
Apple molding
Making apples from papier-mâché is a bit like making cutlets. The required amount of mass is collected in the palm, and with both hands they begin to sculpt a bun. You can crumple a mock-up of an apple from a dry newspaper, overlay it with a mass and crush it slightly so that the bun takes the shape of an apple.
From the top in the middle, press lightly with your thumb to make a hole under the tail for the apple.
You can use a real branch with leaves as a ponytail. The branch should be thin and not too long. Cut a long branch at an angle on one side. This will be the tip. Put some thick glue in the hole and hold the branch for a few seconds. You can also make a tail from a strip of paper by twisting it in a spiral and dipping it in glue.
The resulting koloboks with tails should dry thoroughly. Place them in a warm place on a clean oilcloth for at least three hours. Drying times can be up to 12 hours, so be patient.
Dried apples must be primed. For the primer, white paint, putty or, in extreme cases, toothpaste are suitable.
Prepare the primer in a separate cup and gently coat each paper apple with a brush. Let dry. It is not necessary to prime the tail from the branch. Only paper parts.
You can start painting. Pick a base color for your apples and paint. To make the apple look like a natural one, add overflow on the sides. To do this, slightly dilute the base color with a similar paint on a plastic board, so that the color turns out to be a shade darker or lighter.
You can also experiment with two different colors. Try to paint something beforehand. For example, draw an apple in a sketchbook and color it. If you are satisfied with the coloring, feel free to use it on the finished dummy.
When the paint is dry, cover the apples with a thin layer of clear glue or colorless nail polish. This will prevent future cracks and your apples will look glossy as if they were doused with sunlight. You can decorate the kitchen with ready-made dummies in a wicker basket. Just remember to warn your guests that they are not edible.
