Chicken Lips Meets Paper Maché!

I'm always looking for new tools and materials to add to my creative "tool belt." So when I saw that so many artists I admire were using Fastmaché and Celluclay, I decided that I wanted to jump in and give it a try.

This pumpkin guy is my first attempt at Fastmaché. He's stands at about 12" high.

I've found that Fastmaché is a WHOLE lot different than Paperclay! There are most certainly pros and cons to using it. The biggest con...you have to mix the stuff before using. And as I found out, if you don't mix it right, it isn't going to work. It's also very difficult to get a smooth surface and to apply details to. But, then again, the "lumpy-bumpy" surface gives the piece a lot of character and provides that "vintage" look. The Fastmaché is also much easier to use when covering a large surface (like the Pumpkin guy's body). It drys really fast and when finished, this stuff is as hard as a rock - from a durability stand point it's excellent! It also takes paint very well.

I am really excited about the possibilities of using Fastmaché in conjunction with Paperclay!

I have to give an enormous "shout-out" of thanks to Laurie Hardin and Johanna Parker who talked me through how to use this unique material. I would never of figured out how to use it right without their help. They are both masters of what they do and I'm thankful for their support and friendship!