I'm hosting the Build-A-Page Tutorial on the
Flying Unicorn Forums for September, and this month I'm doing Build-A-Project using the off-the-page project included in the September KOM, a paper mache dress form.
I used papers from the Studio 75 Miss Olivia collection, both the 12 x 12 papers from the main kit and the 6 x 6 papers from the Small Art, Big Passion Add-On. For the top of the dress form, I cut the paper into 8" long strips of varying widths - 2 x 2" for the front and back panels, 2 x 1.5" strips for the sides and 4 x 1" for each of the "corners" (between the front/back panels and the side panels) and . I adhered them to the dress form using gel medium, both underneath and on top of the paper.
To provide contouring, I cut little notches into the paper, allowing me to shape it to the dress form.
Here is a closeup of the upper part of the bodice - I cut a circle for the top of the neck and a band to wrap around it. I love the detail the overlapping pieces created on the bodice. (I adhered the front and back panels first, followed by the sides, followed by the corners to achieve this effect).
Next I set to work on my base, using 2 of the 6x6 woodgrain papers from Miss Olivia (the ones that match the paper I'm using as a base for my photographs). I started by cutting a large circle (5" in diameter), then sliced it up like a pie to get 16 triangular pieces I wrapped around the base, adhering with gel medium.
I then used narrow 1/2" strips of the woodgrain paper, cut along the grain pattern, and adhered these up the stand.
Once the dress form was completely covered in pattern paper, I applied a thick layer of clear crackle medium and let it air dry.
As the crackle medium dries it shrinks, which will pull the paper apart a bit; this just contributes to the weathered look. Note - if I were going to stop here I would apply a coat of something to hold the crackles in place, otherwise they might flake off over time. However, since I was planning on glazing it I didn't worry - the glaze will hold everything together.
See the gorgeous crackles?
To provide an age-darkened look, I first sprayed the base with Shimmerz in Treasured Hymn and Truffle, then painted over it with Creative Medium combined with Honey Amber Primary Elements for a multi-faceted brown finish.
For the bodice, I wanted to create a rich green veneer, which I achieved by spritzing with Shimmerz Olive Branch and then combining Creative Medium with Primary Elements in Mustard Green and Autumn Butternut. In the photo below you can see the difference between the painted portion on the right and the unpainted portion on the left.
Because Primary Elements mixed with the Creative Medium is semi-translucent, you can still see the details of the patterned paper underneath.
Some of the definition I'd created with the layers of paper had been lost beneath the layers of medium, so I outlined them with Liquid Pearls to keep the panelled effect.
Here is a closeup of the bodice:
Time for a few finishing touches - some layered Flying Unicorn Adornments at her throat,
And some Petaloo flowers and Flying Unicorn Adornments at the base.
And voila! Here she is:
And a side view:
Wow, you stuck with it all the way through - that was a long one! Thank you so much for joining me today - I hope you've picked up a couple tricks or techniques you find useful.
Remember to join us on the
Flying Unicorn Forums throughout each month to see what the Creative Team (as well as our amazing members) have whipped up with that month's kit. And if you don't want to be disappointed on kit reveal day, remember that you can
pre-order your kit and add-ons on a month-by-month basis, so you are guaranteed to get the kit and add-ons you love, without the commitment of having to buy every month.
Supplies Used:
- Darice Paper Mache Dress Form (Main Kit)
- Studio 75 Miss Olivia 12 x 12 paper - Olivia 1 (Main Kit)
- Studio 75 Miss Olivia 6 x 6 paper - Olivia 2 - 2 sheets (Small Art, Big Passion Add-On)
- Flying Unicorn Adornments (Mixed Passion Add-On)
