The Art of Paper Mache

The Art of Paper Mache

Join us Saturday March 21st and Sunday March 22nd for a weekend introduction into Paper Mache.

With artist Wrenfield's guidance, create and craft a small project over the course of the weekend, with a focus on wearable items custom formed to your own body. This will take about 6 hours over the course of the weekend. About a day following the weekend your project should be fully dry and ready to paint & decorate! If you are interested in creating larger projects, it may take longer than the time we would have together.

Saturday March 21st - 12PM-3PM: During the first session you will learn the basics of Paper Mache while creating the initial body casted layer of your project. For time and simplicities sake, the project will be limited to something smaller, like a half mask or fingerless glove with a cuff.

Sunday March 22nd - 12PM-3PM: During the second session you will continue learning how adjusting, modifying, tapering, designing, and reinforcing your casting later will transform your project into its final form. By the end of this day, you will have a strong grasp of how to further continue your own forays into making Paper Mache projects.

Some important things to keep in mind:

If possible, trim hair from areas being body casted. For this particular workshop try to trim/shave any hair on the face if making a mask or on the hands/wrist if making a glove. You will not be required to shave eyebrows, beards, etc. Facial or body hair will simply make it more of a challenge to work around.

Your project will need to dry over night in-between sessions. A drying time of a minimum of 12 hours is recommended. While the outside layers might appear to be dry, often the inner layers are still properly drying and the whole project may still be malleable. The thicker the project, the longer it will take to fully dry.

About a day following the workshop your paper project should be in a proper condition for decoration and painting, or for further modification. This Paper Mache workshop does not allot time to include the painting of your project.

Tickets are sold per person and provide access to both days of the workshop. Tickets are available on a sliding scale to promote inclusivity and accessibility. Please choose the ticket price that makes this event accessible to you. All ticket types provide the same access to the event.

This workshop does not require a membership. Doors will open 15 minutes before the start of the class.

About your instructor:

Wrenfield, the aspiring artist behind Nightmare Inspirations, grew up in Northern Ontario where they discovered their minimalist talent for creating Paper Mache statues. Over the years they have made an assortment of statues, masks, and costumes out of mostly recycled materials. They now reside in Ottawa, where they are trying to get their studio started.