Unveiling: Life Size Theme Mache Sarcophagus

Every year my 6th degree art students will study a whole over ancient Egypt in their story class. Their enthusiasm and eagerness to learn all things about Egypt elysian me to create this life size paper mache sarcophagus and mummy (mummy instruction manual to come ulterior). Each year the chronicle teacher will bring this work of artwork to her room to show it off and each students' eyes will light up with excitement. Not only is it a great item to display in a account class, but IT makes a uppercase Halloween decoration. Some stairs are a little tedious, but they are definitely worth information technology in the end.

Supplies

  • Tidings wallpaper (wads and lots of it).
  • Artificial (whatsoever large pieces and some small).
  • Elmers glue (glueing cardboard pieces together).
  • Paper mache glue (we practice Elmer's Wallpaper Mache Artistic creation Paste), a mixture of Elmer's Mucilage and water, wallpaper paste, Oregon ever a mixture of water and flour will work.
  • Masking tape.
  • Scrap Styrofoam and wooden spheres for the flail piece (the tool around in the left hand.
  • Polyvinyl chloride, Christmas candy flog decor, or fifty-fifty cardboard could work for the crook.
  • Plastic artistic creation mask (for the face).
  • Quilt Paint.(I used 2 large bottles of black)
  • Spray Fuze.
  • Gold spray Paint.
  • Utility knife and cutting mat.
  • Printouts of hieroglyphics.

Step 1: Construction the Basic Shape of the Sarcophagus.

I do not have good image of the first few stairs, so I drew them out so you could see them. To make this step easier, I would find larger pieces of cardboard (refrigerator or stove boxes). Make sure you have large enough boxes to trace round a soul plus 2 inches all the way approximately. I besides ill-used 4 layers of unreal so it would cost thick and sturdy.

  1. Muckle, glue, and tape four layers of large composition board together. (You will do this 3 times, one for the lid, unity for the flange or meat piece of the lid, and ace for the flat bottom of the base) 2
  2. Have some one lay happening top of a stacked and glued, and trace their body. Now, sum 2 inches all the way around. Make a point the new draft matches the radical shape of a sarcophagus (head easy slopes into shoulders, shoulders slowly taper into the feet.
  3. Carefully cut this shape and trace it onto one of the separate stacked and pasted cardboard pieces. (2 wide-ranging pieces of stacked unreal should be cut the exact Lapplander.) And so, trace the cut out shape on to the 3 set up, but once traced, move in about an inch our ii, you privation this ace to be a immature smaller, sol it will fit inside of the other 2 pieces later.
  4. Cut these 2 pieces. You should straightaway have 3 super pieces cut (2 the exact same sizing and one that is 1-2 inches smaller clear around).

Step 2: Building the Sides.

You leave now need to enjoyment either large pieces of cardboard or attach little pieces together.

  1. Cut to strips of cardboard that are 18 inches x whatever duration you can bring (ex: if you have a in truth long box you could do an 18 x48" strip or if you have smaller boxes you might only aim 18x12") Cut enough strips to go around the sarcophagus 4 times with a little extra on each lap.
  2. Figure out what pieces go where. If the sarcophagus edge is unpermed depart the composition board unbent/flat, but if you have a curved sphere (shoulders, channelise, etc) you might take in to roll each edge along the edge of a table to give you a nice wiggly piece of cardboard.
  3. Glue and tape the first layer of cardboard to the outside of the base of operations piece (the keister of the cardboard should be flush with the bottom of the base. Tape whatever seams where new cardboard is added. Make a point this level keeps the regulate of the base. Gallus it with extra tapeline, stacked books, or any else works and have this bone-dry.
  4. Once dry, trim any layers that stand to a higher place the outside layers, so that all layers are even.

Step 3: Building the Lid.

First, make a point the little "lip objet d'art" of the 2 lid pieces actually fits inside of the foot, if not clipping it down. If it is also bittie, mucilage and magnetic tape artificial pieces to it to expand it.

1. To attach to the lid, come out the hat on a compressed surface and pore the small "lip patch" on top of IT.

2. With another person, go the base upside down and easy lower it on to the lid.

3. Move the base around until IT is aligned with the lid.

4. Slowly rescind the base, and the smaller "sass" set up should be in the outside put over. Make an outline of this piece.

5. Remove the "backtalk piece". Add gum to the backrest side and align the lip piece with the outline. Tape to secure.

6. Cautiously, lower the base back connected top to view if it still fits into home. Make adjustments to the "sass piece" if needed.

Tone 4: Adding Eyelid Details (part 1)

Now you need to round out the lid and make information technology look like an Egyptian body.

  1. Thinned (7) half ovals to the size of it and shape that looks relative to you. The diameter should match the distance across each of the following: the chest, the stomach, the groin, the thigh, the knee, clean above the articulatio talocruralis, and then the feet. These arching pieces are supports for the rounded dimensional look of the sarcophagus.
  2. Attach these pieces victimization clue and tape. Let dry. Early "blocks" surgery pieces of unreal may have to be added for support.
  3. Roll pieces of composition board on the edge of a table to give the cardboard a curve.
  4. Sequester these rolled pieces from one arched patronise to some other (ex: from chest to stomach, from stomach to groin, groyne to thigh, etc.) Use glue and videotape.
  5. Now, you can attach to the head and headdress. Squeeze the plastic mask with newspaper until you get the desired depth on the lid. Use masking tape to sequester it.
  6. Crumple and stuff newspaper in a higher place the mask (at a slope) to create the top of the headdress.
  7. To add the cosmetic "rope" between the head and headdress - Take a half sheet of newspaper and twist IT tightly (not so tight that it rips , but tight adequate to be about just about 1/2 edge thick). Tape measure this rope tightly so it doesn't come loose. Now, using masking tape, tape it ended the joint where the pass and headgear run into.

Step 5: Adding Lid Details (partially 2)

Now that the majority of the sarcophagus (bottom 2/3rds or so) is covered happening unreal, you can finish construction up the thickness of the shoulders and headdress.

1. For the shoulders, you will need to tightly crumble newspaper publisher and videotape it to the cardboard. You will pauperization to layer these crumpled pieces and stuff and nonsense newspaper into some gaps. Your goal is to get the shoulder and chest area arsenic smooth as possible.

2. Once the chest and shoulder joint area is complete you keister move on to finishing the headdress.

3. The headdress is reinforced victimisation layers of "rolled" cardboard. I began by cutting a templet our of cardboard so that I knew for each one side our match the specific area and than "flow" complete the shoulders.

4. I traced this template on various other pieces of unlifelike and so "rolled" them happening the remainder of a table to get the shape I needed to fit these areas. You will need 3-4 layers to get the harmonious thickness.

Step 6: Adding Lid Details (part 3)

This step is for creating the decorative straps of the eyelid, the beard, the ornamental ropes for the ornamental neck pick, the details of the arms, and the flail and malefactor.

Decorative Straps.

1. There are ornamental straps that go crosswise the body and past a strip that goes mastered the intermediate for just about of the hieroglyphics.

2. These straps are build likewise to the pieces on the headdress. I in use 2-3 layers of "rolled" cardboard that was roughly 2 -2.5 inches spacious. Each layer was pasted happening the lid and taped in situ individually.

3. A like litigate was used for the decorative strip that runs down the body, the only difference is - I used an X-acto knife to cut off hieroglyphics out, so that the "Mummy's" cite would cost displayed down the frontal and my students could try to decipher it.

The Byssus.

1. I crumple and rolled a full plane of news paper and shaped it to peer the shape of an Egyptian beard.

2. I bent this frame somewhat so that it wouldn't pay heed straight down from the chin, simply rather information technology would curve out a bit.

3. I taped the ultimate shape together so it would rest the way I wanted IT.

4. I heavily tape-recorded the the beard into put across.

Decorative Neck While.

1. To add the nonfunctional "rope" on the neck piece - Take a uncomplete rag of newspaper and writhe it tightly (not so clenched that it rips , but tight enough to be approximately more or less 1/2 inch clotted).

2. Tape this rope tightly and then it doesn't seed loose.

3. Now, using screenin tape, record information technology onto the sphere that you would like to delimit (such as the end of the neck opening composition).

4. I used this Sami technique for the wrist bands and the fingers for the hands.

Arms and details.

1. To contour the arms, I tightly dented balls of newspaper.

2. I fixed these newspaper publisher balls together paying attention to gaps and tried to layer them to show muscular tonus in the blazon.

3. Using the rope technique listed to a higher place, I formed these rope pieces into fingers (I had to combine multiple ropes to form some of the finger).

4. Using scads of masking paper, I then strapped the arms into the position where they belong along the sarcophagus (dressing newspaper into gaps, or using IT to level the arms, etc).

Turn and Flail.

1. Used plant objects to create the crook and flail.

2. I carefully heated a fictile Christmas candy cane so that I could mold it into shape.

3. For the flail I sliced scrap styrofoam for the "feathers", and used wire to seize them and the the wooden spheres onto a dowel rod.

Step 7: Paper Mache and Details

Composition Mache

Now IT is time to go around onto the untidy, but fun part.

I use Elmer's Paper Mache Art Paste, but any paper mache past leave do (yes even homemade paste). Also, you will need a lot of lacerate paper strips (roughly 2.5 -3 inches x 5-6 inches.

I always start on the posterior of my sculptures and work my way up.

1. Dip a strip of paper into the paste.

2. Exploitation your fingers like scissors, slowly pull the strip through your fingers removing any excess gum.

3. The theme airstrip should exist damp, simply not dripping wet.

4. Place the strip on to the sculpture and "massage" into place, removing any air bubbles.

5. repeat these steps, fashioning sure you slightly overlap each funnies of newspaper.

6. Continue this process until the uncastrated sarcophagus is covered (I would recommend 3-4 layers, allowing each layer to dry).

Details.

1.Aft all the layers are placed, I used black puff paint to add the scale/feather details and fill some holes in the hieroglyphics.

2. Be very particular with the blow paint close to any edged or curves, IT likes to dripping if you put information technology along too thick.

Step 8: Primer.

Once all of your paper mache has been completed and your details have been added, you will motivation to ground the entire sarcophagus.

I recommend a neuter primer.

1. Make sure you are in a well ventilated area.

2. Spray the integral structure.

3. I would commend at to the lowest degree 2 coats.

4. Allow sentence for drying betwixt each coat.

Step 9: Gold Color

Afterward the primer coats have been sprayed and each stratum has had time to dry entirely, it is time to add the gold colour in.

I recommend a spay paint gold color.

. 1. Make sure you are in a well ventilated area.

2. Spray the entire structure.

3. I would recommend at least 2 coats.

4. Allow clock for drying between each coat.

Step 10: Final Detail House painting

For this final step, I utilized acrylic craft paints.

1. Lightly draw and quarter all of your details onto the sarcophagus.

2. Select African country themed paint colors.

3. Paint each point to give this sculpture its final expect.

4. You can take to seal it with a clear coat, if you would suchlike.

Set back and enjoy all of your hard bring up!

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