Paper Clay Pumpkins
I had an urge to fill my home with pumpkins, but I really wanted to make them from scratch. This is my first attempt at using paper clay and I LOVE it! I will definitely be making more.
The first thing you need to do is cut up strips of newspaper. You can always cut up more if you need along the way.
Place the paper strips in a bowl of water and let soak for a few hours or overnight. The more it soaks, the easier it'll be to blend into clay.
You will need a blender for this part! Place the wet paper, water, and flour into the cup. I used about a handful of paper, 2 spoon of flour, and a 1/4 cup of water.
Once it's blended it should look like this.
The mixture will be very wet, and impossible to shape into anything. At this point you need to squeeze and drain out the water.
This is what it should look like, and then you are ready to shape the pumpkins.
Take a look at how I shaped the pumpkins. I used a small paintbrush which formed the wet clay really nicely.
Once you form the pumpkins, let them dry. Heads up, they can take up to 2 days to dry- they are packed with water!
Once they are fully dry, the first thing you need to do is paint a base coat. I used gesso. This way, the paint won't become fully absorbed into the clay.
Next you can paint the color you'd like. I went for a light blue.
I painted the stems gold!
There they are! I love my little pumpkins, and will definitely be making more.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Could you use this on top of a base to do a larger pumpkin?
can I use paper from the shredder??????????
Just curious, what is the white thing they are sitting on?