Pumpkins are a classic symbol of the fall season, and they are fun to decorate your home with. You can easily make your own using paper maché and a balloon… and it will last forever so you can can use it for years to come. Today I’m going to share the easy tutorial with you. So let’s get started!
Here’s what you’ll need to make your own paper maché pumpkin:
- Flour
- Balloon
- Jute twine
- Scotch tape
- Scissors
- Foam brush
- Acrylic paints
- Newspaper
- Bowl and fork
Begin by blowing up your balloon to your desired pumpkin size. Keep in mind that the larger it is, the more paper maché you will have to add. Cut a piece of twine that will easily wrap around the circumference of the balloon and tape the middle of it to the top of the balloon.
Wrap the piece of twine around and tie a knot by the balloon knot, pulling it tight so the balloon bulges a bit.
Repeat this with two more pieces of twine. Then gather all of the ends and the knotted end of the balloon and wrap a couple of pieces of tape around everything to create the stem of the balloon.
Next, tear a bunch of thin strips of newspaper. You’ll definitely want to do this ahead of time, so you aren’t trying to tear more while you have the paste all over your hands.
Mix equal parts flour and water together in a bowl and stir thoroughly with a fork. Try to get it as smooth as possible. It should be the consistency of watery pancake batter. Dip a piece of newspaper in the mix and let the excess drip off. Drape it on the side of the balloon.
The smaller the newspaper pieces, the smoother the finish will be… but it will also take longer to complete. And the more layers you do, the stronger it will be. Let it dry for about half an hour and use your fingers to smooth out any bubbled edges.
Once it has dried thoroughly, paint it as desired. I used a dark orange color for the flesh of the pumpkin, and gold for the stem. Do a second coat if you don’t like to see the newspaper text show through. (I like the look of the paper showing through a bit because I like the texture it lends).
The end result is pretty cool, with a beautiful rounded shape and pie shaped sections, thanks to the twine.
The texture gives it a unique look that you don’t get from a typical store-bought artificial pumpkin. You can also try different colors… give it the look of one of those heirloom pumpkins that are so popular this year by painting it a light sage color or off-white.
And you can also vary the sizes and stem shapes to give them some variation. Have fun with it!
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