Fabric Sculpture Part One

So, if you have been following my website for a while…you might realize that lately I’ve been shaking things up a lot! I’ve been playing with some new ideas to have more fun making art! I got stuck in a rut doing watercolors for a long time, and yeah…I still do them. But doing some mixed media art is feeling so fun again. I did mixed media art and painted on canvas many years ago and it feels good to be trying some new things and experimenting again.

I was thinking about trying papier mache. If you think of papier mache from the past, it wasn’t all that cool. You might think of homemade bowls or pinatas…which yeah…they are cool but maybe not awe inspiring or that fun to make. Papier mache used to be what you learned in second grade art class at school. Nowadays, cosplay props and fancier sculptures are made with papier mache and paper clay.

I got a book on it recently. The projects in the book were really wacky. It got me thinking though, if I didn’t want to waste paper to make the items, what else could I use? I have an abundance of fabric! Even if you don’t sew, you probably have some old clothes lying around. I began thinking…what if I combined the concept of papier mache only used fabric instead?

Turns out it is a blast to experiment with! You start by building a shape or form. I clumped together scrunched up magazine pages, and taped them into ball shapes. Taped those down onto a bit of cardboard off a box, the cardboard became the base. I built up the ball shapes and then used a toilet paper roll for a neck. Added more clumps of magazine pages to shape a head.

Then I covered everything with aluminum foil, so I could get a feel for how fabric would drape over everything. The foil covering also gives the fabric something to stick to, and seems to help the fabric shape out to my liking.

Finally, I covered that with a bandana and used some hair ties and ribbon to tie the bandana onto the shape. Honestly, I’m not sure how this sculpture is going to turn out! Or if I will even like it, or if it will change shape again before it is done. It just feels really good to play and experiment, and not exactly know how the end result will be.

I’m using Mod Podge Stiffy, which is a fabric hardener to stiffen up the bandana. I’m pouring little bits at a time, and using a foam brush to spread the glue around on the bandana. I’m pressing the brush more firmly into areas where I want the fabric to indent. I’m going to put disposable gloves on so that I can rub the glue into tough spots, like the tendrils on the sides. Also, I might use some hand stitching around the base, so that the fabric lays how I want it to.

Stop back to see the end result soon!