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Hi everyone..
I have recently started making masks in papier mache, and I am still researching the best materials to use. I've read many accounts that say the best way to achieve a smooth finish is to coat the mask in gesso - but I have not been able to find a recipie for gesso anywhere. I tried mixing plaster of paris with acrylic paint, but the result was very brittle.
Commercially available acrylic gesso seems very plasticy and I have found it difficult to sand down because of this - though I was using a cheap quality one. Are there different types of Gesso? And if so, which is the best to use?
Thanks for reading.
Xoth. [Edited on 18/11/2003 by Xothique]
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Hi Xoth.......I have an old papier Mache Book fromm around 1974......It has a recipe for Gesso.....I have used it in the past and find that it does add smoothness to my work.....Here goes:...SPRINKLE 2 TABLESPOONS OF WHITING INTO A CONTAINER OF WATERAND ALLOW IT TO SETTLE.DON'T STIR!!..AFTER IT HAS STOOD FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, CAREFULLY POUR OFF ALL OF THE EXCESS WATER. ADD ONE TABLESPOON OF WHITE GLUE AND ONE TEASPOON LINSEED OIL (RAW OR BOILED) AND STIR THOROUGHLY...THE MIXTURE SHOULD HAVE THE CONSISTENCY OF THICK CREAM ...IF IT IS TOO THIN , SPRINKLE IN MORE WHITING AND STIR UNTIL SMOOTH....Good Luck.....I had a hard time finding Whiting......Found it in an old hardware store.....Purchased all he had ...which were a few boxes from way back when....I am also concerned when this runs out...how I can get more???.....My name is Carolyn Bispels from USA philadelphia Pa.....e-mail address is paperdoll2848@netzero.net
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Hmmmmm....every material, including Gesso, can have varying degrees of quality, depending on the brand, etc of the type that you use. That recipe for Gesso is wonderful and I will try it to see if it works for me. By the way, the best place to be able to find 'whiting' is in an old fashioned paint store.....whiting was used to thicken paint, and believe it or not, is used in repairing museum quality ceramics!! It just goes to show, that artists can come up with all kinds of uses for the most ordinary of things..... Anyhow, back to Gesso. I have tried various types of gesso over the past 35+ years and some are better than others. If you want to achieve a very smooth surface, you have to remember that it does not occur with just one layer of gesso. An 'eggshell-smooth surface only happens after many layers of applying gesso, sanding, applyng another layer, sanding again and so on for 5 to 6 layers. Of course, you must START with a fairly smooth surface to begin with. On papier mache, I achieve this by smoothing on an acrylic 'wood surfacing material" (best kind is Elmer's acrylic wood putty) and then sanding that layer first.......before beginning to apply the layers of gesso. The reason i've chosen to use acrylic type gesso's, is that although it does plasticize the surface a bit (you're actually applying layers of plastic to the surface)........it also protects the mask from any moisture......epecially when the mask is to be worn and will be against the skin of an actor, breathing hot air and moisutre and sweating onto the surface of it. It also keeps the masks from getting moldy, in humid locations and strengthens them, too. I smooth the putty on, over the layers of paper machie (remember that paper is a wood product!).....this is why this works extremely well. Be sure to smooth and sand the surface before beginning to apply the layers of gesso. I know it's a lengthy process, but you will be amazed by the results. I can't think of any other EASY way to get a smooth surface onto papier mache.....it just takes a lotta time. Good luck. 
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Xoth,
I have just finished making a felt mask and am faced with the same problem.
Gesso can be bought from art supply stores as artists use it on their canvases.The 'whiting' mentioned in a previous post could be 'titanium oxide'. (not sure on this, been several years. We used it to make our own white oil paint, grinding and mising it with refined lindseed oiol) Its advailable commerciallyin large quanities. Produced here in West Austrlia) Back to finishes: I have been experimenting with pva glue and fine sawdust.
It makes a very hard substance when cured, also brittle. Easy to sand tho. I have yet to experiment with pva glue and talc as well as plaster.
Maybe a combination of pva glue ,sawdust and some talc . Let you know. Another substance is automotive filler. This is a polyester resin based product which needs to be cayalysed. Most auto sections of supermarkets should have it.
Comes at a price tho. But easy to use, sands quite well. Goes hard. (Also 'spray putty' at automotive section. Once again, has a price and wouldnt recommend unless u already had a very smooth surface to start with. Good for getting a
scratch free smooth surface.) Can make your own filler with talc and polyester fibreglas resin. Still needs to be catalysed when need to used with extra catalyst to compensate for talc.
This is not reccommended for inexperienced tho as catalyst chemical quite nasty in liquid state. Finsihed product is harder to sand than the automotive filler. Can be mixed with sawdust, fine chopped strand fibreglass to make a very hard substance tho. Try pva and fine sawdust first.:)
hope this helps
Stephen
donne@wa1.quik.com.au
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Hi Xoth,
I have the same book as Carolyn does and its my bible. Its "Design in Papier Mache" by Carla and John B Kenny, published by the Chilton Book Company in Philadelphia in 1971. The ISBN is 0-8019-5583-1, just in case you want all that stuff. They also wrote "The Art of Papier Mache" which i've never been able to find. The same recipe that Carloyn sent is the one I use and I like it much better than the commercial gessos. Its not as convienient because you have to mix it up but it does last for a week or so if covered. Its much smoother and some what translucent. The authors list "whiting" as calcium carbonate, which is what I use. Calcium carbonate is a main ingredient in many calcium vitamins. A company named NOW FOODS manufactures calcium carbonate in bulk form, you can buy it in 12 oz. bottles of powder and if I remember right they cost around $2.50. When I worked in a health food store I used to have it "special ordered" for me in larger quantities, which most health food stores will do. The web site for NOW is www.nowfoods.com. Hope this helps.
Good luck!
Holliday
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Have had some success mixing pollyfilla with paint. This is less brittle than plaster of paris and easier to sand. A little experimenting with quantities should produce a good result. Russell
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I have taken the mask making/performance summer workshop at Dell Arte and we used wall spackle compound. We would dip our fingers in water then into the spackle and smear it on the paper mache maske. After drying we would sand it to a smooth finish and then paint with acrylics.
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Hi all.
Creaturiste here.
creaturiste@magma.ca
I'm desperate to find real detailed information about sweat-proofing the insides of masks.
Even better if I can perfectly seal the mask inside and out before applying the paint, without sacrificing paint adhesion on the surface.
So far, most of the methods I,ve fopund would work in many cases, but not in cases of heavy sweaters, which I am dealing with when making masks for theatres.
Turns out I have three of those EXTREME sweaty actors in this first(for me) Commedia show I made the masks for. Thanks for any ponters!
Can you ask some pros, if you know some, then share the answers here?
I'm sure this is a FAQ question, but so far, not single site or article I've seen deals with this in detail. Trust me any of these: Shellac, PVA glue, spray lacquer, acrylic paint, or even epoxy glue just don't work as sweatproof finishes. They eventually wear off (sooner than you think on some people), then the paper is attacked!
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Hi, I have achieved some good results by mixing up 4 parts paint (any cheap white emulsion) 1 part PVA glue and 1 part polyfiller. Paint on thickly, (not too thick or it will craze, a good effect if you want masks that look like they're made of china), then sand when dry. You do need to do 2-3 layers and use finer and finer sand papers, but I have achieved a very smooth finish with this method. This surface will also then take paint, varnish etc. The only problem is if you use too much PVA, the layer will then tend to peel off!
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I have used modeling paste as a filler to smooth surfaces and fill in small irregularities. it is easily sanded, can be built up, and is made for painting
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