Page 26 - Creating Whimsical Characters Using Simple Wood and Paper Forms, Wire, Paperclay, and Encaustic Medium

If the sculpture has wings, be aware that the wet paperclay gets

heavy and can tear the wings if they are not supported properly
while sculpting and drying them. I always do these sculptures

in phases, starting with a base coat.

To sculpt characters with wings:

• Coat the armature in a thin layer of paperclay. Be sure to
apply the base coat to the wings last.

• For rounded wings, use paper tubes and/or pieces of round

dowels wrapped in wax paper to prop up the wings and help
them hold their shape until they are dry.

• For large wings, carefully lay the character on its back on top
of some wax paper covered boards with the wings carefully

positioned into place and don’t move it until the clay is dry.

• Once the clay is dry, the wings are frozen in place and quite
sturdy. Now you can add all the detail work and the tail (if

your character has one) by misting the dry areas with water
and adding new wet paperclay.

Prepping sculptures for being painted:

I always paint my paperclay sculptures with a single coat of R&F

Encaustic Gesso before painting them with encaustic medium.
Be sure the clay is completely dry before painting it with the

gesso.

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