DIY Papaya Inspired Art

Use a real papaya as inspiration for your craft model.

Making a paper mache model is a creative way to display a piece of papaya-inspired art. Encourage a child or beginning art student to carry out the activity to challenge his visual art skills. Paper mache is created out of several homemade materials and offers a stable encasement for your faux papaya pieces. Coating the outside of your model with paper towel, for example, provides an ideal surface for the application and absorption of acrylic paint. Display the finished product for friends, family or fellow papaya enthusiasts.

Things You'll Need

• Newspaper (multiple sheets)
• Packing tape
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups flour
• Pot
• Medium size bowl
• 1-by-5-inch newspaper strips (multiple)
• 1-by-5-inch paper towel strips (multiple)
• Green and light orange acrylic paint
• Paint brush
• 1/16-inch faux black beads (multiple)
• White glue

Instructions

1. Ball up and mold multiple sheets of newspaper into two halves of a papaya. Make each shape resemble a teardrop shape with a 1/4-by-3-by-4-inch-deep pocket at center. The pockets represent seed pits. Cover the surface area of each papaya half with packing tape to hold the model shapes together.

2. Boil 2 cups water and 2 cups flour into a pot for three minutes to make the paper mache mix. Allow the mix five minutes to cool. Pour the mix into a medium size bowl.

3. Soak a 1-by-5-inch newspaper strip into the mix. Press the strip into one of the papaya halves. Continue until each papaya half is covered in newspaper.

4. Soak a 1-by-5 inch paper towel strip into the mix. Press the strip into one of the papaya halves. Continue until each papaya half is covered in paper towel. Allow three hours for the papayas to dry.

5. Coat the outer surface of each papaya with green acrylic paint. Coat the inner surfaces with light orange acrylic paint. Allow two additional hours for the papayas to dry.

6. Bond multiple 1/16-inch faux black beads -- one atop the other -- within each seed pit with white glue. Allow 30 minutes for the glue to fully dry.

References

• DLTK Kids: How to Paper Mache
• Banana Rite: Papaya Ripening Tips -- Image Example