How to Make a Gaara Gourd

Gaara of the Desert is a character from the Naruto world and carries a huge gourd made of sand on his back. If you're planning on making a Gaara costume, making his gourd is essential to nailing the look. There are many approaches to creating this giant gourd, but paper mache is probably the easiest option.

Instructions

Build the Gourd

1. Put the smaller bouncy ball on top of the larger one and then use duct tape to attach them to each other. Make sure it's secured really well before you cover it. You can even use the tape to make the gap in size between the smaller and larger ball less noticeable by using it as a sort of filler between the two.

2. Mix up the paper mache according to your favorite recipe. Some people use white glue and water, others use wallpaper paste and water, and some people use flour or cornstarch. Cut the newspaper into strips and make sure you have plenty of it on hand, since this is a pretty big project.

3. Attach one metal ring to each bouncy ball with a piece of duct tape before you start adding the paper mache. These will be the anchors for the cloth sash that will hold the gourd onto your back, so make sure that they are secured before you start.

4. Create a fake cork on top of the paper mache gourd by balling up some of the newspaper strips into a cork stopper shape and then use the tape to adhere it to the top of the smaller bouncy ball.

5. Apply the first layer of newspaper strips dipped in the paper mache and allow it to dry thoroughly before you add the next layer. Keep going until you've added about four layers of paper mache and the shape of the gourd looks reasonably defined.

6. Allow the paper mache to dry completely before you begin painting, usually over night.

Decorate the Gaara Gourd

1. Apply a tan acrylic paint and a large brush to paint the surface of your Gaara gourd. Brush on two coats to get even coverage, and make sure it's dry before you move on.

2. Use brown to paint on the cork stopper at the top. You can then use the same paint to add subtle darker brown details to make the Gaara gourd look more realistic.

3. Paint on the symbols in black or print them from the computer, cut them out, and then glue it on to the side of the gourd if you're artistically challenged or just in a hurry.

4. Attach the cloth strip to the two metal rings. You can tie them on, or go the extra mile and sew them onto the rings. Make sure that there's enough slack to comfortably get the gourd across your shoulders, but not so much that it's banging against your knees.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't use balloons as the foundation for you Gaara gourd because it will get crushed really easily when it's finished. Use bouncy balls or build a wire frame.