How to Make a Paper Boulder

Making a paper boulder is surprisingly easy.

A paper boulder is a useful item to have for plays or movies or any situations where a light boulder is useful for story purposes. Making a paper boulder is a very simple process. Simply create a very large paper mache boulder from several balloons taped together. This project will probably take several days to complete because a boulder is such a large object. A smaller boulder will take less time.

Things You'll Need

• Brown craft paper
• Balloons
• Masking tape
• Large paint brush
• PVA glue
• Shallow container
• Tarp
• Paint
• Acrylic sealer

Instructions

1. Tear the craft paper into strips. Crinkle the strips to create a rough texture to the paper.

2. Blow up several balloons. The number will depend on how large you want the boulder. If this is for a set for a play or some other activity where the boulder should be large, use around 10 or 20 balloons.

3. Tape the balloons together into a randomized shape that looks like a large rock or boulder. Place the balloons on a large tarp.

4. Mix some PVA glue in a shallow container with water. Mix in enough water to make a thin paste. Place the strips inside the glue one at a time and layer over the balloons. Try to keep the paper as crumpled as possible. To simulate the rough texture of the boulder, the paper can be very crinkled and rough.

5. Apply about six coats of paper over the balloons. Apply a layer of glue with the paintbrush between paper layers. Try to keep the base of the balloons flat so the boulder can lie flat against the floor. Allow the boulder to dry for two days.

6. Paint the boulder with gray, black and green paint to simulate the appearance of a real boulder. Paint the entire boulder in black, then dry brush gray and green for a mossy effect. Allow the paint to dry for six hours.

7. Paint the entire boulder with an acrylic sealer to protect the surface of the boulder from the paint flaking or the layers of paper peeling away from each other. Allow the sealer to dry for 24 hours before using the boulder for anything.

References

• Paper Mache: Tutorial
• DLTK: Paper Mache Rock