How to Make Paper Mache With a Mylar Balloon
Mylar balloons are preferred over latex balloons for people with allergies or sensitivities to latex. You can use Mylar balloons for the base of papier-mâché projects with ease. These balloons are made of sturdy material, are reusable and are available in a diversity of shapes. You can fill Mylar balloons with helium to have a base that stands upright, which is ideal for creating busts or sculptures.
Things You'll Need
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups lukewarm water
- Plastic butter container with lid
- Wooden spoon
- Several sheets of newspaper
- Helium-inflated Mylar balloon with string attached to the end
- Crepe streamers or paper sheets
- Construction paper
- Scissors
- White glue
Instructions
-
-
1
Mix the flour with the water in the plastic container using a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and thick. Fold the newspaper in half along the middle, and rip the sheets into 1-inch wide strips. Rip enough newspaper to have approximately the amount that would fill your plastic container.
-
2
Tie the string of the Mylar balloon to your work surface to keep the balloon from floating away. Dip a strip of newspaper into the paste-filled container, squeezing away excess paste with your fingers. Place the soaked strip on the surface of the balloon.
-
-
3
Continue dipping and layering newspaper, overlapping each piece with another, until you have one solid layer of newspaper. Let the paste dry and then continue with at least 10 additional layers in the same manner.
-
4
Cut pieces of crepe streamers or paper the length of the balloon. Apply glue to the crepe strips and affix these to the exterior of the balloon to add color and texture. Overlap the streamers along each side as you glue the strips.
-
5
Cut shapes, such as letters, facial features, flowers or geometric figures, out of the construction paper according to your design. Glue the construction paper cutouts onto the surface of the crepe-colored balloon.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you are reusing the Mylar balloon for future paper mache projects, leave the mouthpiece of the balloon exposed and insert a straw in the mouthpiece to release the helium or air. Retrieve the deflated balloon through the hole.
You will need to wait at least 12 hours between each layer of paper mache to allow the paste time to dry. Cover your paste bucket with the lid to save your paste from drying out.
Do not inhale the helium to deflate the Mylar balloon.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Happy Birthday Balloon image by Dawn from Fotolia.com
