Paper Mache Bowl – Sunflowers

This project shows you how to make a paper mache bowl decorated with sunflowers.

What you need

Bowl
Tape
Transfer Paper
Newspaper
Flour
Plastic Wrap
Gesso
Sand paper
Acrylic Paints: red, turquoise, bright yellow, orange, honey brown, burnt umber.
Different size brushes
Optional: Modge Podge

Instructions

1. Wrap and tape the bowl with plastic wrap.

2. To create the paper mache paste mix flour with water until the mixture looks like a creamy paste, not too watery or too thick. I stir the mix for several minutes until there are no bumps.

3. Tear strips of newspaper about 1″ wide. Dip newspaper strips into the paste, wipe excess paste with your fingers and apply it to bowl. Overlap strips. Cover your bowl with at least four to five layers of paper strips. Keep in mind that the more layers you apply to the bowl the more sturdy the bowl will be.

4. Once it is completely dry pull the paper off the bowl. Sand Lightly and use Gesso on the entire bowl to prepare it for painting. Let dry.

5. Follow the manufactures transfer paper instructions to transfer the sunflower image to the bowl. Once the image is transferred, paint the outside of bowl red and the inside turquoise. (these are only suggested colors, you can use any color that matches your home décor). Use a small brush to paint in between petals. Let dry. A few coats may be necessary.

6. Paint sunflower’s petals bright yellow and the center honey brown. Let dry.

7. To create the inner circles of the sunflower, use burnt umber to outline circles and as you are moving away from the circle add water to the paint to dilute it.

8. Use orange to paint only some parts of the petals and give them a little bit of depth.  Outline the petals with burn umber and a fine brush.

It is optional if you would like to seal the bowl with a clear protective finish. I used Modge Podge for this project.