To not understand how to paint papier mâché??

[BlameItOnTheBoomBoom]

Son's homework is to create a huge 3d model of Neptune.

After a quick dabble on YouTube decided to go down the mâché route, all fine and dandy until we tried to paint the bloody thing. We used newspaper for the mâché (and a beach ball) and let it dry but after 3 coats of paint you could still see the newspaper print. Quick check on Google - apparently common so papier mâché-d (?) over the paint with regular white paper , dried, painted again and dried - twice... but now all we can see are circular specks of white through the paint, sort of more where the paper is glued to the next piece of paper and not consistently all over (used a pva and water mix).

Maybe I used too much water in the mix? It's all stuck down fine though.

Or is it crap paint - Hobbycraft Ready Mixed Paint - all the other paint was tiny and expensive in comparison.

Need to get this thing done by Monday, please can someone tell me how to fix it as it does look really shit... Thanks!

I'd try using those sample pots that you can get for household paint...

Probably crap paint. Use acrylic or tester pots.

You need acrylic paint. Possibly two coats.

Thank you - I'll order some acrylic paint.

Acrylic or thick poster paint :)

Can you use white paper over it - and papier mache that?

Then paint it.

Ignore that - I saw you did that.

Sand, that's genius!

I also love the sand idea!

YANBU. This stuff is never easy or obvious. I have a ‘materials guy’ I go to for problems like this, and he’s spent years at actual art school.

It’s the crap paint probably. However, some paint has a transparent quality to it, and you need it to be more opaque to cover stuff. You can add a little white to it to help add opacity and better coverage.

Try mixing some pva glue into the paint as it thickens it and makes it less see through.

Who cares? They will be expecting the child to do it so send it in with the newsprint showing through.

Tip from DM who was a primary school teacher for many years, Papier Mache is time consuming to dry and an ache to paint. If you have to do something involving it again dont bother with the newspaper but see if you can get brown gummed paper. Dries as hard and using a sponge to wet the paper cuts down on mess. Put the sponge in a saucer and put water in the saucer.

Whenever I've made papier-mache I've always finished with a couple of layers of white kitchen roll or loo paper. Usually leaves a smooth finish.

As an aside, when I was 10 I made a 6ft long/4ft high papier mache dinosaur at art club. I'm not sure how we managed to get it in the car, but it lived on the spare single bed in my room for a few years. My poor parents! :o

I used poster paint for that as a child. It did have a tendency to shed dust and chips everywhere when it was dry though.

Would wall paint work eg flux, perhaps dyed with food colouring.

Delux

Aaaaagh dulux

It will be because of the paint. Just do it with some stuff showing through.
A)its your CHILDS homework
B)there is no prize money
C)it will look nice even with uneven paint job

If the surface is really dodgy maybe use layers of coloured tissue instead of paint, you can add texture, I like the sand idea

Which do schools set homework that clearly the child can't do on their own? Is it meant to be family learning?

He could probably have just sellotaped some boxes and loo roll together ThinkingCat. It's the parents that get all competitive about these tasks