Decorative papier-mâché owls

With FIMOair papier-mâché, these trendy-looking owls are both quick and easy to create – which means plenty of modelling fun for young craft makers too.
There is a polystyrene egg hidden inside each of the owls. This helps keep them in shape during the modelling process. Once dry, these featherweight owls love to sit on window ledges, branches or bookshelves – after all, everyone knows that owls are awfully clever.

You will need:

FIMOair papier-mâché, FIMO modelling tool set, water-soluble gloss varnish, pencil, polystyrene eggs, 2-piece (for a large owl: 1 polystyrene egg approx. 15 cm in diameter and 20.5 cm tall, for a small owl: 1 polystyrene egg approx. 10.5 cm in diameter and 15 cm tall); Mixing bowl, Measuring jug, Clingfilm, Painting turntable or wooden board, Thin bit of greyboard or corrugated card, A4 paper, Scissors, Pins or masking tape, Small glass, approx. 2.5 cm in diameter, Acrylic paint in yellow, orange, red, light green, light blue, blue, pink or other colours, Paintbrush, Dishcloth.

Instructions:

1 Print the template for the large or small wing and for the large or small foot and cut them out. Place the wing template on the greyboard or corrugated card and, going around the outside of the motif with a pencil, draw the wing on the card. Turn the template over and draw the wing again the other way round. Outline the template for the foot twice. Cut everything out.

2 Cut the pointed tip of the polystyrene egg off approx. 2 cm from the top using the kitchen knife so that the egg is able to stand on its own. Stand the egg on its cut-off end on a piece of greyboard or corrugated card, use a pencil to draw around the egg and cut the circle out of the card. Stick one card wing between the two halves of the egg on the left-hand side and the other wing in the same way on the right. It's a good idea to pin the wings to the egg to keep them in place. Pin both halves of the egg together too. Then place the circular piece of card over the cut-off edge and attach to the egg with pins; after that stick the cardboard feet on with pins too.

3 For one large owl put 400 g (200 g for a small owl) of papier-mâché flakes in a bowl. Gradually add approx. 1200 ml of cold water (600 ml for a small owl). Knead until you are left with a dough-like, smooth material. The egg is then covered in papier-mâché. It's best to put the owl on the painting turntable for this. This makes it easier to turn the egg round while you are working on it. Completely cover the egg with a thin layer of papier-mâché. Smooth over the surface with your fingers.

4 For the ears, shape a small triangle out of papier-mâché, add the ear to the head, bring to shape and smooth over the join to the head using the modelling stick.

5 For the beak, make another pointed triangle, attach to the body at a flat angle and smooth over the seam. Now it's time for the eyes: For one eye, roll a small amount of papier-mâché to a ball, press it flat and attach to the owl. Again, smooth over the join to the body.

6 Using the modelling stick, add lines to the eyes and ears as well as around the bottom of the head. For a polka-dot pattern, make circular indents in the owl's body using a small glass. For the pupils, take two tiny balls of papier-mâché and place onto the centre of each eye. Slightly flatten the middle of each pupil.

7 Leave the papier-mâché owl to dry thoroughly for at least three to four days. The drier the owl, the lighter and sturdier it will be. Paint the dried owl however you like. For an impressive,
multi-coloured shabby look, go over already dry paint with a thick coat of a different colour.
Then wipe off the wet paint in places with a moist dishcloth. Leave to dry and then varnish to finish off.

Tip - Flying owls:

These featherweight, sturdy owls love to fly too – by day and by night.

Simply twist one or two screw hooks into the back of the owl and hang it up with nylon thread or cord e.g. in a window, on a branch or on a mobile.

Photo and text: Staedtler GmbH
Decorative papier-mâché owls