How to Make a Rabbit From Paper

Molded toys have a bit of old world charm. In the past, it was common for children to have molded animals and trains to play with. Sometimes they were made of metal and sometimes they were made of paper. You can easily recreate one of these old-fashioned toys with papier-mache pulp, a mold and some acrylic paints.

Instructions

Rabbit

1

Choose a clear, plastic rabbit mold. The mold should have two sides so that it will make a three-dimensional rabbit.

2

Grease the mold using vegetable oil. Add a little oil to a paper towel and wipe the inside of the mold to ensure that your papier-mache will release from the mold.

3

Press your papier-mache pulp into the mold. Make sure it is pressed into every crevice and no open spaces are left. You can lift the clear mold up to the light to ensure it has adequate coverage. If you see light coming through the pulp, you know you need to add more. The amount of pulp you will need depends on the size of your mold.

4

Place your mold in front of a fan and leave it to dry overnight.

5

Remove the dried mold halves from the mold. Clean your mold and save them for use on a future project.

6

Use a craft knife to trim the edges of your molded halves. Be gentle when trimming the edges as not to break the papier-mache. If it does break, place some pulp on the backside of the broken half. Place the two pieces from the break together and use your finger to smooth the pulp over the edges of both pieces. Place your repaired rabbit in front of a fan and leave it until it is dry.

7

Fill halves of the molded rabbit with pulp. Place the two halves together. Use your fingers to smooth away any pulp that presses out of the sides. Allow the rabbit to dry completely, again leaving it in front of a fan for faster drying. Apply a small amount of pulp to any gaps in the seams. Smooth it as you did before and allow it to dry.

8

Use a fine-grain sandpaper to lightly sand the edges of your rabbit to hide the seams. Be gentle with the sandpaper so as to not to rub away your details.

9

Use a paint brush and acrylic paints to paint the finished rabbit as you desire.

Pulp Recipe

10

Tear some paper into very small pieces. You can use newspaper, old mail, scratch paper, or even clean toilet paper or paper towels. The amount you need depends upon the size of your project. Place the torn pieces of paper into a blender.

11

Add water to the blender. The amount varies with the amount of paper you use. If you have three cups of paper you will need approximately one cup of water. Blend the paper and water for about 30 seconds on medium speed.

12

Pour your pulp into a colander and allow the excess water to drain away.

13

Place your drained pulp into a bowl and mix in some white glue using your hands. If you used three cups of paper, one tablespoon of glue is sufficient.