June 6, 2011

Papering Setup
Here’s a shot of my papering setup.

The technique I’ve been using is to lay a piece of rice paper on a waterproof surface and coat both sides with a liquid starch paste then lay it over the framework and smooth it out. Although it may seem like a mindless activity there is some thought involved figuring out which parts to cover first and sometimes what shape to tear the rice paper into in order to go over a shape smoothly.

The first layers are really just to define the shape of the lion’s features so it isn’t as important for them to completely or perfectly cover the entire head. The subsequent layers will add the strength and toughness so at this point it’s sufficient to just lay down a good base. Make sure the paper goes on nice and tight since any sloppiness here will affect the stability of future layers.

There’s not really too much else to say about this stage so I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, enjoy!

Click any picture for a larger version.

Papered Cheeks Papered Nostrils Papered Nose
Papered Side Papered Mouth Papered Ears

First Layer Front First Layer Side

I’ll post some more pictures when I get more layers done.

Announcing the 2024 Taproot Fellows!