Upcycled Bust

I have been working on setting up a shop on Etsy but being new to town with two dogs and a husband that is too shy to model I decided to make my own model. We have been saving the molded foam that electronics and small appliances come packed with so, we have a lot of molded foam on hand. Using double-sided tape to combine foam pieces I created this bust shape. After reviewing the overall shape I decided to take some of the side pieces off and to round out the top of the head; I used a large kitchen knife to cut off the top corners. Then, I papier-mâchéd the pieces together focusing on the connections to create a solid piece that did not wobble when picked up.

This is early during the application of the first papier-mâché layer. I just kept layering newsprint papier-mâché strips until the entire piece had an even uniform solid layer. By this point the piece was strong enough to handle but since I wanted to be able to dress and undress it without worrying I decided to apply another layer. Before adding layers I let everything dry thoroughly because the newsprint strips with flour paste shrink and tighten once dry. There area a total of newsprint papier-mâché layers. By this point the piece was strong enough to be handled without having to be too gentle.

Here is the final product. I used red ink from newspaper ads with white flour paste to give the lips some color so the face would not seem so featureless. And, the final layer is from an old out-of-date road atlas and diluted Elmer’s glue was used because I wanted the adhesive to dry clear for this layer. I went over the piece twice with the map strips because it was easy to miss spots and even now there is one area where a little bit of the newsprint shows through. I finished the bust with two coats of clear, matte finish enamel spray. I decided to name her Rose for the compass rose or windrose.